Are the "rare" zoos a good 1st choice

[heyfredyourhat]

.....And will hermits eat them!??
By rare I mean tubs true blues, PPE, rastas? Those are the three that I really want. But should I get something a little "cheaper" to see how things go??

[MUCHO REEF]

Regarding the polyps you listed above, none of them are rare. If someone has told you that, you were being mislead. Just curious as to why you want to limit yourself to those of which you are going to pay and arm and a leg because someone named them and attached a sky high price to them. There are blue, purple, green and orange zoanthids and plays that you can find for pennies on the dollar with a greater propensity of survival. I see you are just getting started in reefing and I would be concern with your tanks maturity before adding anything expensive. I would most definitely buy something cheaper until you acclimate yourself to reefing and zoanthid keeping in particular. Can you share more about your system first, I'd love to hear about it?


Mucho Reef

[650-IS350]

I'd start with easily attainable nice looking zoos first. Then when you see that they start doing well on you. start getting the harder to get zoa's and palys.

[heyfredyourhat]

I am just starting out, so there isnt anything special about my setup...

A few sites that i check out every so often have them listed as "exotics" or "premiums"... I do agree they are highly overpriced.
If you can point me to a nicer blue or a nicer purple that would be great. The only ones i have really had an eye on were those listed...and maybe it is all just the lighting and the cameraman that make them look oh so good, beats me...?

[Eklikewhoa]

I would start with cheapies to make sure....and as for the "Designer name brand" stuff.....can't help the cost now since everyone likes to make a buck.

I like them as they are more unique/colorful then most but the cost is a downer.

[650-IS350]

Actually in canada there are a couple of nice online site that carry sweet zoas/palys. But to get the best nice looking polyps for a good price, I suggest get it from fellow reefers near your or in reefclub members like here in RC. check the coral for sale threads.

[FOSELONE]

^ what websites would those be ?

[heyfredyourhat]

wickedfrags
he was totm in may 07

[Jeff cousteau]

Fragalot.ca is another site. I just bought a bunch from them.

[heyfredyourhat]

The guys at fragalot didnt seem to want to help me out very well. And dave @ wicked seems to be a pretty awesome guy.

[Jeff cousteau]

I'll have to place my next order with him then, he's got some real nice stuff. I was looking at wicked at first but got a deal I could'nt refuse from fragalot.

[z's_N_p's]

I would recommend Bam Bam Orange zoas, certain morphs of Eagle Eyes, RadioActiv Greens to start with.. those seem to do well as long as you get as frags from fellow reefers... they don't normally cost an arm and a leg also.. good luck.. :)

[heyfredyourhat]

i will look into those.

Are there any special requirements for zoas?? certain things they love??

[JJ21]

todd at cherry corals is awesome, he always gives you extra polyps, and there are great deals as well. just be care acclimating zoanthinds as they are poor shippers IME

[MUCHO REEF]

I think the cart is way ahead of the horse here. This thread has turned into which sight to go to, who gives the best deals, service and freebies. Then there's the names again and acclimation concerns. The OP is stating that he/she has very limited knowledge of zoas/palys. I would highly advise the op to read, read ,read and ask questions as you are doing now, this is great, but don't buy a single thing with a name or because of a name. Buy the cheapest colorful polyps you can find and just keep them alive with what you've learned here and from the zoanthid information draft sticky above. Far too many reefers buy living corals with limited knowledge only to killed them while trying guess what will or won't work. Again, putting the cart before the horse. No, I'm not being harsh to the OP at all. I want your first zoa keeping experience to be a positive one which will keep you in this hobby longer. Not causing undue harm and possible mortality should be on the front burner always. All I'm saying is put knowledge and understanding before names, web sights, pricing and deals. If the corals perish, then those concerns will mean very little with a tank full of sick, dead or dying corals.

Just my opinion and 2 cents, no disrespect to anyone else by any means.


Mucho Reef

[heyfredyourhat]

I was waiting for you (mucho reef) to chime in. I read some of your stuff in here earlier. Good stuff! kudos.

I like the advise, but what happens when the "regular everyday" zoas/palys flourish and i have a bunch of stuff that i settled with?

Or does that come with territory? Walk before run? Is it safe to say that 100% of the TOTM are not first timers?

I do want a beautiful tank with stunning colors, so i am happy waiting and reading more, and i understand that eventually i will need to get my hands "wet", but i don't want to just buy the run of mill stuff....

hope this doesn't come off rude or arrogant..

[MUCHO REEF]

When your tank is set up, mature, flourishing and all is growing well and you have the knowledge necessary to keep the corals on loan to us from mother earth alive, just trade frags or sell them and you'll get your money back. Then you take the next step and venture upward. Many will say hog wash Mucho, you don't know what you're talking about. I can send you to just about any sight including this one and read many many post with, "why won't my polyps open", "why did they die", "what's wrong with my corals". Things can, do and will go wrong in this hobby, all I'm saying is go in with as much knowledge and understanding as you can to insure that you are giving these corals a chance at captive survival, that's all I'm saying. I would consider that minimal respect for these corals which sometimes perish because of a late of knowledge.

Not sure why you're even mentioning TOTM. That's nothing more than acknowledgement by others. I know dozens of reefers with stunning systems who I look up to and admire and none of them have been selected as TOTM. "To thine own self be true". Just create what makes you happy, forget about everyone else's tank and TOTM. I bet your system has the makings in time to be mind boggling. Just take your time, go slow and document all that you do and what works. You can then pass this along to others and just imagine the inspiration you will become for so many who are where you are right now my friend.

I love the run of the mill stuff. Why? I find it appealing where others don't. Zoanthid/palythoas keeping has become so overly competitive that it is taking away from the innocence of the hobby. I see nothing wrong with getting your hands wet my friend, just get them damp first.


Mucho Reef

[heyfredyourhat]

good stuff.

What i mean by TOTM is merely a nice system. There are only a few ppl i personally know in this hobby and one who has a really nice setup. So what i see is mainly TOTM.

What should i be looking for, i mean like dollar and cents wise? Like a buck per polyp type stuff??....

[sassafrass]

Yes or less I have gotten many nice zoo's for little moneyand sometimes they change color in your tank(always exciting)
Lee

[DrBegalke]

None of the zoas are that hard to care for, even for a beginner (esp. one who has been researching reefs for 2 years). Do a little bit more research on here, esp on dips to prevent pests... and I would think you'll do fine.

As far as which color morph, I would get whatever zoa you like at whichever price you are willing to pay.

I will note that IME Tub's blues are slow growing and may not be as enjoyable for one of your first colonies.

[DrBegalke]

and also,
hermits won't eat them, but they will walk over them causing the zoa's to close up... I have hermits in my zoa tanks, and they do fine...

for a good id page for zoanthid predators:

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/zoas.html

[the808state]

so what is considered a rare zoa or paly?

[Lotus99]

I think one problem you may have if you decide to order is that it can be a little trickier with shipped corals. Of course, if some don't make it, it would be hard to know if it was your tank or the shipping.

Get some nice looking zoas from the LFS or from a member in your local reef club, and see how they do for you (and even if you like zoas). If you decide later that you hate them and want fancier ones, trade or sell them on.

[heyfredyourhat]

picked up some greens and some orangey/brown ones from a friend. Its been 2 days and so far they are right at home. Wide open and looking good.

[z's_N_p's]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12808978#post12808978 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by heyfredyourhat
picked up some greens and some orangey/brown ones from a friend. Its been 2 days and so far they are right at home. Wide open and looking good.
sounds like a good start.. congrats.. :)

[DrBegalke]

nice :)

[JMCAquarium]

heyfredyourhat

Also keep in mind what one zoa looks like in one tank will look different in yours. As far as the LFS go don't be afraid to take a good deal on "ugly duckling zoa's" I purchased my first mini colony 25 heads for $20 just to get started they were complete brown and rather ugly but were the cheapest he had. Now I've had them for 4 years and they have since morphed/colored up from brown to bright orange center with two brown skirts. some have two skirts others have one. The center glows bright orange under Blue LEDS at night. I've now got about 400+ heads and they look awesome at night one of my favs now a days. Even over my PDP, AOG, AOA, GA, NGP, TB, and DS paly’s/ zoa’s

Good luck with your hunt for the "rare" zoa's as Mucho said don't be fooled by the name. example: tubs Blue Zoa's there is also a false Tubs blue now a days look just the real deal but the linage cannot be proven so the price is 1/4 the price everyone else pays. My buddy forked out the big bucks for his True Blue and I baught my “false” blue for $15 for two heads and they look just like his I make sure I rub it in every time I go there.

A rare Zoa is one you haven’t seen before and like doesn’t matter if it’s $1 or $100.
I’m usually not so long winded sorry
:lol:

[heyfredyourhat]

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff157/heyfredyourhat/IMG_0424.jpg

Finally have something green that isnt algea!

[JMCAquarium]

Nice I've been after some that look like to.

[jjmcat]

IMO whats rare today will be common in the near future.Does anyone remeber when eagle eyes and fire and ice ployps use to bring top dollar? There has been a few types of polyps that still bring a premium price to the buyer.ie tubbs and ppe polyps.

[250G]

agreed :D

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12780405#post12780405 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by heyfredyourhat
And dave @ wicked seems to be a pretty awesome guy.

[george albert]

a few words of advice sit down and read up on zoas and the pests
i jumped in over my head at first buying everything i could get my hands on and lost nearly everything due to nudis and spiders so i started over after reading up on them and getting some advice here on line not trying to tell you what to do but take your time and as far as rare zoas they will become common ive found nicer zoas here and the the lfs than buying from online venders if theres something you are looking for ask here first good luck

[heyfredyourhat]

the thing with buying from RC members is the cross border shipping thing. Up here we can get it same day or next day, but when we try to get stuff from down there were looking at multiple days at least.

[george albert]

i can understand that i know i just lost a great deal and online venders can charge too much sometimes

[heyfredyourhat]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12780405#post12780405 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by heyfredyourhat
The guys at fragalot didnt seem to want to help me out very well. And dave @ wicked seems to be a pretty awesome guy.


<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12957800#post12957800 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 250G
agreed :D

lol i just figured that one out!!!


I am about to order a rather pricey pack from wicked, are there any tips i should know before i put them in the QT?? Like FW dips, visual inspections...for what exactly...???

[IridescentLily]

When i get my reef and eventually my first Zoas, i'm not going to put any zoas in my tank without having a jewelers magnifying bit, tweezers, a Zoa prayer, and a lugol's dip. Regardless of what they're called, everyone gets the same treatment. :-)
And no zoas are going in my tank until I have a phosban reactor operating.
Those are some things I've learned anyway.
heyfred, I love your new Zoa purchase!

[PaintGuru]

I understand your concern, I have run into the "compromise" paradox in the past myself. I'll be honest, it should not take you more then a day to get enough info to understand how to keep zoas/palys. The problem is, most systems are different, and what works for one person may not work for the other. Unfortunately, this means that you will need to do a lot of learning on your own by seeing what works for you. And contrary to what Mucho says, some of the morphs that you do want are rare, or at least hard to find. I see people with corals all the time that I have had no luck finding at online or local retails, that is just the way things go in this hobby. At this point in your tank progress, I would grab a couple morphs that you do like and try them out. If they do well (start spreading, stay open, etc.), slowly add more to your collection. If you have problems, stop acquiring them until you have figured it out. The last thing you want to do is throw money out the window, but I for one do not try to control my system to the Nth degree, especially for zoas and palys.

[heyfredyourhat]

If this means anything the green zoa started out at roughly 8 "full" polyps and now it is close to 15 "full" polyps.