ZOOS Growing??????

[iceemn360]

I've had a small rock of green zoos (not all that exciting) for two months now and the colony of 15 polyps has only added 4 new small polyps. I have a 72 gallon bowfront. salinity 1.024, pH 8.3, ammonia and nitrites are 0, and nitrates real low. Any one have any suggestions on improving their growth?

[Dwarfpufferfish]

Whats your lighting like? What other corals do you have and how is their growth???

[bluenassarius]

how about feeding em??
i turn off my pumps and drop a little frozen mysis shrimp over em they take it in real good :)
just a suggestion

[headonkey]

When I started dosing calcium, my zoo growth exploded. Try using Mrs. Wages pickling lime in your topoff water.

[shaggydoo]

Feeding cyclopse also helps a great deal i have found. Also a good iodine like kents lugols or belive it or not purple up has a good source of iodine

[Reef Junkie]

Not to knock any of these great comments from knowlegable members, but I have never seen my zoas eating anything. most of the time, if food lands on the polyp, they will close over it and then expel it shortly afterwards.

Time and stable conditions are usually the trick to getting your zoas to grow. Some need more light, current or both.

Like many corals, zoas will not grow unless conditions are right.
Stable, Salinity, Ph/alk, Temp...

Give them some time, they'll grow.

[Ace1]

Well i have witnessed my zoo eating cyclopeeze and mysis and i have noticed rapid growth since i discovered that they will actually consume this...

IMO Feeding is very important for color and growth

[Scythanith]

My zoo's actively eat mysis and retain it until approx 4 days later they usually release a long stringy brown excrement. The colony does this in unison.

[jessp]

how about raising temp a couple degrees, this increases the colonies metabolism and should speed up growth

[Reef Junkie]

Humm, I posted that comment a while ago. I find feeding Zoanthids very difficult, but not impossible. It required me to do spot feeding and fending off the fish while the zoas ate.
My Palythoa on the other hand are voracious eaters. They're much easier to feed and consume the food fast enough to keep the fish away.

This does help growth, but it is a lot of work. The problem is when you don't have time to feed your zoa's every night, or stop altogether. I have seen colonies recede after I stopped feedings.

IMO, I am not a proponent to spot feeding zoas all the time. I find it to be difficult to maintain and it contributes to alage growth around the colonies.

I would feed zoas that are not doing well or growing way too slow. That will help kick start the colony, but I wouldn't do it indefinitely.

Also, watch for new algae growth. If it starts to bloom, cut back on the feedings or filter harder.

I agree about raising the temp, but conditionally. Raising the temp would help if the temp was real low (73-75 degrees), but if you're already running the temp higher (79-81 degrees) it's dangerous to go higher. The reason is if you run the temp at 82 degrees, on a hot day it has the potential to jump to the dangerous levels quicker (86-90) which will result in death.

I wonder, why was this thread dug up?

[anonymousadrian]

iodine dipping?

[Reef Junkie]

Do you mean Lugols? I'd use Lugols for dipping new zoas, but that's it.

I have never seen a positive response from dosing Iodine additives.

[flyguy7150]

i've seen about 6 new polyps on my frag first zoa frag and i got it last weekend. I dont spot feed

[prsouthfl]

My zoo's actively eat mysis and retain it until approx 4 days later they usually release a long stringy brown excrement. The colony does this in unison.


i allso see the same they love it they reproduce alot faster IMHO

[650-IS350]

the brown slime is just POOP.

[KillerReef]

i feed phyto and my BE girls have gone from 2 polyp to 7 in 3 weeks and my lunar eclipse is up from 2 to 5...

[NANOYED]

typically zoas don't feed. I only target feed my paly's. Make sure alk/ph are in range. Sometimes certain zoas will not grow much for 2-3 months and then just start to take off.

[ksanmamaril]

dirty water! i heard zoas love/thrive in dirty :D my zoas exploded after not doing water changes, just top off, for about 3 mos. my tank is established, so i wouldnt suggest it if u just started. :D

[Antonais1391]

i agree with the high temp theory. i got a frag of 5 heads and i now have 9. would be interesting to dose/ feed to see if it makes them grow faster. what would you guys suggest to dose anyway? calsium?

[scuba guy ron]

I've noticed remarkable growth in my zoas when i place them next to other zoa colonys. probly triple the growth from ones that are seperated. I'm guessing it is a competition for space thing going on.

[tens8273]

tough to say, but all specie are a bit different.

[tiburone9162003]

i have try to hand feed my zoas,but they dont really grab any,but it looks like they growing fine,i only feed then oyster eggs n plankton mix... i used to keep the daylights on for 14 hours,but not i only do 7 hours then after moon lights come on the rest of the day/night..
i hear feeding zoas at night its the best time..

[geoxman]

this is interesting topic and reefjunkie is correct for the most part. I have to go into work but I will expound tomorrow sometime with what I think about feeding. good luck

And dirty water rocks for zoanthids about 7 hours of the day...then it is a slippery slope. JMHO

[strout]

I am as bad as you in getting my zoas to grow, and what has worked for me, I tend to over feed my fish and I have changed my weekly water changes to once every three weeks. My zoas have never looked better.

[FISHUNT-72]

I agree with reefjunkie.I have about 25 different zoas & palys.It seems zoas just close up when food is near.Palys on the other hand eat time and time again.All zoas and palys grow at different rates.Some seem to just survive while others if not kept in check will take over.Same goes for my rics and yumas.My purple/blue rics dominate over all other colors of rics.My yumas are just there,they don't show any growth.Back to the zoas.I just dose 2-part and add buffer to my top-off water.I think stable alkalinity is the key to zoa success.I've had a lot of zoas melt away before I dosed 2-part on a regular basis.Also lighting is important.MH or T-5's are the best:sad2:.PC's IMO are crap.Z's & P's tend to brown out and loose all their wow under these lights.

[Dave VG]

Not sure how you are making out with this but you want to bump your salinity up to 1.026 (35 pt) that is ideal for reef tanks.

[tiburone9162003]

Fishunt, what mean by 2 part dose?
I have t5's n they doing fine, but they on the sand, I was thinking on making a little egg stand to put then up little higher..

[mr.iacuessa]

i thought zoas were filter feeders? whenever any type of fish food lands on one of my zoas, they just close up...i do spot feed mine with microvert thoughand they have adjusted well, and ill be upgrading my lights from pc to t5 soon, i cant wait, im really excited... anyways, if a "zoa" is eating mysis, which is kinda big, maybe you should check to make sure you dont have a bad anemone colony like mojano, sometimes they look similar