As it relates to Zoanthids, Palythoas & Protopalythoas - Part 1

[MUCHO REEF]

As it relates to Zoanthids, Palythoas & Protopalythoas, what is your single greatest challenge you are currently facing or have faced in the past? Nothing is too big and nothing is too small, just share it.

Mucho Reef

 

[heckeng]

Light acclimation. It seems like most of the LFS around me are using very low lighting, so when I add them to my tank under the halides, they don't like it.

 

[MikeandNicole]

Come one with zoas there are always more than one challenge. :spin1:

I think lack of flow has been the biggest challenge for me. When I think about zoas that I lost it was generally after I moved them from a frag rack getting a ton of flow to another area in the tank with less flow. What follows is algae and melting. I am sure there are other factors that work into it, but if I really think about what I changed, that always comes across.

 

[MUCHO REEF]

Come one with zoas there are always more than one challenge. :spin1:

I think lack of flow has been the biggest challenge for me. When I think about zoas that I lost it was generally after I moved them from a frag rack getting a ton of flow to another area in the tank with less flow. What follows is algae and melting. I am sure there are other factors that work into it, but if I really think about what I changed, that always comes across.

Do you really think there are many challenges with/to keeping zoas and plays?

 

[XSharkboyX]

One challenge for me over the years is finding the sweet spot in the tank for each particular colony. Sometimes it can take months to get it dialed in slowly, but once you find it, growth erupts!
I think many people just place frags/colonies in their system, and assume they will do well in that location.

 

[KafudaFish]

One challenge for me over the years is finding the sweet spot in the tank for each particular colony. Sometimes it can take months to get it dialed in slowly, but once you find it, growth erupts!
I think many people just place frags/colonies in their system, and assume they will do well in that location.

I can see that even in my small system with all the frags being the same morph.

Those to my right open less, have less growth, and are smaller than the ones in the middle and far left of my system.

 

[XSharkboyX]

I can see that even in my small system with all the frags being the same morph.

Those to my right open less, have less growth, and are smaller than the ones in the middle and far left of my system.

Now you just need produce the same flow/results on both sides, and hopefully achieve a whole tank of "sweet spotness!"
Yep, I just made that up...

 

[MikeandNicole]

Do you really think there are many challenges with/to keeping zoas and plays?

I think this hobby is challenging period.

Zoa problems:
Spiders
Nudis
Aipstaita
Algae
Hydroids
Fish eating them
Inverts eating them
Zoa Pox
Sponges
Of course plain old melting

Zoa Parameters
Right flow
Right light
Right water params

Now I know you can make the arguement for any type of coral having those problems. I know I am not alone when I say I have had problems, because half or more of the threads in here are issues with zoas (as other coral boards are).

Now if you quarantine and dip your zoas you can wipe half that list away. Some people can grow zoas like it is going out of style, others can never grow them.

 

[MUCHO REEF]

Check your PM, I sent you something regarding each of those concerns.

 

[SushiGirl]

I have a small colony of small red (well, orangey-red) zoas that just aren't doing well. They're not closed all the time or anything, just not getting growth like all the others in the tank (I have quite a few zoas). I think some of it is that it kept getting moved by a snail for a while, but so have some of the others. Right now they're next to some other ones that were bought at the same time and those are really booming LOL. Unfortunately, not a lot of good spots to place them.

I also have some purple palys that grew well in more light, but were losing their purple. I moved them to the shade so they're purple, but not growing LOL.

Neither of those is any big heartache, though, just a tad frustrating sometimes when I look at pics of everything over time. I think I've been very fortunate to not have had any of the issues that seem so common with zoas & palys. I look forward to getting our 140 up and running, then I'll have more room to give stuff better spots in a tank!

 

[The Escaped Ape]

A perfect storm of pests did for one of my colonies - zoa spiders and sundial snails did the initial damage (but were caught in enough time not to spread to other colonies) and, weakened by that, it was eventually finished off by hydroids (which my other zoas are so far not badly effected by, as long as I clear them off from time to time).

Add to this the plague of pox that did for another couple of purchases (pox in the loosest sense - I have no idea whether it's just a useful catch-all for a host of fungal conditions or actually one type that has spread badly) and I think it has to be pests for me.

Otherwise zoas are usually pretty forgiving in my experience.

 

[Jarred1]

My biggest challenge has to be the battle with the amphipods! They are eating my zoas because I haven't been feeding the tank because I haven't been home much since I started school again. I have added a wrasse but it didn't help too much.


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[KafudaFish]

Getting lazy/turning the auto pilot on thinking everything is golden and then realizing that what got you to your happy place you are no longer doing and then you start having issues.

This leads to less enjoyment and wanting to quit the hobby.

 

[laugh]

Waiting two weeks for my new "deep blue seas" zoas to finally open up. They are beauties though.

 

[MUCHO REEF]

Anyone else care to share their greatest challenge? Doesn't matter what it is, as long as it's zoa/paly/proto related, we'd love to hear about. I know I would.

Mooch

 

[j.p. harrington]

i think my biggest challenge is ive got my tank so packed full of coral mainly z/p's but do have sofeties lps and some sps.

is my keep my ALK up high enough i use about 2 dkh daily so if i miss a day of dosing i can really tell i spend alot of time looking at my tank and my "FIRE AND ICE" colony is my first sign thats somethings wrong they react very strongly to the alk being off