Circleofdocs
New member
What's the best stuff to feed your zoas for optimal growth?
Best zoa food
- Thread starter Circleofdocs
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sneeyatch
Active member
Yep, but add in good water quality, lighting and flow.
Zoanthids don't eat, palythoa do.
organism
code monkey
I have zoanthids that eat, it just doesn't make enough of a difference to make up for the lower quality. I love threads like these, for the most part you get the more experienced hobbyists saying not to bother, and the newer hobbyists arguing about how awesome it is.
A. Grandis
Active member
Zoas can grab the food, yes. Their response is slower, comparing to Protopalythoas and Palythoas, but they will grab the particles.
I believe there is only so much food that can help zoas to growth. Primarily, the zooxanthellae relationship will fulfill their needs. I think they don't need or can't process the food as efficient as Protopalythoas and Palythoas. I feed mine once a week and they do fine. There is a difference when you feed, but there is more things involved. The fish food and other wastes in the water can contribute to that also, so once a week is more than enough.
Small amounts of amino acids and vitamins could help some. Small amounts!
Say, if you have efficient lights, a good skimmer, water change schedule, the right water movement, no predators, and good water quality, the feeding will add to it. If you have a tank with poor water quality and all the others lacking, the food can add as negative too because their basics are not there. The more food into the system, the more to be removed.
All that is also relative because how much is too much light? What about the water changes? Well, there is the balance, and basically speaking, it will depend on how many bioload one has in the tank to begin with.
Zoas don't need to be fed as much or can't be fed as much.
I found that when all the pumps (including the return) are off they tend to have a better reaction to the particles touching the polyps.
I like the Zoa/Acan food, from Tropical Marine and Microvore, from Brightwell Aquatics.
I've never tried Coral Frenzy yet. That's next!
Grandis.
I believe there is only so much food that can help zoas to growth. Primarily, the zooxanthellae relationship will fulfill their needs. I think they don't need or can't process the food as efficient as Protopalythoas and Palythoas. I feed mine once a week and they do fine. There is a difference when you feed, but there is more things involved. The fish food and other wastes in the water can contribute to that also, so once a week is more than enough.
Small amounts of amino acids and vitamins could help some. Small amounts!
Say, if you have efficient lights, a good skimmer, water change schedule, the right water movement, no predators, and good water quality, the feeding will add to it. If you have a tank with poor water quality and all the others lacking, the food can add as negative too because their basics are not there. The more food into the system, the more to be removed.
All that is also relative because how much is too much light? What about the water changes? Well, there is the balance, and basically speaking, it will depend on how many bioload one has in the tank to begin with.
Zoas don't need to be fed as much or can't be fed as much.
I found that when all the pumps (including the return) are off they tend to have a better reaction to the particles touching the polyps.
I like the Zoa/Acan food, from Tropical Marine and Microvore, from Brightwell Aquatics.
I've never tried Coral Frenzy yet. That's next!
Grandis.
Friday Night
New member
Fish waste
SIR PATRICK
New member
Anything from dissolved nutrients up to anything the polyp can grab and consume.
Reef Bass
colors and textures
While I'm feeding my sps with freeze dried zooplankton (reef chili or coral frenzy), I'll pour some in my lps tank for the z's and p's. When I'm thawing mysis, brine, etc., to feed my lps, I'll toss in some rotifers. So while I'm not target feeding, there are small bits flying around which polyps can ingest should they so desire.
I do target feed my nuc greens chopped mysis.
I do target feed my nuc greens chopped mysis.
caudill187
New member
As mentioned, my experience has been that for the most part, zoanthids don't capture and eat particulate matter large enough to see with the naked eye (coral frenzy). There are exceptions, of course.
I used to think my smaller zoas were eating because they closed when I squirted them with food, but on closer observation they were just exhibiting a defensive behavior in response to the irritation of being pelted with stuff....
I think that for the most part, they filter organic material from the water column.....fish crap or its decomposition products (amino, fatty acids, proteins.....etc.)
I used to think my smaller zoas were eating because they closed when I squirted them with food, but on closer observation they were just exhibiting a defensive behavior in response to the irritation of being pelted with stuff....
I think that for the most part, they filter organic material from the water column.....fish crap or its decomposition products (amino, fatty acids, proteins.....etc.)
Circleofdocs
New member
Somit looks like coral frenzy is the way to go... I usually use cylcopeeze... What's your thoughts on CP...
Reef Bass
colors and textures
I used to believe this but my thoughts have shifted for several reasons. First, have you every watched video of a colony of zoanthids on a time lapse basis? There was a good video posted here several months ago which demonstrated this, and I believe Mooch even asked his usual type of "make you think" question, like "what do you think those polyps are doing there?". You'll see every so often a different polyp "blink", or close and then reopen (slowly over several to many seconds, but looks like a blink in time lapse). Now I'm not talking about being touched or hit by a piece of crud and recoiling, or when one can watch a line of them close as a bristleworm slithers through the mat beneath the open polyps.
This "blinking" is, in my opinion, zoanthid feeding. Let's also keep in mind that zoanthids, just like palythoas, have a mouth. That mouth didn't just magically appear so zoos could put on lipstick. Those polyps with mouths have a survival advantange - the ability to ingest more and larger pieces of food than a polyp which gets its nutrition by absorption / diffusion across its external membranes.
I totally get and have experienced attempting to target feed zoos only to have them appear to not react at all, or to recoil from being pelted with a stream of water and food. They seem positively disinterested compared to some palythoas which are like little venus fly traps closing in around prey as soon as it makes contact with their skirt tentacles. But if you take a longer view (literally!), you will see zoos feeding, just at a glacial pace compared to their paly cousins.
A. Grandis
Active member
Just watching the tank for a while you can see feeding behavior, if you've got enough zoas in the tank. Like Reef Bass talked about.
Another proof is that when you put the food in their mouth they close and when they open, there is nothing in the center of the polyp.
When I feed them I try to turn off all the pumps, so I can make sure that I'm not just seeing a recoiling or a reaction against the object (food particle).
Do we need more proof? Well, they actually poop too.
That "blinking" is indeed a natural feeding behavior. I notice that in my system once in a while. We can't see the micro food particles, most of the time. They are like dust in the water. Some times they eat, and some times they reject those micro particles.
Also, they grab some of the Spectrum pellets by accident when I feed my fishes and eat them. We cant' miss that. They close for a while and open, and the pellet is gone.
Yes, I'm sure they eat and probably love to do so.
They also absorb dissolved nutrients.
They are slower eaters.
One more thing: they don't eat people, but we call some of them people eaters for fun.
Grandis.
Another proof is that when you put the food in their mouth they close and when they open, there is nothing in the center of the polyp.
When I feed them I try to turn off all the pumps, so I can make sure that I'm not just seeing a recoiling or a reaction against the object (food particle).
Do we need more proof? Well, they actually poop too.
That "blinking" is indeed a natural feeding behavior. I notice that in my system once in a while. We can't see the micro food particles, most of the time. They are like dust in the water. Some times they eat, and some times they reject those micro particles.
Also, they grab some of the Spectrum pellets by accident when I feed my fishes and eat them. We cant' miss that. They close for a while and open, and the pellet is gone.
Yes, I'm sure they eat and probably love to do so.
They also absorb dissolved nutrients.
They are slower eaters.
One more thing: they don't eat people, but we call some of them people eaters for fun.
Grandis.
A. Grandis
Active member
... and I'd like very much to see that video, Reef Bass.
Hope you can find.
Grandis.
Hope you can find.
Grandis.
dublo8
New member
I have always fed mine at least once a month. I tend to just dust them with small particle food but not much of any reaction has me to believe they feed in the same way as a palythoa or similar larger polyp type coral. We know they eat but eat what, when and how is the question. Yes they have mouths but I have never once seen them open or ingest food (for what I have seen). I guess it isn't a big deal because they still grow and show signs of being healthy even when I don't feed them. Either way if you are looking for a smaller particle food to try and feed them with, the smallest I have found is reefroids by polyp labs. I usually mix this with reef chili and spot feed my sps. It's not cheap food by any means but the little container will last a long long long time.
A. Grandis
Active member
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFnG3Hrb6bk
I've found this video.
It's kinda fast to show us if the polyps are actually eating, but it's still nice to watch. We can see the "blinking" of the polyps collecting the micro particles in the water.
Enjoy,
Grandis.
I've found this video.
It's kinda fast to show us if the polyps are actually eating, but it's still nice to watch. We can see the "blinking" of the polyps collecting the micro particles in the water.
Enjoy,
Grandis.
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