So I have this new frag, No clue what its name is, I looked all through coralpedia and other sites...
I wouldn't bother to even concern myself with the name. It isn't going to do a single thing to make your frag grow. Just enjoy it for what it is my friend.
I love it, great color, always open, looks great. However I have had it for about 6 months and have had 6 polyps since the begining (no new ones). Should I be concerned.
NO, there is absolutely nothing to be concerned about. All zoas are not created equal. All are not collected from the same regions, depths, conditions and nutrient levels. As someone else has already stated, they are collected in nutrient rich and slightly nutrient deprived conditions. so are found in turbid waters to just off the shore in shallow waters. I even read where some grew like grass near sewage run offs, yet I have a friend who grew them like crazy in conjunction with a tank full of SPS in near pristine low nutrient level conditions.
I have yet to see a single system, including that of my own, with zoas and palys from diverse regions from around the globe, who hasn't had unexplained polyp mortality or polyps which are fine one week and suffering the next. I'm a firm believer that the goal should be finding a happy medium within ones system where husbandry and parameters are within a range that suits all polyps in said system. Tweeking the system is what I believe in. I call it" dialing in your tank parameters", by watching, testing and documenting subtle changes over time, never dramatic changes, until all polyps are thriving and healthy.
You will never get rapid, consistent, equal monthly growth down to 2 polyps this month, 2 polyps next month etc etc etc. I have always been content with just healthy polyps and some growth. Not saying you are, but far too much focus is placed on how fast can I grow these out. A biotope is not the ocean floor. We can come close to duplicating it, but our systems are still man made.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=729863&highlight=whodah+growth
Some polyps will grow faster/slower than others. As long as you are getting growth, I would be very pleased. Many many variables will have an impact and determine/affect growth. Polyps will grow faster in older system more so than newer one. Lighting, ( wattage, k value, type ) etc will have an impact.
Parameters including tank temp, salinity, trates, alk, ph and mag will also affect growth. Even ballast type, if applicable can have an affect on growth. I personally don't believe that zero trates and phosphates are best suited for good growth. Medium to high current is a must. Current which wiggles the polyp is all that is needed. Larger polyps including palythoas can tolerate slightly more current than smaller diameters zoanthids as it will cause them to retract. I have a great link which supports this. I will try to dig it up and add it here.
Zoanthids are photosynthetic, so lighting is vital, but some will require a second food source whether its excessive fish poop or a twice weekly addition of zooplankton. Feeding those palythoas meaty foods which exhibit a prey/capture response have always yielded a noticeable change/improvement in my tank.
It is about midway in a 20" Solana 34gal, under 150 watt MH 14K bulb. It gets good flow indirectly and I feed a mix of phyto, reefbugs, and coral vibrance, twice a week. Here is a pic
"If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it" I have a few question for you.
1. What type of make up water are you using?
2. What type of salt?
3. How often do you perform your water changes?
4. Do you aerate and circulate for 24 hours before the change?
5. Do you set your parameters of the make up water before the change.
6. Are you checking your salinity with a good calibrated refractometer or are you using a swing arm hydrometer?
7. Do you text your parameters?
8. If so, how often and with what kits?
9. Do you document in a dedicated log on a daily basis and changes both visually and via any testing performed?
10. How's your bioload?
11. What kind of PAR output readings are you getting from your bulbs?
12. How old are your bulbs?
13. If shielded, do you regularly clean the lens? A dirty lens can even decrease PAR in your reef tank.
As I said, there are so many variable which affect growth. This is why names are never my focus for me. In closing, I say just continue doing what you are doing, but focus now on fine tuning what you have with what's listed in the 5 paragraphs above.
I agree with luckydud13.
All in all, I think you're doing a great job my friend. Just be patient and diligent, they will grow, but at their own pace. I hope this helps, good luck.
Mucho Reef
