Im getting zoas soon and i need guidance..

[xxmindgamesxx]

Hello everyone,

Im getting a zoas frag with 3-5 polyps on it in a couple of days..

I have done hours of research on acclimating/growing/caring for zoas and every article or video says something diffrent. So is there anything i need to know before purchasing the zoas?

And should i float them for 15 mins then drip acclimate them for another 30 mins and then place them in the tank? Is that the correct way of doing it?

I just want to make sure i dont loose my first coral because if a small mistake. Thank!!

 

[FF337]

First pieces are always exciting. It is best to get in good practices from the start. Dipping them in a solution to rid the frag of potential pest is paramount. There are several pest that can enter an aquarium and darn near impossible to remove.
A dip like revive, coral rx or Bayer dip. (Plenty of threads about these already). In my experience the Bayer dip does nothing to zoanthid eating nudibranchs so I use revive or coral rx for these. Sometime peroxide dip (50/50 peroxide to salt ratio for a few minutes)

As far as acclimating zoanthids, I float then for an hour or so in the display and observe them in the bag. Searching for signs of pest periodically. (Eggs, critters, illness, aiptasia/ majanos) then I dip them in a clear container in a solution for 10-15 minutes basting them often and observing what falls off. Then it goes in another container with aquarium water for rinsing.

Many quarantine at this point for observation for more pest/problems until several weeks until they are deemed safe. I personally do not have a quarantine setup so I gamble and place the coral into my system. Either frag tank or display. Either way it is constantly observed for problems. Luckily I have never had an issue.

Most important part imho is dipping and observing for pest before placid into the tank. This alone is stressful to corals but is necessary to prevent a pest breakout in your system.

With zoas or any coral. Start the coral low in the tank and raise to acclimate them to lights. You will get the hang of which coral handle more light or flow and which corals can go near one another.

Hopefully this didn't add anymore stress to your search. Temperature acclimate, Dip, observe and insert. And post pictures of your new coral.

 

[FF337]

Oh. And buy healthy corals from reputable people/vendors. But always dip corals and observe then before putting in any system. Educate yourself on which pest or illnesses affect all corals.

 

[sde1500]

Zoas are pretty hardy. I float for maybe 15 then in they go. I probably should look for pests but been lucky so far.

 

[xxmindgamesxx]

First pieces are always exciting. It is best to get in good practices from the start. Dipping them in a solution to rid the frag of potential pest is paramount. There are several pest that can enter an aquarium and darn near impossible to remove.
A dip like revive, coral rx or Bayer dip. (Plenty of threads about these already). In my experience the Bayer dip does nothing to zoanthid eating nudibranchs so I use revive or coral rx for these. Sometime peroxide dip (50/50 peroxide to salt ratio for a few minutes)


As far as acclimating zoanthids, I float then for an hour or so in the display and observe them in the bag. Searching for signs of pest periodically. (Eggs, critters, illness, aiptasia/ majanos) then I dip them in a clear container in a solution for 10-15 minutes basting them often and observing what falls off. Then it goes in another container with aquarium water for rinsing.

Many quarantine at this point for observation for more pest/problems until several weeks until they are deemed safe. I personally do not have a quarantine setup so I gamble and place the coral into my system. Either frag tank or display. Either way it is constantly observed for problems. Luckily I have never had an issue.

Most important part imho is dipping and observing for pest before placid into the tank. This alone is stressful to corals but is necessary to prevent a pest breakout in your system.

With zoas or any coral. Start the coral low in the tank and raise to acclimate them to lights. You will get the hang of which coral handle more light or flow and which corals can go near one another.

Hopefully this didn't add anymore stress to your search. Temperature acclimate, Dip, observe and insert. And post pictures of your new coral.

Woah thats a lot of stuff to do for such a hardy coral xD

When you say dip you mean the coral dip right? Not to dip the frags in the tank water?
And i have a 2.5kg rock in the middle of the tank, so should i just place it on the rock at the lowest point possible to avoide any burns? And ill make sure i post pics to make sure everything is alright .

Thanks a for taking the time to reply!

(And yeah i am veeery excited to install the zoa to my tank)

 

[xxmindgamesxx]

Zoas are pretty hardy. I float for maybe 15 then in they go. I probably should look for pests but been lucky so far.

Im just a beginner but i really think you should take pests into consideration, ive heard some terrrrible stories about out breaks and such.

 

[xxmindgamesxx]

Oh. And buy healthy corals from reputable people/vendors. But always dip corals and observe then before putting in any system. Educate yourself on which pest or illnesses affect all corals.

I dnt live in america socthis hobby isnt all that popular, in my city we have exactly 3 shops thatbdo salt water only.

I found an AD about some guy close by thats selling frags.. he has colonies and colonies of zoas. His prices are really fitting (3 polyps for 30 dhs which is about 9$) since my budget is very limited.

 

[FF337]

Woah thats a lot of stuff to do for such a hardy coral xD

When you say dip you mean the coral dip right? Not to dip the frags in the tank water?
And i have a 2.5kg rock in the middle of the tank, so should i just place it on the rock at the lowest point possible to avoide any burns? And ill make sure i post pics to make sure everything is alright .

Thanks a for taking the time to reply!

(And yeah i am veeery excited to install the zoa to my tank)

https://youtu.be/VaJ--7Ch064

 

[xxmindgamesxx]

https://youtu.be/VaJ--7Ch064

Well i dont have a turkey blaster and its not available any where neae me. This vid says that i should take 1 gal off my tank into a container and then add 30 drops..
Can i just add the drops to the bucket where im drip acclimating the frag? Like after i finish floating the bags and then finish drip acclimating them can i just add the solution into the container they are in?

Thanks!

 

[FF337]

You don't have to use a gallon. Just follow directions on the container. If you use 32 oz then use 8 drops. If you use 16 ounces. Use 4 drops. Etc.

If you don't have a turkey baster just use a plastic bag as your container and shake the coral lightly to dislodge the pest.

 

[xxmindgamesxx]

You don't have to use a gallon. Just follow directions on the container. If you use 32 oz then use 8 drops. If you use 16 ounces. Use 4 drops. Etc.

If you don't have a turkey baster just use a plastic bag as your container and shake the coral lightly to dislodge the pest.

So i should do the following :
Step 1 : dim my lights so i don burn my zoas
Step 2 : float for 20 mins
Step 3 : drop acclimate for 30 mins
Step 4 : add solution to acclimation container and wait 10 mins.
Step 5 : place the coral at the bottom of the tank and gradually raise it to where i want it.


Thanks alot for everything!! You helped me a lot!!

 

[FF337]

Looks pretty bulletproof to me.

Step 6 take pictures and post them. Everyone like pictures. Plus it's nice to have before and during growing.

 

[Willyboz1]

I would definitely use a coral dip. I'm pretty new too. I never dipped in the beginning. After I started dipping and seeing all the pest come out. I will never not dip again.

 

[xxmindgamesxx]

Looks pretty bulletproof to me.

Step 6 take pictures and post them. Everyone like pictures. Plus it's nice to have before and during growing.

Okay, ill make sure ill post pics as soon as i buy em !

 

[xxmindgamesxx]

I would definitely use a coral dip. I'm pretty new too. I never dipped in the beginning. After I started dipping and seeing all the pest come out. I will never not dip again.

Oh wow.

Im not a 100% sure that my lfs has coral dip but illtry my best to get one..

Im getting the corals from a guy i met online, he has them in his tanks, so i really dont think they will have anything in them but ill dip them anyways. Why risk it.

 

[xxmindgamesxx]

Btw should i get more live rock?

I have a vertical 1.5 kg rock in the middle of my tank.

 

[joshbrookkate]

You don't have to use a gallon. Just follow directions on the container. If you use 32 oz then use 8 drops. If you use 16 ounces. Use 4 drops. Etc.

If you don't have a turkey baster just use a plastic bag as your container and shake the coral lightly to dislodge the pest.

This is what I do to dip:
Gloves, first of all. Especially when handling zoas or palys. Some people use goggles, too. Better to be safe....
I have a clear plastic container that holds 6+ cups of water. I have marked lines on the outside with "2 cups", "4 cups", "6 cups". I fill with water from the tank to whichever depth will cover the new frag. I add the appropriate amount of dip solution, mix and put the frag into the container.
For the next 10 minutes or so, I swish the frag, observe what's coming off of it. I use a turkey baster from the dollar store to swish water over it as well. This helps to "power wash" stuff off the frag, just in case.
After the time is up, I fill another container with tank water to rinse the frag. Then into the tank.
This system is all set up and ready to go anytime I get a new coral.

(I'm big on having things ready. Like 2 sets of GFO/carbon canisters, one ready to add right away as I take the other one off. Hepls me to not procrastinate. Anyway....)

 

[xxmindgamesxx]

This is what I do to dip:
Gloves, first of all. Especially when handling zoas or palys. Some people use goggles, too. Better to be safe....
I have a clear plastic container that holds 6+ cups of water. I have marked lines on the outside with "2 cups", "4 cups", "6 cups". I fill with water from the tank to whichever depth will cover the new frag. I add the appropriate amount of dip solution, mix and put the frag into the container.
For the next 10 minutes or so, I swish the frag, observe what's coming off of it. I use a turkey baster from the dollar store to swish water over it as well. This helps to "power wash" stuff off the frag, just in case.
After the time is up, I fill another container with tank water to rinse the frag. Then into the tank.
This system is all set up and ready to go anytime I get a new coral.

(I'm big on having things ready. Like 2 sets of GFO/carbon canisters, one ready to add right away as I take the other one off. Hepls me to not procrastinate. Anyway....)

Thats nice man. But i cant really do it your eay because i havent mixed any salt and water yet. All my water has been from my lfs... and thats starting to have a negative impact. Like when i drip acclimate and when i drip i will loose water but there is no way i can get it back..

 

[xxmindgamesxx]

The store i get all my stuff from does not have any coral dip solutions...

 

[FF337]

Lugols iodine works too. Where do you live?