let's clarify this

[rysher]

people say zoas love dirty water, how do exactly define "dirty water"?

people say, put the zoa in the tank and dont ever move them.
however, some people also say "move them around until you find the sweet spot", how do you know that it's the sweet spot?
how often do you move them to find the sweet spot?

 

[howze01]

To me, if they are open and growing you have them in the right spot.

I don't know that "dirty" is the right word for it either. Maybe nutrient-rich is better?

 

[MikeandNicole]

The don't ever move them is a fallacy. The general rule of thumb is to light acclimate them, start them down low and then move them up until they open up fully and are not stretching for light. That is just lighting, you have to take into account flow as well.

The dirty water thing is another maxim that has been around forever but it highly debatable. I have seen people grow zoas in zeo systems and I have seen people grow zoas with a HOB filter and nothing else. You are not going to want high ammonia, nitrites or nitrates.

 

[cody6766]

"zoas and palys love diryt water" is a misnomer. "Zoas and palys are more forgiving in dirty water" is more accurate. They are usually very resilient corals that take a beating and stay alive. They need clean water and appropriate lighting to really thrive and grow quickly.

That's my experience with them anyway.

 

[organism]

"zoas and palys love diryt water" is a misnomer. "Zoas and palys are more forgiving in dirty water" is more accurate. They are usually very resilient corals that take a beating and stay alive. They need clean water and appropriate lighting to really thrive and grow quickly.

+1

By far the nicest zoanthids with the best growth I've seen are in ULN or other clean systems. I think the reason people think they do well in dirty water is because they survive and look pretty good in dirty water, so someone with a dirty tank is going to think it's because of the water when it's actually the coral.

In my old prop system growth more than doubled and the colors went nuts when I used vodka to go ULN and started dosing amino acids.

 

[rysher]

0 trate,trite,ammonia and phosphate, however there are plenty of particles and detritus floating around, will that qualify as clean or dirty water?

 

[Pallobi]

i keep an ULN system, my zoas grow like mad... very good flow, oxygen rich and high light...

 

[cody6766]

0 trate,trite,ammonia and phosphate, however there are plenty of particles and detritus floating around, will that qualify as clean or dirty water?

That's clean water with food in suspension. "Dirty" to me is a tank with high levels of nitrogen compounds and phosphate.

 

[rysher]

how long b4 you wait until you move them to another spot?
how long do you have to observe them and make a conclusion that it is the ideal spot for them?

 

[A. Grandis]

Most of the time they will adapt to the spot you choose in the system.

Dirty water = nutrient rich water, for many.

Most zoas like "clean water".

Clean water = low/zero phosphates, silicates and nitrates, for many.

Systems with biweekly water changes, strong skimmer, good water flow and quality light are the best for cnidarians with zooxanthellae.
Zoas can survive in nutrient rich waters but won't show their best to it.
Some species can be found only in certain environments, but it doesn't mean they need the "river mouth's water" in the home tank.
There are more things to keep zoas then the "magic dirty water" statement says, as we all know already.

Nutrients comes from: zooxanthellae, small food particles and some Dissolved Organic Nutrients (DON) in the water.
The excess of any of that will do more harm then good to any system with zoas!!

Dirty water normally has excess of DON. No good!

Grandis.