I recently purchased a couple of colonies of Japanese Deep Water Zoas and have placed them mid-way in my 230 with LED lights. For the first week, the colonies were open, but have been closed since. Could this be a lighting issue? Do these zoa typically need less than normal light? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Lighting Requirements for "Deep Water" Zoas
- Thread starter richw
- Start date
EMUReef
New member
only thing i can help with is that "deep water" is just a name, they really dont come from deep water i think. But they still might be getting to much light, or more than they are used to from wahtever tank they came from.
Basketstar
In Memoriam
It's true that JDW zoas don't actually come from deep water. These zoas are often scraped off of rocks when collected and tend to be very stressed by the time hobbyists get their hands on them. Therefore a good coral dip is a must. And though it's nearly impossible to predict what amount of light the colonies are getting in the wild, starting them with med/low light and med/high random flow seems to give them a good chance. Also frequent blasts with a turkey baster will prevent fungal infections from taking hold. If they are remaining closed and not showing any other symptoms, then reducing the amount of light on them may help, though IME JDWs can withstand fairly intense light.
Scopus Tang
New member
If you started them mid depth in an LED lit tank, you probably started them too high and they are likely closed due to light shock. I would move them down onto the sandbed (maybe even in the shade), wait for them to open up and then gradually over the course of several weeks move them into the position were you want them.
