Newbie Zoa ?

[rob020880]

Hello,

I would like to get zoas for my new tank, which is about ready. I had a few questions though. Do Zoas need strong light? I have plenty of lighting in my tanks but was wondering how low I could put them in a 30" deep tank. I was also wondering if they could be put in areas of the tank which are shaded by rockwork, or do they need to be in direct light? Lastly what do you feed them?

 

[J.R.L.]

zoas are relatively hardy and are not as light-intensive as other corals...as far as feeding i add some zooplankton to my tank every couple days but lighting is the large portion of their "intake"...feeding also depends on the size of the zoa...i have some large ones that will eat brine shrimp and mysis shrimp whereas small ones are large enpugh to eat very meaty foods

 

[rob020880]

So will zoa make it if they are in a shadow?

 

[flyyyguy]

yes. you will find that some will give you their best colors in the shadows...some will give you their best getting blasted.

every morph is different as is everyones interpretatiion of what light induced morph looks the best

 

[geoxman]

zoas are relatively hardy and are not as light-intensive as other corals

First point a non agreement.
Will they live? They might? Most zoanthids are found in very shallow pools/lagoons in the wild, for the most part, and can take a beating with intense light and will do much better. I keep most of mine under 500W DE MH and most are no further than 6-8 inches under the water.

There are very few if any that I would put in the shade.

as far as feeding i add some zooplankton to my tank every couple days but lighting is the large portion of their "intake"...feeding also depends on the size of the zoa.

It depends on the species and not the size of polyp, but I can understand your visual reference here.

rob- I would not be putting a bunch of stuff in your system as they can survive off of light and excess nutrients in the water and until you get some grasp of what will eat and what wont, I would not feed, you will be asking for trouble. good luck

 

[rob020880]

Is there any why to tell which zoas will show there best colors where?

 

[geoxman]

yes and no
BTW what is your lighting

 

[rob020880]

I have 2 250 w DE HQI 14,000k and two 24w super actinic and two 25w blue+ t5s.

 

[geoxman]

Nice! They should do very well!