Not multiplying, what's the deal?

[gws76]

I've acquired several nice palys over the last year or so and they just will not multiply. I'm talking about PPE, OPE, Valentine's Day Massacre, and Galaxies. The rest of my zoa's and paly's multiply like weeds (Tubbs blues, eagle eyes, bambams, wayne's palys, Radioactive dragon eyes). I've tried quit a few places around the tank with different lighting and flow. Still no go. They don't die, they're just static. They even look healthy. Does anyone have any ideas? My tank is a mixed reef. Params are: Alk: 8.1 Cal: 450 Mag: 1385 Temp: 79.5* SG: 1.026. This tank has been up and running for a year now. :sad1:

 

[Spssteven]

I'd raise your mag up drop your salt a little and what is your strontium level?

 

[gws76]

Anyone else have any feedback? The more the better.

 

[scuba guy ron]

i've noticed amazing growth in my tank when i place zoa colonys close together. in my tank the growth differences are like 5 to 1 new polyps when comparing those place at a distance to those that are close together. to be honest I am kindof amazed with the difference i get in the growth. I'm guessing its a competition for space thing going on.

 

[gws76]

scuba guy ron,

Hmm, you maybe onto something there. My other colonies that are growing nicely are grouped together.

Does anyone spot feed their palys?

Sorry if my questions seem noob. But I've always concentrated more on my LPS and SPS corals.

 

[Spssteven]

I only spot feed my cinnammons SMS nuclear greens and purple deaths. Grew really fast like that. I noticed that when fragged they grow faster then in a colony.

 

[650-IS350]

You my friend picked one of the slowest growers ( GENERALLY SPEAKING ) some they grow fast for, but most I've heard from these are in the group of slow growers
PPE, OPE, Valentine's Day Massacre,

 

[redbora]

i've noticed amazing growth in my tank when i place zoa colonys close together. in my tank the growth differences are like 5 to 1 new polyps when comparing those place at a distance to those that are close together. to be honest I am kindof amazed with the difference i get in the growth. I'm guessing its a competition for space thing going on.

i wonder if their is anything to this too, cuz now that i look at it the zoas i have on the frag rack have grown quicker than ones i have alone in a space on rock :sad2:

 

[scuba guy ron]

There is deffinitly a difference in growth. It surprises me that it isn't brought up more often in these forums.

 

[650-IS350]

for some reason polyps when in the vicinity of others seem to grow faster as I guess a force of nature. Nowing others are around, it needs to grow more to take up that available space before another takes it.

 

[gws76]

There is deffinitly a difference in growth. It surprises me that it isn't brought up more often in these forums.

Ha. There may be something to this group growth thing. I forgot to mention my AOG's that I've been having the same problem with as the others that don't multiply.

About a month ago I tied a 40 gal. breeder into my system as a frag tank. On the middle rack I built a tray that is about 1/2 inch tall x 9 inches long x 6 inches wide. In that tray I added coarse sand then fragged a bunch of my good growers (zoa's), along with those I added my AOG frag (5 polyps). That 5 polyp frag has not multiplied since I brought it home 5 months ago. So today I got to thinking I would go home and check it. Well, now there's 11 polyps there. So there could possibly be something to this "real estate vs. zoa/paly growth".

 

[100%hydrophylic]

it didnt even occur to me that placing zoanthid colonies closer together causes them to grow faster... i bought this one large rock that has orange zoas and (i call them) generic green zos. these two grow like MAD and there is at least 50 new heads in 3 months. (it was large colonies to begin with though) while my other generic greens don't grow very fast at all.

 

[scuba guy ron]

about a year and a half ago I read a thread about growth and someone posted a comment about placing zoas close to other colonys/frags. the thread went on and on and no one commented about this little comment so I decided to give it a try in my tank. I kid you not when I said the difference in growth is like 5 to 1.

a great example of this is that about 2 mos ago I picked up a 3 polyp frag of bam bams, from everything i've read they are one of the slower growers so I placed them about 1 inch from a ton of of different zoa colonys surrounded on 3 sides. I already have 8 new polyps that are already full grown. Even more interesting than this is that they are multiplying to the one side that is away from the other colonys which happens to be away from the light.