Red Keds zoas.

[Rob in Puyallup]

About three weeks ago I received a frag of Red Keds zoas. There's about 15 polyps in the colony.

All seemed well for the first several days with them, most of the polyps open, showing their red faces. As time went by fewer would open until finally, none of them did.

After a couple days of closed polyps I moved the frag to the opposite end of the tank with less flow and light. They responded by opening up. Not all of the polyps, but the majority.

Well... They're closed again.

Is it common for this zoa to be so picky? Anyone have any ideas on how to encourage their opening? I have many different zoas in this tank and this is the only one that I'm having problems with...

Thanks!

 

[terrypercula]

I always turn to water quality first, pests second and if no signs of either being wrong maybe placement. IME zoas and palys are not that picky to placement. Post some of your current water parameters and tank equipment and we shall go from there. Also what span of time are we talking here, were they fragged the day you got them or did he frag them and let them recover first?

 

[triggreef]

+1

maybe a vitamin c supplement might encourage them to open

 

[fletch999]

My colony of these do it about 2 times a year, and they stay closed for a week or two, then all open back up and are happy again. It is the only ones that do this for me.

 

[nexhasfishies]

+2 vitamin C is always helpful

 

[cloak]

I'm not about to throw orange juice in my tank, but these zoanthids in particular have always been very temperamental IME. Everything else was doing good...

 

[leveldrummer]

Ive had some zoas that are very tempermental with light levels, I have had to put them under shade compleley for them to open and get a nice rich color, that may not be the base with keds because ive never kept them, but its worth a shot.

What lighting are you running anyway?

 

[Rob in Puyallup]

I have LEDs blue lights set at about 15 percent, white are very low.

The Red Keds are the only critters that are closed, all other zoas and other corals are wide open.

I'll try moving them again.

Thanks!

 

[Rob in Puyallup]

I recently moved the Red Ked colony to 28 gallon cube after dipping it in a CoralRx solution. It's now wide open and happy, though the skirts on the individual polyps are very short.
Don't know if it was the move or the dip that made them happy again...

 

[A. Grandis]

What lights do you have in the current tank, the 28gal cube?

Grandis.

 

[Rob in Puyallup]

Reef Breeders Value led unit (new model), no white (lowest setting is very bright on this unit), blues set at about 50 percent.

I have an old model of the Value over the old tank.

LEDs are about 14 inches above the sand in the old tank, about 25 inches in the new (28 gallon) tank.

 

[Rob in Puyallup]

(I have both blue and white running over the old tank.)

 

[RastaFan]

I believe these zoas like sand bed and medium flow, at least with my experience, it's just a bit harder to frag than other zoas

 

[Rob in Puyallup]

I bought a second colony of Red Keds last week. Both seem happy on the sand in a rather shady spaces.

 

[RastaFan]

good to hear that, maybe these guys are the shy type, doesn't want to be in the spotlight lol