SPS and Zoa dominant?

[Bruce Wayne]

I want to build another tank, I am thinking 120 and up...I want to go at least 24 inches tall so that I can put high flow up top for SPS but a lot of nice zoas are equally important to me. I have seen a lot of tanks that are SPS dominant and zoas typically don't do extremely well...they don't grow fast or look entirely open, I am assuming because of the high flow. Can I have high flow isolated up top? Any ideas? Thanks in advance...

 

[IridescentLily]

Can't answer your specific question, but here's a couple links of people i know, one who have zoa tanks with sps, and one who has zoas in a closed loop tank with some whoppin' flow.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1434909&highlight=the+garden

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1456149&highlight=polyp

Maybe somewhere in their threads they discuss that, dunno. Just thought it might help till someone can respond here and give you more answers.
Good luck!

 

[richpoolboy]

imho I feel that the problem with growing zoas with sps are the nutrients, in an sps tank the objective is to have very very little nutrients in the water column and I feel like this is what the zoa feed on. again just my non scientific two cents.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

thanks guys...I will prob just go for SPS that doesn't need that much light and flow, like birdsnests...

 

[Agu]

I had zoas with montipora digitata in a nano tank. The zoas grew right up the monti until it was overwhelmed and collapsed.

 

[29reef]

IMO the zoas will like the same space as your sps. I would seperate them in the tank because as mentioned the zoas can become a problem if placed too close to sps.

 

[10001110101]

i get it.

i love zoas as well, it's just not a reef tank without some really cool button polyps...

zoas do like high flow actually, they just grow differently... they have smaller but greater number of polyps, more focus on total colonial expansion rather than individual polyp growth, they stay small and close to the mat.

i think this makes them actually grow slower, but for certain ones i think they actually look a lot more beautiful... it seems like it's a lot easier for them to grow big polyps and expand more in lower flow tanks... and you will definitely have to isolate your SPS from your zoas/palys, they will encroach and choke out your sps for sure...

i suggest putting them down low in the tank far away from the SPS... also a good idea is to put them on rocks isolated on the sandbed so they can't spread beyond their "island"

granted i dont think they are as big of a concern as far as encroaching as compared to something like xenia or gsp but they are definitely a concern.

 

[tmz]

Zoanthus are for the most part high reef animals. Mine do well with high light and flow and low nutrients.