<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12521591#post12521591 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by widmer
lol that's kind of funny. Quality post, though. But I wonder where your information is from, as far as the strong feelings against feeding zoanthids. I read a very detailed article about the zoanthids last night, and the writer seems to be certain that zoanthids benefit heavily from feeding. Here's the page:
http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_net/0198/0198_1.html
I don't quite get how what I said turns into me being "strongly against feeding zoanthids". That article doesn't really go against anything I just said... Also, notice I singled out the smaller polyps that are most common in the trade now. The larger polyps (usually called Palys whether they are or not) are more likely to take food and many do. In that article he didn't mention Zoanthus species once when he talks about feeding which is what most of the "pretty" zoas are in the hobby are. However, some larger Zoanthus species will exhibit prey capture. It's worth a shot trying to get a zoanthid to accept a prepared food, but the colorful, smaller, more tightly clustered polyps rarely do. Read this part again and you'll see what I'm talking about.
"Therefore, the relative proportions of each organic food source may not be critical for these animals. Some zoanthids may not be observed to feed at all, while others are capable of ingesting rather large pieces of food. One small colony of very large Palythoa individuals was observed swallowing an entire bay scallop. Of course, this is not a normal food item for a zoanthid, but when one foolishly attempts to balance a small plate of "reef foods" on the top edges of the corner of an aquarium, accidents may (and do) happen...thus, let this be one of those lessons....
when faced with the a choice between the distinct possibility of a disaster or "oops" caused by the inane and self deceptive behavior of the aquarist regarding the statistical probability of a circus performer-like balancing act, or the likelihood of forces of the physical world actually taking precedence over one's own hopes to the contrary that such natural laws can be "willed" into not happening, it is best to force oneself to remember the outcome of most previous such happenstances and opt for the method of actually using sane judgment and working in consort with the laws of the universe when attempting any such actions.
Thus, we can see that some zoanthids may enjoy feedings, some (especially certain azooxanthellate Acrozoanthus and Epizoanthus) may require food, and others may not even accept food that is offered to them...instead turning up their tentacles and stomping off in a huff at the audacity of such poor culinary choices. If a zoanthid is large and seems to rapidly consume food, one can assume that it will benefit from occasional feedings. Otherwise, they are likely getting enough from the immediate environment."
