The zoas and the newbie

[shereth]

I have a new 75g setup that has recently finished cycling, currently has a modest cuc in there munching up the pieces. I'm getting excited about beginning the process of spending too much money to stock it with pretty creatures. Time and time again I find my eye being drawn toward zoas and think I've finally got my heart set on making them a definite and prominent part of my setup.

I've read through some of the stickied posts, which have been highly insightful but sometimes contain outdated links. I have a couple of silly newbie questions that you might be able to help me out with.

First of all - I get the impression that zoas are not especially difficult to care for, and seem like a relatively safe choice for a newcomer to the hobby. Is this indeed the case, or am I reading things wrong?

Second - With regards to introducing and placing new specimens, I see a lot of advise suggesting "start at the bottom and work your way up". I assume this means to place new additions at the bottom of the tank and allow them to acclimate to the conditions prior to moving them up, incrementally, until you've found the spot where the look the best and are the happiest. But I am assuming, and we all (hopefully) know the pitfalls of doing so. So I ask - am I reading this right? If so, how do you tell when you've come up too high/not high enough?

Finally, with the exception of color differences, how different is one zoa to the next in terms of care and needs? Do some varieties have special needs? If so, are there more difficult types I should steer clear of as a neophyte (or perhaps easier ones I should be looking for)? Or can you more or less treat them all the same?

Sorry if these questions have been asked already, I have looked but couldn't really find an answer. Thanks for listening!

 

[Guygettnby]

first of all welcome to the hobby and i wish you the best of luck.

now to your questions. first, zoas are very easy too keep. but just like any other coral some can be tricky and not really easy to care for. another thing is a zoa that thrives in my tank may not thrive in your tank.

second, yes it is best to start at the bottom and work your way up. as you get used to zoas and how they prefer things you will just kinda know what is the perfect spot. but they are also pretty forgiving. you will end up loosing some at first but as you get used to this hobby and used to keeping zoanthids.

lastly all zoas are a bit different. but now we get into the subject of different types of zoanthids, palyothas, proto palyothas and so on. but from my experience every zoa/paly has there different needs. some like it in the shade while others like to be blasted by light, some like alot of flow and others prefer very little. so until ou get used to this hobby, zoanthids and know your tank very well. get into the trend of asking the person you buy from alittle about there tank and were the certain zoa/paly was placed in the tank. that will give you a good head start. anyhow i hoped this helped some and good luck in putting together a wonderful zoa garden!