I have to say- Ive gotten 99.9% of my zoanthid info from here at RC. I have learned alot, over the past 3 years-
Lets start with dips- There are many dips available for polyps available these days. Dipping polyps (if not quarentined) is highly recomended, as polyps tend to hold a large variety of nuisence hitchikers. I will go through a few-
Fresh water dip- just fresh (preferably RO) water. Use a buffer to get ph the same as your tank water. Dip for 5 minutes, swish agressivly, and return to tank. Side not on freshwater dips- not recomended on palys/protopalys. Can result in melting. Most recomended for zoanthids only.
Lugols- an antiseptic (after fragging) and a nudi/flatworm dip- can be used with fresh water or saltwater. Use 1-5 drops per gallon. Soak for 5 minutes, swish around agressivly, rince in seperate tank water, return to tank.
Revive- for nudis, flatworms and antiseptic for damaged coral- follow instructions on bottle.
Tropic marin coral pro (TMCP)- for spiders, nudis, asterinas, flatworms- follow instructions on bottle.
hydrogen peroxide- brown fungus and white paste infestation- Gently brush off fungus. Mix tank water and peroxide, 1 equal part each. Dip for 5 minutes, swish agressivly, rince with seperate tank water and return to tank.
Formaline dip-protazoan infestation. Use 1 ml per liter of sea water. Dip and swish, rinse in clean salt water, and add to tank.
Furan-2-zoa pox/fungus. Disolve one pill in one cup of freshly made saltwater. Dip for 15-20 minutes. Rinse in unmedicated saltwater and add back to the tank. Do this dip once a day, for 3 consecutive days. Give your polyps a 5-7 day resting period before doing it again if the pox persists after the first round of dipping.
Zoas not opening- there are many reasons for this to happen. I will go through a few-
Aclimation- zoas can be very sensitive to new tanks/parameters/flow/lights. Until they are aclimated, when newly added to a tank, they can at times take a very long time to open.
Predators/irritators- zoas will close when being bothered. If your zoas close up, and dont open, take a really close look at the cosed polyps for nudis, flatworms, asterinas, spiders, bristol worms, algea, vermitid snails, and fungus. Also includes hermits and snails that have traveled through the polyps. Pretty much anything that could be touching the polyp, or brushing against it to make it close.
PH and alk and temperature swings- All of these are known to bother zoas and somtimes close them up.
Fungus, bacterias and zoa pox- Look for any kind of sponge or paste material in your polyps. Also watch for white bumps/lesions on the stalks of your polyps.
Light shock- it can close up, and also bleach, polyps if time isnt taken to aclimate them to new, higher output lighting.
Nipping/perching- Some fish (along with many considered reef safe) might develop a tendancy to nip/eat polyps. Some of these include- Tangs, rabit fish, butterflys, and angels, and also sally lightfoot and emerald crabs. All have been known to develop a taste for polyps. Not saying they will, but can. Others have the tendancy to perch on polyps, causing them to close up. Some of these include- Blennies, dragonettes, and hawkfish.
Stray voltage- This will irritate zoas into closing up.
How can I tell the difference between zoas/palys?- Palys will have grains/particles of sand in their tissue as a zoa polyp will not.
Polyps are reaching/stretching- There a a couple reasons for this. One is lighting. They are reaching for more light. Another is they need more flow. The last one is its their specific characteristic. Some palys naturaly have very long stalks.
Fragging polyps- There are many ways to go about fragging polyps. When fragging polyps, it is wise to use "safety first". Use hand, eye and mouth protection. It can be very easy to get a bacteria infection while fragging polyps. You can get cut, get squirted in the eye/mouth and inhale some nasty stuff while cutting through rock. Also, hand washing afterwards is very important. The basics of getting polyps off a rock/plug is to cut the conecting mat from the polyps you wish to frag, then cut/chisel/pry the polyps off the rock underneath the mat, leaving a layer of rock underneath. You can also cut strait through a rock and cut a colony into peices, just cutting the mat that conects them together. You can then use superglue gel to mount your fragged peice to a rock/plug. Be carfull with the glue. You dont want to acidentaly get the glue on the head of the polyp. It will not be able to open.
Polyp placment- In general, unless you can figure out the lighting scheme of the tank the polyps came from, there is a very good way to find out the best placment for your polyps. Start the new additions on the bottom. Let them get used to your tank and lights. If they astert to lose their vibrance of color, or are generally unhappy, move them up bit by bit, over a period of time, till their color, growth and general look to them gives you the impresion that they are happy in their spot. If they close up on you, and dont open up for an unknown reason, they might have to be lowered in your tank.
General tank husbandry for polyps- Polyps, in general, like (but dont always need) a high light source. Most polyps love light, with a few exeptions. They also need a clean tank (low no3 and po4) to retain vibrant colors. High nutrients levels (food sources) will provide a suitable environment for polyps to grow well in. Dont let the phrase "high nutrient" fool you into thinking a dirty tank. It is not the case, although polyps can and will live in just about any water/light condition you put them in. They just grow/look better in certain conditions.
Morphing- Under different lighting, flow, temp, parameter, and placement conditions, zoanthids can and will morph. Their colors, lenght and skirts will change to suit the conditions of your tank.
Thx RC, and all you zoa heads out there for sharing so much info!!!
