What are some fast growing zoas?

[ReeferKimberly]

I have maybe 9 or 10 different types. I have noticed my fire and ice and candy apple reds grow very fast while some others have not grown more than maybe 1 new polyp in a couple months.

My candy apples started with 2 last month and now they are 8. They are growing CRAZY fast. I really like them.

What are some other fast ones?

Do you think it's an anomaly that the candy apples are growing so fast or is this usual for that kind?

Also, what are the most common types?

 

[reefwars]

mohawks are one of the fastest growing.

i have around 150 different types of zoanthids but still the mohawks grow the fastest.

i have a large candy apple redd colonie , i grew in one month 30 polyps lol so yes it grows fast , candy apples will accept meaty foods too.

 

[benjaminspades]

Cherry charms and Pink and golds grow super fast too

 

[Xgm]

I have a 10+ different types of zoa/palys and I can tell that in my tank Wobbegong is growing very fast. From 3 polyp frag after 6 months I have 30+.

 

[gordonj1]

my fire and ice grow fast as well. My slowest growers right now are whammin watermelon, but that may be because they are being choked out by the atomic greens that are growing around them. In the first couple of months my atomic greens grew super fast but now they have slowed down a little.

I have heard that if you target feed them some phyto they grow faster. I am testing this as we speak. I'm using brightwell aquatics reef snow and phytoplankton s I think

 

[kevin32]

For some reason Rasta does not even grow for me. Had it for like 4-5 months still the same number of polyps... =/ While everythin else is growing well.

 

[Smnparish]

It really depends on the individual coral and the tank. Two of the same kind of zoas in the same tank can have dramatically different growth rates. Trial and error for us all to see which one grows best.

 

[KafudaFish]

July 23, 2011 I had two frags of the same color morph with 10 and 14 polyps on the same rock so 24 total.

August 19, 2012: 1310 polyps

I can no longer tell where the two frags joined.

 

[A. Grandis]

IME zoas grow faster than others when they have the right conditions for them, independent of species.
If some prefer high flow and strong light they will grow faster in a tank that have that to offer, while they wouldn't do so good in another tank with less light and flow, etc...

There are zoas that will do really good in both types of environments and other qualities as well, like dissolved organic nutrients and the presence of food particles, etc...

It's just a matter of finding out the right spot and tank conditions that those species will need for it's best grow/reproduction rates.

Again, not only light and flow plays with that, of course. Just my US$.02.:wildone:

Grandis.

 

[SushiGirl]

My Radioactive Dragon Eyes have grown dramatically, with another green kind (I forget the name right now) being second & Whammin Watermelons 3rd. I have a few areas where the 2 green zoas have had little polyps put there & they're barely growing because of less light & flow. I'll have to post pics when I get back to my computer in a couple hours.

 

[SushiGirl]

These are the mixed green ones when I first got them 3/2011.

And now they're in 3 different locations (some fell off and I moved the frag several times).
To the right of the watermelons here.

And the 2 other locations.

The Dragon's Eyes 5/2011.

And now.

 

[rogersb]

July 23, 2011 I had two frags of the same color morph with 10 and 14 polyps on the same rock so 24 total.

August 19, 2012: 1310 polyps

I can no longer tell where the two frags joined.

I'm sure you know the name but if IIRC you're not big on names so could you post a pic?

I have some that I thought were described as chrome zoas, http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2062447&highlight=chrome They are similar if not the same as those. Fast isn't a good enough descriptor for the ones in my tank. I have cut them out, thrown them away, and try to keep them isolated but it's a constant thing. Much worse then the GSP I have.

 

[Gymped]

My brother's Rastas and Bam Bams are spreading like wildfire while most others are growing at a good but steady pace. I have no idea how some are so much prolific then others when they all have access to the same food and nutrients. PS all of his Zoas are aquacultured from Cherry Corals so atleast we can rule out the origin as a reason.

 

[Sith2095]

I have always heard the Rostas grow slow also, however I got 1 polyp about 2 weeks ago and now it has 3. Granted it may have started growing the other 2 heads in the other tank and just finished in mine, but im not gonna complain.

 

[A. Grandis]

These are the mixed green ones when I first got them 3/2011.

And now they're in 3 different locations (some fell off and I moved the frag several times).
To the right of the watermelons here.

And the 2 other locations.

The Dragon's Eyes 5/2011.

And now.

I would try to offer a little more flow to the colonies...
Nice colors!! :thumbsup:

Grandis.

 

[KafudaFish]

I'm sure you know the name but if IIRC you're not big on names so could you post a pic?

I have some that I thought were described as chrome zoas, http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2062447&highlight=chrome They are similar if not the same as those. Fast isn't a good enough descriptor for the ones in my tank. I have cut them out, thrown them away, and try to keep them isolated but it's a constant thing. Much worse then the GSP I have.

How clean is your tank?
When I mean clean I don't mean the chemical parameters we test rather how much detritus build up is there somewhere in your tank?
Is it on/in your rocks?
In your sand?
Your sump?
Your water column?

You put food in your tank right?
Your fish eat that food right?
Your fish expel waste right?
You have a clean up crew that takes care of it all right?
Who cleans up after the clean up crew?
Bacteria?

Think about it for a moment before you answer.

At some point what you put in will be consumed, utilized, broken down and discarded.

What then?

Most who do water changes will tell you the reasons why they do them are:

1. Reduce those chemical parameters we test.
2. Replace the trace elements that are used by the reef building community.
3. Make the water look cleaner.
4. Makes us feel in charge of a small world and we know what we are doing.
5. Remove that waste before it has a chance of impacting #1 - 3.

Today I removed all of my rock out of the tank including the floor and I drained all of the water and sucked all of the mulm off the bottom. I knew I had a large amount because any time I moved my powerhead around it looked like a snow storm in there. I will have to go back in this thread to see the last time I did this but I bet it has been a few months but here is the amount I pulled out of my tank earlier today. It is in a 7 gallon salt bucket and there is a nickel on the left side to show the amount. It is probably about a 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch deep as well. Some of it is probably sand from the rock I made but a majority of it is just detritus that was either on the rock work or underneath the cement floor.

These next pictures show the growth pattern of my frags. They have not opened yet but I wanted you to look at the mats. If you look in the first picture, the polyps look like a Christmas light string and they follow one another. I have several frags that demonstrate this growth pattern. In the second and third pictures if you look at the outer edge, the newest polyps, you will see that they are very tight and compact like a phalanx. These get the most light and the most flow so that could have an impact. However if you look at the older polyps they spread out like in picture #1 which happens to be at the water's surface and when these are exposed to the air I know it is time to top off.

Thanks for stopping by and please enjoy your tank.

Here is an ok shot from a few months ago and you can see a few of them open. I asked Charles what he thought and he gave me 5 or 6 possibilities but we decided they were called Kangols. From time to time I have seen the green and the light blue coming through and then fading away for periods of time.

I think their color is different due to the LED light being just blues and whites and I have been thinking of changing my LED lights to a full spectrum build in hopes of getting a better color out of them.

Who knows maybe they are another morph all together.

 

[bluewater921]

my clockworks orange grow fast started with 5 heads now im at over 60 heads in 6 months n my green bay packers are growing at a good rate too .. started with 4 heads bout 2 months ago now i have 10 heads

 

[staindsoul]

It must be strands of zoas and conditions. I have blue tubs, bam bams, and some random purple/yellow blobs that won't open fully or die and whamming watermelon. The watermelons have added 3 heads and the tubs haven't done a thing. The bam bams haven't been in the tank long to tell.

my fire and ice grow fast as well. My slowest growers right now are whammin watermelon, but that may be because they are being choked out by the atomic greens that are growing around them. In the first couple of months my atomic greens grew super fast but now they have slowed down a little.

I have heard that if you target feed them some phyto they grow faster. I am testing this as we speak. I'm using brightwell aquatics reef snow and phytoplankton s I think

 

[bubonic]

I have about 80-90 different types of zoas. Some of my fastest growing zoas are tubbs, rastas, mohawks, daytrippers. Some of my slower growers are agaves, salted agaves, CARS, RPE. Just to name a few. Like stated above it could be my light,flow, or over all system why some will grow faster then others.

 

[Baldguy]

The more expensive they are the slower they grow. IME.