Where to place xmen/lunar eclipse zoas? details inside.

rsteagall

New member
I took a trip to ATL this weekend and on my way back visited http://www.cappuccinobayaquarium.com/ specifically looking for superman monti and xmen. I found them both! I had been looking for xmen for along time and think it was a decent buy for 3 polyps.

Anyway, I know this question gets asked time and time again about specific zoos but I'd like to get very specific with the xmens and people that have experience with them. I have a 58gal show tank with a single 250w Hamilton 14K. Currently I have them placed on the very bottom of my tank and a little off center. I'd like to instantly get them in the best place I can for growth and clor without delay.

I'm needing to know who has had adequate success with xmen, what was your exact lighting situation, and where specifically did you place them in your tank?

Thanks for any and all replies!

-Ryan
 
I have mine 3/4 up in my 20H under a 150wt, so in your tank I would put it about halfway. I would start at the bottom and slowly work them to that point over a period of two/ three weeks. With x-men if you put them right up to the top they will get spots on them, so you have to slowly get them used to the MH lighting.
 
Ryan,

I have T5 lights over my tank, but my questions are going to be in regards to your tank. Since placing your zoas in that off center spot how have they responded? Do they seem to extend from their stalk? How much flow do they have at their current spot? Would you feel comfortable moving them 1/4 up the tank in the next month?

The reason I ask is because like most things in this hobby zoas will react differently with individual conditions. If your zoas are happy where they are then keep them there and wait for them to grow. Once you are able to frag them you can experiment with different locations.

I keep mine at the bottom and I moved them there after having them higher in the tank. I plan on keeping mine there till I have a good enough amount to frag and place them in a different place. Keep in mind that the best way to keep your frags happy is to find a good place for them and leave them there until their new polyps let you know that it is time to play.

Sorry for the no answer post, but the things vary from tank to tank.
 
Ryan~ Is your 250w hamilton SE or DE??? I'd throw it out of direct light and keep them at the bottom if I were you... :) HTH Just PM me if you have any problems... Sorry I didn't get back to you on those... I've been busy with wedding plans... Gone for about 13 of the last 21 days...

They're a really finicky paly... Some people have LOTS of problems keeping them... Mine grow like weeds... Angela had a frag of 2 polyps she said didn't grow for the year she had them... I've had them since the Nashville swap and 1 polyp has 2 babies and the other has 1 more... :D Go figure...
 
Id keep them at the bottom. Mine lose the purple when they are in high light. Heres 2 pics of a frag I have that I moved into high light. The first is when it was on the bottom, the second is after being moved into direct light. My lighting is 2-250watt de 14k phnx.
crazynew5.jpg

same frag a few weeks later
xmen.jpg
 
JGos~ You sure those are Lunars??? Mine would speckle a bit and look more of a dull grey, but they never turn that even nice red... Even in the first pic, you can see the red extend from the skirt into the center... I don't doubt that they could be Lunars, but I had different results with the same bulbs... Those are sweet though...
 
I better take pics of mine and post them to make sure they are lunars. I'm pretty certain they are... but not 110% :) I'll do that tomorrow when I come home.

My MH is SE. I've only had them in the tank for a day, so I've not noticed much difference. In the store they were under about 6" of water and about a ~400W ~12k and about 2' from the light.
 
Had great results 3-4" under the water surface with a 150W 14,000K Phoenix Bulb 12-15" above the water. My polyps grew from 4-5 to 15 within 3 weeks.
 
P.S. Its really about feeding them, both for growth and best color. Daily Phyto or zooplankton will do the trick. Alos, make sure to add quality trace elements.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9285205#post9285205 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ct_vol
JGos~ You sure those are Lunars??? Mine would speckle a bit and look more of a dull grey, but they never turn that even nice red... Even in the first pic, you can see the red extend from the skirt into the center... I don't doubt that they could be Lunars, but I had different results with the same bulbs... Those are sweet though...
They could be a different morph. I got them from Rommel at ultimatefrags. I have another frag of them from a different source. Ill move them up and see what happens. Maybe they are different.
 
I'm thinking they are different too.

They do show up with Lunars and those other ones, but I think they are less common... for now anyway :)
 
Re: Where to place xmen/lunar eclipse zoas? details inside.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9284412#post9284412 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rsteagall
I took a trip to ATL this weekend and on my way back visited http://www.cappuccinobayaquarium.com/ specifically looking for superman monti and xmen.

Isn't Cap just the funnest little place to go get lost in? My friend and I used to head down there every few months (when I still lived in Atlanta), to go check out their new stock, like the trays of Maxima clams! Did they still have the marble statue in the front tank?

Did you check out Marine Fish and Reef (in Marietta off of Johnson's Ferry Road) or Fish Store & More in Buckhead? Granted, neither of them are as jam packed with stock as Cappuccino Bay, and granted some members of the staff at FS&M can be real pricks, but both are fun visits! Especially Marine Fish and Reef! The staff there is so nice, and the reef tanks with the big open tops are fun to browse in!
 
How's this for growth Ryan...

This pic, you saw... Taken Jan. 27th...

Lunar.jpg


Here's the same frag today... :D

Lunars.jpg


But SE's aren't as intense as DE's... If you were using DE's I would have suggested putting it under an overhang or something... But I think you'll be fine just placing them on the bottom... :) HTH...
 
Can't tell if they are or not... Looks like'em from the pics though... Would be nice if you could get a shot of their face though... Not a side shot... Ya know???
 
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I checked the face out and did notice a little green mouth like yours, but it appears maybe its not as pronounced. Maybe they just need a little more time.
 
I don't know why the mouths look green in that first pic... They might have a yellowish/white look to them... But not the green of a PE... Just to clarify... ;)
 
right. green... yellow... i can't tell for sure... i just know its a small slit. Not as wide as in your first pic, but almost the size of your second.
 
yep, those are x-men, just start them at the bottom and work them up, till they seem to be getting enough light

these are mine at 3/4 up the tank (150w 10K on a 20H):

140055120_2042.JPG


also feed and dose trace elements as already stated
 
rsteagall,

I have mine under 10k 150w MH with actinic pC supplements. Mine grow like weeds and made a 5 polyp frag 2 weeks ago with 2 babies already since then. Mine are up near the top maybe 10 inches from the water level and almost directly under the light. Mine do tend to lose the deep brown when I move them that close but you need to decide what your goal is. If you want growth, I move up, color , move down. I personally am growing then moving down...lol
HTH , Scott
 
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