Zoa Rock a little chaotic

[Reefers4U]

Hey RC,

So I have this rock with brown polyps and two different types of Zoas - ID help would be great.

But some of the more colorful zoas are falling off and some are not open at all.

Any ideas as to what caused this? They are really new to the tank. About two weeks. they have been moved around a bit as I started them at the bottom and moved them up.

At the top of the rock everything is open pretty good but at the bottom it seems to get a bit more sickly.

 

[biggyal66]

Maybe some orange bam bam and possibly nuclear green paly's?

 

[koll12]

bam bams and brown polpys

 

[90greefman]

Hey RC,

So I have this rock with brown polyps and two different types of Zoas - ID help would be great.

But some of the more colorful zoas are falling off and some are not open at all.

Any ideas as to what caused this? They are really new to the tank. About two weeks. they have been moved around a bit as I started them at the bottom and moved them up.

At the top of the rock everything is open pretty good but at the bottom it seems to get a bit more sickly.

So the greenish brown polyps grow like mad and are probably stinging your zoas. I have some of the greenish brown polyps and have isolated them as I like them but they will over take any surrounding colonies when given the chance. Try breaking a piece of the rock off that has the colorfull zoas only on it and put them in a separate place.

 

[Scopus Tang]

Common Green Button polyps - not only will they take over other colonies, but they will spread throughout your tank and crop up every where once they establish. And I don't think the orange ones are Bam-Bams. Look more like a browned out Gorilla Nipple to me.

 

[Reefers4U]

Good info guys. I actually was also reading on WWM that often rocks imported with a sponge/zoa combo will not make it in captivity? Not sure why this is but they have a high mortality rate for some reason.

Anyone want to weigh in on this?

To be honest those brown button polyps are ugly and I would be happy to see them go. Think I should just kill them?

 

[betamed]

I'd cut off any of the brown ones you think are choking out the bam bams(They look like bam bams just not the sharpest colors). Regarding the sponge zoa combo rocks. There is no reason zoas on a rock with sponges won't be fine unless the sponge grows to the point where the zoas are covered. However, there is a rare type of white zoa that actually hosts in a sponge. These don't live well in captivity.

 

[5h3rW1N]

bam bams and green buttons..

 

[getzvillereefer]

agreed on bam bams. They look identical to mine if not directly under blue light.

 

[nlandgraf]

+1 on bam bams

 

[Rich123]

Good info guys. I actually was also reading on WWM that often rocks imported with a sponge/zoa combo will not make it in captivity? Not sure why this is but they have a high mortality rate for some reason.

Anyone want to weigh in on this?

To be honest those brown button polyps are ugly and I would be happy to see them go. Think I should just kill them?

Normally (how I understand it) is the sponge is connected to the rock, zoa to the sponge. When the rock is collected it is exposed to air causing the sponge to die off. As it dies off the zoa has nothing to hold on to and falls off. Also, the sponge releases toxins that could cause harm to the zoa as it dies.