Zoanthid overload

[US27inKS]

The Zoas have all but taken over my 75gal tank. I have a bunch of good looking ones, but also a lot of not so pretty ones. The tank is at my office and I don't really have time to try hitting a thousand or so zoas that need to die with kalk. I'm thinking I'd like to introduce a predator help control them. Something I could remove later, like a fish or snail or star. I realize that a predator won't discriminate between the ones I want and the ones I don't, but I have enough to spare. Outside of the 4 other corals I have (not counting the 4 fungia on the sand) virtually every square inch of rock in my tank is covered with zoas.

Ideas?

Other corals include a couple encrusting montipora, frogspawn, fungia, candy cane.

 

[brett7768]

i had a 2 bar rabbit fish that ate zoas. didnt touch any other corals but once he got a taste for zoas he ate about 1000 of them in a week. i hated that fish

 

[billdogg]

Why not sell/trade them to local reefers or your favorite LFS and replace the rocks with new ones?

 

[rffanat1c]

Yeah and tell me how you did it!! I'll take them!

 

[LOU A VILLE]

Let's see some pics lol , sounds awesome

 

[Dkuhlmann]

There are many Dwarf Angelfish that will fill that bill for you. Lemon peel comes to mind. Angelfish are grazers and as such they are constantly pecking in the rocks and eating all day that they are awake. Whatever you do if you go the Dwarf Angelfish route is get one of the ones that are potentially reef safe. They would include Coral Beauty, Flame Angel and Cherub or Pygmy Angel. Also most of the mid sized Angelfish will eat them too. They are all beautiful fish and you will enjoy having one.

 

[US27inKS]

Here's a pretty lousy pic of the tank. I already have a coral beauty, not sure I want another dwarf angel.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Holy zoas Batman! Apparently you have one of the Coral Beauties that won't eat corals.

Your picture is why I won't put even one zoa in my tank

 

[MelloW33]

I think your best option is to swap out some of the rocks.

 

[US27inKS]

I just saw something about a Heliacus box snail. If I can find one it might be a good solution.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I'll trade you Coral Beauty Dwarf Angels as I can't have any zoas in my 180g reef because it eats them all. Not palys or anything else, but every single zoa!

BTW, it may not be a great pic, but yes, "Holy zoas Batman!" It's a cool looking tank. If you were local I'd love to buy an entire rock or two for my shallow reef tank with no Coral Beauty!

 

[US27inKS]

If you were local I'd give you as many as I could get out. Every now and then I have a customer who has a salt tank. I tear off any mat that has spread out over the sand and bag it for them. Just the good looking ones of course, I wouldn't wish the bigger brownish ones on anyone as they grow super fast and are much more aggressive and will push out the smaller good looking varieties.

 

[biecacka]

Where are you located?
Why not trade them in to your LFS for clean rock band or credit?

Corey

 

[US27inKS]

I'm located just outside Kansas City. There are a few reasons I don't trade rocks. 1) I like the way my rocks stack up, and I really hate rearranging the tank once I like the look of it. 2) It seems like every new rock comes with a hitchhiker I don't want. After winning the battle against flat worms, aptasia, and asterina stars, I don't want to do that again. 3) I'm exceedingly lazy.

I'm so lazy that I recently hired a guy to come change water for me once a month. For many years it got great big water changes when the corals started to not open up as much. Maybe 3 times a year. My water change guy has started to swap out some of the rocks on the outside edges, but the new rocks are quickly being colonized by the zoas.

 

[Xxero]

Holy crap! I understand where you're coming from, but that's pretty awesome IMO.

 

[brett7768]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+3&ddid=288574