Zoas,,,WHATS THE SECRET TO THEM...

[Jone]

See alot of threads with people with zoas and mainly zoas with problems.
For one of the most popular corals,,there are more people on this forum and other forums with more problems than showing off their healthy mass colonies of zoas..These zoa colonies come from suppliers /retailers real nice with thick plump polyps then eventually they decline or degrade for one reason or another over time...If coral farmers / aquaculture facilities can do it repeatedly/consistantly, then what knowledge is missing in this hobby..Experience only goes so far for any topic in life but having the knowledge will make you succeed .
SO WHATS THE SECRET ???
Theres always alot of talk of them being easy,,and they dont require much but why is there more zoa ID threads and problem threads ?
The saltwater hobby has been around for a REAL long time and things should be systematic by now,,especially if your doing certain coral dominated tank...Whether it is softies or SPS and such..

 

[m0nkie]

imo the secret is: keep the water parameters on par (no fluctuations), and stop messing with it. no hands or sticks in the tank.

also I THINK It's because zoas are one of the first corals you get. and beginners will have lot of issues. once they get a handle of things, they move on to SPS or others, keeping only a few small colonies of nicer zoas

 

[GKorals]

I agree with with M0nkie said and also add that atleast IME they tend to like water with more nutrients (Dirty). Not necessarily high nitrates/phosphates but food/fish waste with good filtration.

 

[FishN00b83]

some really TAKE OFF in my tank like a weed. others live, but they don't spread...idk why

 

[Scranton]

Of my friends locally some have huge success with zoas others do not. We have noticed that a large outbreak of astreal stars can really hurt zoa colonies

 

[gldnegle76]

I can only speak to my own experience. I've tried to keep zoa's for years, but in the long run (or short run) they would close up and melt away. I haven't been consistent with my husbandry practices. So about a month ago, I decided I was going to give it another try. My alk (which I wasn't monitoring properly) was dipping below 7dkh quite often. Same with calcium and magnesium levels, dipping below recommended levels. I was striving for a low nutrient system and was feeding my fish only three times a week.
So, here's what I've done in the past month:
Got my alk up to between 8.5-9dkh.
Calcium up to 420.
Magnesium up to 1335.
I am checking these levels every week, so I know how much dosing I have to do to keep these levels.
I am now feeding the fish four times a week (2 days frozen/2 days flake and pellet).
I add Reef Chili to the frozen food.
Started dosing Seachem Reef Plus twice a week at half the recommended dosage.
My skimmer is set slightly to the wet side.
My nitrate level stays around 10. Phosphate .03.
Right now my reactor has Purigen and Phosguard in it (Yes, I've read the articles about alum. based phosphate removers).
When I started all of this a month ago, I had two pieces of rock with zoa's on them, that weren't doing too well. Looked like they were on their way out like all the others over the years.
A month into it and I've seen vast improvement. Most of the zoa's that were closed have started to open up. The one's that were open are getting larger and beginning to fill out.
I'm optimistic that if I keep up with the maintenance, maybe I'll have success this time. I just need to keep an eye on my increased nutrient levels and make sure I keep up with the appropriate export.
This progress may only be a "tease", but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Would like to hear from others that have had same results as me.

 

[ajespo85]

I have had great success with zoas. I use Red Sea salt (not sure if that contributed to the success or not). I run NO skimmer. The only thing I do that not many do is that I dose Iodion (http://brightwellaquatics.com/products/iodion.php). Everything from my zoas to lps seems to always be fully opened and growing.