+ Hey Newb ID Please

Ethics · #1 09/01/2006, 08:55 PM

Hey guys,

I just came back from purchasing my first coral for tm 5 gallon nano tank.

I absolutely love Zoanthids, their colors are just amazing.

So I picked up these little guys, can anyone ID them for me. I'm sure their common as can be, I would just liek to know exactly what they are.

and here's where it sits in the tank, right up at the top in the center.

If anyone has any tips and tricks for keeping these I'd love to hear them.

Oh and a question I have, what is the growth rate like on these guys?

Thanks,
Mario

maggiesaqsup · #2 09/01/2006, 10:54 PM

I don't think they have a name but they are cool.The growth rate has alot to do with your water quality,lighting and placement in the tank. I have some that are slow to reproduce and some that are fast.move it around and find out what it likes.Some zoas like low light and some like high.

softball13 · #3 09/01/2006, 10:58 PM

Someone told me zoos like dirty water? I do frequent water changes... 10% once a week.

Could this be why my zoos don't multiply? Should I be feeding them supplements or something?

I have hammer and frogspawn in my tank that are fat and happy and branching... I wish my zoos would grow out...

Should I dose with iodine? Zoomax?

maggiesaqsup · #4 09/01/2006, 11:04 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by softball13
Someone told me zoos like dirty water? I do frequent water changes... 10% once a week.

Could this be why my zoos don't multiply? Should I be feeding them supplements or something?

I have hammer and frogspawn in my tank that are fat and happy and branching... I wish my zoos would grow out...

Should I dose with iodine? Zoomax? [/QUOTE

I would give them some time.keep up the water changes weekly.some zoas take more time to start growing than others.

enitnelaVeyaF · #5 09/02/2006, 05:02 AM

i dont think moving them around is a good idea though. having them settled in and not moving is a good way to get them to grow. moving a colony around will make it acclimate to the new situation thus taking longer and longer to grow. i'd fra the mother colony and put one frag low, one medium and one high in the tank. thats just me though.

ficklefins · #6 09/02/2006, 08:08 AM

The big money question: How do I get my zoas to spread.?

If I knew the answer to this question I wouldn't need this forum, but there are certain things you can do that make it a more favorable environment for zoas to spread.

These things are a given:

Good flow.
Which means enough to make the skirt move and shake, but not enough to make the polyps close. (trial and error)

Light.
This is a tricky subject because some strains like a lot of light while others show best under lower lighting. (trial and error) . So start your zoanthids low and gradually move them up. Once you notice the polyps getting smaller in size then lower them back to the previous height and keep them there. When I say lower I mean from a nickle size to a dime size (relative scale).

Water quality.
Dirty water really is not the ideal, but they can handle a wider range of water quality. Keep in mind that your tank and everything in it will do better with cleaner water. Your 10% water changes are perfect and don't worry about the dirty water thing.

Now for the not a give part of zoa keeping:

Stability:
So you just got some zoas, did the Mucho dip and put them on your sand bed. What now? Nothing, well.... not at first. Your zoas are going to need to adjust to their new environment so the first few days and even weeks will probably not be productive. So what can you do to help?

After a week or two start moving them closer to your lights. Giving them a few days to either tell you that they like or not. Once you have found the right height you need patience. Once setup and comfortible zoas will start to spread slowly at first but more and more once the colony gets larger.

Metaphor Time:
A Zoanthids ability to spread is similar to you or I moving to a new location. When you move to a new location you aren't always comfortible just blindly driving around your new neighborhood. But with time you become more comfortible with your environment and you arer better able to "Spread Out" of your comfort zone. (cheesy aren't I). Get it? Got it? Good!

maggiesaqsup · #7 09/02/2006, 08:37 AM

ficklefins
Good answer your map making skills are coming in handy.

Ethics · #8 09/02/2006, 10:12 PM

Thanks for all the help guys, especially ficklefins.

They have all opened up and seem to be doing great. The only time they close up is when a hermit goes intop of them, or when I turn off the lights.

Oh and let me tell you guys, man are these things addicting. This is my first coral and I'ma lready looking for the next color of zoo's im going to buy.

Mario