small zoanthids

[Chads29]

Mr. Calfo,
I talked to you this weekend at Imac about getting my smaller zoanthids to reproduce faster, you gave me a bunch of information but i have a bad memory. would you mind repeating what you told me.
I am really sorry for not remembering it all,
Thanks,
Chad Smith

[Anthony Calfo]

no worries...

smaller polyped zoanthids (such as many Zoanthus species) tend to favor higher water flow, brighter light (like shallow water Acroporids)... but they favor detritus for feeding (they are tough to target feed otherwise).

Larger polyped zoanthids such as Palythoa species, tend to tolerate slower water flow, moderate lighting and often eat larger meaty zooplankton subsitutes. Usually faster gowing for aquarists.

Anthony

[ifringe]

Originally posted by Anthony Calfo
smaller polyped zoanthids (such as many Zoanthus species) tend to favor higher water flow, brighter light (like shallow water Acroporids)... but they favor detritus for feeding (they are tough to target feed otherwise).

Larger polyped zoanthids such as Palythoa species, tend to tolerate slower water flow, moderate lighting and often eat larger meaty zooplankton subsitutes. Usually faster gowing for aquarists.

Hello, Anthony!

Thank you for sharing your amazing wealth of information... and I really like your ethical considerations as well, for this hobby has many facets.

I am still quite new (in fact my small 2.5g tank is none too old), but as I was reading the above, I wondered this:

Would it be possible to generalize your statement above as "the smaller the zoanthid polyp the faster the flow it prefers"? (and of course, the other way round). I understand about generalizations of course, but in the end curosity won out I and decided to ask.

Thank you very much!
david

[Anthony Calfo]

cheers, David

thanks for your kind words my friend

For me (and most of us I hope) it's not too hard to resist temptations and be ethical/conscientious aquarists. With so many other beautiful (and suitable) alternatives to difficult to keep species... why bother? And when saving water saves money... why not? And when the dust settles after the next big trend (skimmer, coral, whatever...) do remember how many unmerited trends preceded it before opening your wallet for the next one, etc.

As for zoanthids... I'm game to make a generalization:

the smaller buttoned Zoanthus species tend to come from higher flow (less particulates) and shallower zones (higher light). But the medium and larger polyped zoanthids like Palythoa and Protopalythoa species tend to be collected in deeper and/or more turbid (even muddy) zones.

Thats why the latter does so well for newbies and beginners (low light and overfed tanks) while sps keepers tend fare well with the former. And neither betwixt is success shared. Er... something like that.

Put another way... the larger polyped zoanthids often shock, bleach or simply starve in time in the blazing MH schemes of lightly fed sps tanks. While the smaller polyped zoanthus species tend to barely hang on but not grow in the typical poor flow, modest light systems of newbies, etc.

[ifringe]

Originally posted by Anthony Calfo
For me (and most of us I hope) it's not too hard to resist temptations and be ethical/conscientious aquarists. With so many other beautiful (and suitable) alternatives to difficult to keep species... why bother? And when saving water saves money... why not? And when the dust settles after the next big trend (skimmer, coral, whatever...) do remember how many unmerited trends preceded it before opening your wallet for the next one, etc.

Well said! For me, my reef has been a far greater learning experience than I ever thought possible, and I went into it with the attitude that I would indeed learn a lot. My biggest surprise, though, has been learning about what critters are best suited for your environment and that many critters are truly best suited for the biggest reef of all: the ocean. And my overall level of awareness of our environment and how delicate the balance really is has been raised. I thought I paid attention to such matters before. I was wrong.

Of course, with tank dimensions of 12"x6", I don't have to worry about being tempted to put in that lovely Power Blue Tang (I just finished reading your other thread on that topic, which truly impressed me).

As for zoanthids... I'm game to make a generalization:

the smaller buttoned Zoanthus species tend to come from higher flow (less particulates) and shallower zones (higher light). But the medium and larger polyped zoanthids like Palythoa and Protopalythoa species tend to be collected in deeper and/or more turbid (even muddy) zones.

Thank you! That is handy for me as I continue my research for this tank.

My next project will be a 100% Florida Keys biotope; but that is the topic for another thread.

Thanks again!
david

[Anthony Calfo]

oooh... a FL keys biotope sounds fab! It's a shame that most folks overlook some such fabulous species that are in our (US) "backyard" because they are cheap or commonly available.

I look forward to hearing of your progress with it.