zoas spreading

[Thartsockpg]

OK so I've had the zoas for 2 months maybe and they haven't spread at all. They have grown but haven't spread off the frag plug.

 

[Animal-Chin]

well i got a frag months ago that had 4 zoa's on it, today it has 4. They havn't grown or spread. Right beside the frag I have a rock with bam bam zoa's on it. When I got the rock 6 months ago it had 30ish and now it has over 100.

They are sitting right beside each other. Gotta thing some take off and some not so much eh?

 

[Thartsockpg]

That's kinda strange maybe it has something to do with time in the tank and getting used to everything. My mushrooms did the same thing as your zoas they didn't spread for the first few months and now. I have 4 new heads.

 

[Grizz]

Some Zoas like dirty water and some the cleaner the better. I spot feed mine with finely chopped mysis I started with 5 heads and no have over 100 after 1 year.

 

[Thartsockpg]

That's pretty cool. I'll try that now.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Some Zoas like dirty water and some the cleaner the better. I spot feed mine with finely chopped mysis I started with 5 heads and no have over 100 after 1 year.

I follow the same routine and it really is worth doing. I find many zoas don't do as well in sps tanks with super clean water and weekly water changes.

 

[Thartsockpg]

Interesting how that us maybe they feed off of the nitrates or excess nutrients

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Interesting how that us maybe they feed off of the nitrates or excess nutrients

It probably isn't nitrates. I never had nitrates above 1-3ppm, usually zero. It must be some other dissolved organics. There are some zoas that do better in low nutrient systems though. My mushrooms always reproduced quickly with my low skimming, monthly water change, DSB refugium based systems. It doesn't work for everything though, unfortunately.

 

[Thartsockpg]

I guess that is why people have sps only tanks. Also how small are the mysis shrimp cut to be target feed to Zoas

 

[Grizz]

I shave the frozen block then thaw in a cup of tank water i feed with a baster just suck some up and give them a shot

 

[mikestanked]

Would the zoa not spreading have anything to do with excessive water flow?

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Would the zoa not spreading have anything to do with excessive water flow?

You never want direct pounding from a powerhead or return pipe on them. Many zoas live in areas of the reef with powerful surges and sometimes the even get exposed to the air when tides are out. They can take strong flow, but constant blasting is a bad thing (more because of the toxins they coat themselves with in order to protect themselves than because it might do harm to them). If they constantly have to produce their toxic slime coat it'll leave little resources for them to use to multiply and some believe it isn't good for other sensitive corals in the same tank.

Basically, even though they can deal with hard flow in nature most people avoid hard direct flow in their tanks.