ID on these coral

[JustinTanks]

Hi!
I went to my LFS a week ago from tomorrow and picked up a couple coral and an anemone. The anemone was labeled but neither of these were labeled other than saying Zoa and polyp. Are these a specific type or have a specific name?

 

[Cell]

Zoa
Green star polyp

 

[JustinTanks]

Zoa
Green star polyp

Oh okay! I didn’t know if the zoa had a specific name, haha. Also I was thinking the other one was a green star polyp but they’re sooo tiny and every picture I’ve seen have like super long “tentacles”.

 

[sfin52]

Oh okay! I didn’t know if the zoa had a specific name, haha. Also I was thinking the other one was a green star polyp but they’re sooo tiny and every picture I’ve seen have like super long “tentacles”.

The more flow the the longer the tentacles to a point too much and they don't open.

 

[Cell]

The zoa probably has a trade name, but I'm not a great zoa ID mind.

 

[JustinTanks]

The more flow the the longer the tentacles to a point too much and they don't open.

Good to know! Right now the flow is keeping them flowing but not pinning them sideways or anything, haha. Is also normal for blue legged hermits to crawl over the green star and zoa? I haven’t seen them pluck any polyps but I was wondering if the coral are too fragile to be trampled on. I have about 8 hermits in my 13.5g.

 

[Cell]

Hermits have zero respect for your coral.

 

[mdb_talon]

Hermits will crawl all over soft coral and make them close at times but should cause no real damage.

 

[JustinTanks]

Hermits have zero respect for your coral.

I’m not surprised by this. They seem to do whatever they want. I’ve watched a line of 5 hermits crawl up the corner of my tank holding onto the black caulking in the corners then cliff dive from the top.

Hermits will crawl all over soft coral and make them close at times but should cause no real damage.

Okay good. I’ve seen them close up several times, just kinda worried about having soft coral and potentially adding more coral with 8 hermits flying around the tank.

 

[mdb_talon]

I’m not surprised by this. They seem to do whatever they want. I’ve watched a line of 5 hermits crawl up the corner of my tank holding onto the black caulking in the corners then cliff dive from the top.


Okay good. I’ve seen them close up several times, just kinda worried about having soft coral and potentially adding more coral with 8 hermits flying around the tank.

Never experienced or heard of them really hurting softies. However i wont keep hermits because some will rip open mouths of LPS corals to get to food. Mine started doing that years ago and i have not kept them since.

 

[JustinTanks]

Never experienced or heard of them really hurting softies. However i wont keep hermits because some will rip open mouths of LPS corals to get to food. Mine started doing that years ago and i have not kept them since.

Oh no! I wanted to get a hammer coral, Duncans and frogspawn down the road. What did you do with the hermits when they started ripping open the mouths? Did they kill the lps when doing that?

 

[Cell]

They steal food from coral, which can be mitigated by target feeding them first.

 

[JustinTanks]

They steal food from coral, which can be mitigated by target feeding them first.

Target feeding the hermits or the coral?

 

[Cell]

You can give the hermits some food before the corals if they are stealing from the coral.

 

[JustinTanks]

Okay, if I go into LPS, I’ll probably just target feed them so there isn’t any issues.
A couple more noob questions: I bought reef roids when I bought my tank in preparation to have coral, how often should I target feed with that stuff?
Can you put two types of zoas on the same rock without them killing each other? Or can you put green star polyps with like a mushroom?
Is it possible for a clown to be hosted by a Xenia or something similar to an anemone since I already have one and the other clown is kinda keeping that to itself.

 

[rhostam]

Oh no! I wanted to get a hammer coral, Duncans and frogspawn down the road. What did you do with the hermits when they started ripping open the mouths? Did they kill the lps when doing that?

Some peppermint shrimp do this as well. Just make sure they eat and also don’t target feed the corals directly too often. The inverts treat the corals like pez dispensers if you do and will reach in or irritate them until they regurgitate and retract. If they have plenty to eat they won’t bother the corals.

 

[JustinTanks]

Some peppermint shrimp do this as well. Just make sure they eat and also don’t target feed the corals directly too often. The inverts treat the corals like pez dispensers if you do and will reach in or irritate them until they regurgitate and retract. If they have plenty to eat they won’t bother the corals.

I’ve target fed my anemone once so far with a silverside fish, small piece of course. I have reef roids for the zoa and polyp. I was thinking of maybe getting a shrimp for the tank but I worry that I have too many hermits to add one. I also have two zebra turbo snails.

 

[rhostam]

I’ve target fed my anemone once so far with a silverside fish, small piece of course. I have reef roids for the zoa and polyp. I was thinking of maybe getting a shrimp for the tank but I worry that I have too many hermits to add one. I also have two zebra turbo snails.

My hermits are jerks and stomp all over the corals, too. But they keep the bases of the corals free from algae and left over food. Corals don’t seem affected at all. Most don’t even close anymore when they get brushed upon unless they are being super trampled.

The turbo snails! Ugh, they mow over everything knocking everything down which is annoying for frags that I’m acclimating. But the eat algae like no other.

 

[KC's CNC Creations]

Oh okay! I didn’t know if the zoa had a specific name.....

a picture with whites on would be a lot better about ID but those look like Eagle Eye

 

[JustinTanks]

My hermits are jerks and stomp all over the corals, too. But they keep the bases of the corals free from algae and left over food. Corals don’t seem affected at all. Most don’t even close anymore when they get brushed upon unless they are being super trampled.

The turbo snails! Ugh, they mow over everything knocking everything down which is annoying for frags that I’m acclimating. But the eat algae like no other.

That’s good to know. Everything is pretty new to each other so hopefully they’ll just acclimate nicely. The turbo snails have been cleaning everything soooo well, thankfully they haven’t bothered anything other than algae on the rocks or glass.