Let's talk flow!

revhtree · Jul 13, 2007

In my experience in keeping zoas and palys, there are many factors that contribute to the actual physical attributes of your zoas and palys. Things like light, temp, flow, etc. may affect your zoas in different ways.

In this thread let's talk flow and how you think it attributes to the look of your zoas.

First let me say that I have had some up close experience with how zoas will change and vary depending on the environment. My zoas for example, tend to stay thick so to speak. Their skirts seem to mostly be compact and of substance rather than long and thin. I think this is directly attributed to the LOW flow in the bottom of my tank.

For example, my cats eyes have nice thick skirts when most cat's eyes seem to be longer and thinner. Granted they are a little thinner than most of my other zoas, they are no where near as long and thin as the cat's eyes in my friends tank. He received his frag from me so I know they are of the same mother colony. Yet his are very long and thin. That being said, his zoas are right in the middle of a typhoon i like to call TUNZE!

So what do you think and what is your experience?

(PS. Next installment we will talk LIGHT)

Kigs! · Jul 13, 2007

In my experience, the skirt length, polyp size, and stalk extension is directly related to light. When compared with zoas and palys under T5s, the morphs under my MH seems to get much bigger polyp size, shorter tighter skirts, and stout stalks.

Most of the zoas and palys I've acquired seem to love the flow, with an exception to few. Heavier the flow, less chance of them acquiring diseases as well it seems. All the frags placed under direct flow seems to flourish the most and spread the fastest.

JGoslee · Jul 13, 2007

I haven't had many zoa's or palys that didn't like the high flow in my tank. I'm running 1 tunze 6000 and 2 6025's in my 58gal. It's pretty much a typhoon like Rev described above. Ime most of my zoa's tend to get longer skirts while the PE's and palys skirts were unaffected. Growth has been good with a few exceptions.
Kigs brings up a good point about diseases. I haven't had to many problems with disease or infections. I had a few pox outbreaks but it cleared up on its own with no help from me. Has anyone else with high flow had had similar experiences?

ReeferRob · Jul 13, 2007

I will have to say that some zoos love the flow others like a little more relaxed flow.
Those that do like heavier flow deffinatly tend to have longer stalks and longer more wavy skirts. And on the other side of the sword the ones that like a little more relaxed flow are more stubby in stalk and skirt.

Resently I purchased a large colony of what I think are Super Novas. I fragged the colony into three seperate pieces. One went high in the reef in to a low flow zone, one went into the sand for a higher flow zone, and the last went on a frag rack high on the front glass right infront of the return spray bar.
The first developed disease and never really opened, the sand bed one couldn't make up its mind (open or closed, do I want to commit suicide or not) and the third up high for light up front for high flow.........EXPLODED. Huge expansion, great color, long flowy skirts.
It was clear to see that three frags from the same colony all in different locations produced different results.
I tried this again with Lunar Eclipse and to save a long story they preferred the medium light medium flow areas.
In conclusion, all zoos prefer different stuff through trial and error we learn whats best. Thats the fun part. BTW I saved the other SN frags by putting them up on the frag rack and in a week or so they are happy as can be. Thanks my $.18 cents

ecotoxlady · Jul 13, 2007

I would have to agree with what has already been said. I have better results with zoas and palys that are kept in high flow areas. The only ones I've found that don't seem to like high flow (prefer medium flow) has been the PE types. All the others seem to thrive when placed right next to my tunze. I definitely think this is a subject that could use some experimentation to actually document the outcome. Anyone up to be the guinea pig?

I-K@ndY · Jul 13, 2007

I am running 2x vortech and 2x 6100 on my 180 and planning to get a wavebox. I can say also that my zoas loves high flow. high flow = Grows fast. thanks

revhtree · Jul 13, 2007

Great info so far! Any more experience?

chadfarmer · Jul 13, 2007

2 6100 tunzes
1 6000 tunze
eheim 1260 return

everything grows if i dont blow them off my rack

all this in a 58

Azurel · Jul 21, 2007

I have had spoty luck with carribbeans, I do know that they need and like high flow that is like wave action.......I have one spot in my tank that they do good in all others they just melt......

MarvinsReef · Jul 25, 2007

nice random flow that makes the skirts wiggle what I try to achieve in my tank.. I will do more experimenting in the next coming months on different issues...

but flow is really important with zoas and palys.. but so is lighting, water quality, routine husbandry, and such... I find that zoas and palys adjust well with their environment... most of the time, it's patience that's our enemy.. given enough time, most zoas and palys figure out their environment and adjust accordingly... I've been doing less and less tinkering in my tank and have been very happy with the results...

looking forward to reading more of your experiences... btw, I have a Mag 7 return pump and (1) Tunze 6025 NanoStream in the 32g for flow...

Hypertek99 · Aug 14, 2007

Mine likes a lot of flow too. I have all my zoo's and palys sitting near the top of my tank with 2 tunze 6025's blowing at them.

delsol650 · Sep 6, 2007

I'm running 4 Hydor Koralia #4's on my 100 gal full reef
( SPS/LPS/ZOOS/PALYS )

msman825 · Sep 6, 2007

Iwaki 30 rlxt return 2 koralia #4's and 2 MJ1200 modded in a 90 gallon here

Kaos · Sep 8, 2007

I have to say that once acclimated most of my zoo's/paly's like high flow also. My tank is a 10gal. w/ an AC500 fuge (500gph) and 2 MJ-400's (100gph each) alternating on/off from my ACjr. The only ones that don't seem to like it is my PPE's, NG's and my newest AOG's. But these have only been in the tank a week or two so they may still be adjusting (also acclimating to my 175w MH's).

rpogge2 · Sep 14, 2007

Well, I modded my 2 x MJ1200s with the 1600gph sureflow kits, and all my stuff closed up for a few hours. Its been 2 days now, and my tubs blues are closed, and look to be shrinking, and most of my zoas seem to not like to open, or open very slowly and close easily now with the higher flow. a coupel colonies only halfway open. I guess they need to adjust to the flow - im kinda mad my tubs blues are dying from it, they are in kind of a high flow area, I might try and move them and see if that helps any.

Rcpilot · Oct 6, 2007

I'm running 3 Maxi-Jet 1200 (295GPH each) The Maxis have the Hydor rotating attachment on the end, so flow is probably reduced. And another 110GPH powerhead in my tank for circulation.

I'm running a Maxi-Jet 900 (230GPH) through my HOB refugium.

Thats about 1100GPH. Tank is 30g. Around 36x per hour +/-

All zoas, button polyps, yellow polyps and mushrooms. Everything is growing like crazy. New frag colonies are sprouting multiple new growths after only 2 weeks in the tank.

Too early to say for sure. It appears to me that some of the colonies started out kinds short and squatty, but have now lengthened out in the body.

I'll report back here in 6 months after things have had a chance to grow out a bit.

No dust on my rocks either.

killingseed2000 · Oct 6, 2007

i'm running 2 mj mods at or around 2400 each using the dummas props from mj mods, in my 75gl.

demonsperm · Nov 24, 2007

Here's a great article. But IMO the coral are very good at letting you know if they like the flow or light. And high flow can work but needs to be reduced at feeding time for a few hours.
If you have zoos reaching for the light they want more light , if they dont open all the way flow to high , you want a fat low grounded zoo polyp. Anyway the article.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/1/aafeature/view

demonsperm · Nov 24, 2007

Here's a great article. But IMO the coral are very good at letting you know if they like the flow or light. And high flow can work but needs to be reduced at feeding time for a few hours.
If you have zoos reaching for the light they want more light , if they dont open all the way flow to high , you want a fat low grounded zoo polyp. Anyway the article.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/1/aafeature/view

Weetabix7 · Nov 24, 2007

I just added a Koralia 1 into my 10g prop tank, which is probably 2/3 zoas.

Almost everyone seems to like it, except for my Candy Apple Pinks.
They were super gorgeous and insanely bright, but now they've faded.
I've had them for a while and they've been super hardy, the hardiest zoa I've worked with actually, so I know it's not that.
I'm thinking about moving a frag of them to my low flow lower light softy tank to see what happens.