lighting time for zoanthids

icemountain · Jun 25, 2013

I am trying to find the best lighting time for zoas/palys. I currently have 2 IT2080 evergrow led fixtures and I run them for 12 hrs a day. 8 hrs being mainly blues with whites going from 1-30%. 4 hrs of the day its set to my max which is 100% blues and 80% whites. Is 12 hrs too much for them? Should I cut back? I ask because I think I might giving too much light with 12 hrs. What hrs do you guys have with zoa dominant tanks?

joshporksandwich · Jun 25, 2013

I run mine for 13 hrs. If I run them for too long the colors seems to look more faded. How is everything growth and color wise.

icemountain · Jun 25, 2013

I am getting very good growth but some of my zoas seem to be fading in colors. Probably not enough light. I removed my optics from my fixtures a month ago and the par dropped so that could be it too. I also notice that towards the end of the day , some of the zoas aren't fully open. I was guessing its because they had light for too long and just want to recover and rest by closing up. The next morning, the same zoas are fully open.

glb · Jun 25, 2013

Some of my zoas have faded too. Then others are fine. Some grow quickly, others not so much. I know they went from led at the store to cf in my tank so I won't get the fluorescence. I'm saving up for LEDs. I have a nano so lights on for 8 hours. Any longer and the tank heats up and I get algae. See my signature for the details on my tank. I still haven't figured out zoas myself but I love them!

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12g Nanoreef. Zooanthids, Ricordia, Star Polyps, Acans and two clownfish. CF Lighting, 75% actinic blue, 25% 10,000k white.

Akwarius · Jun 26, 2013

If the zoas are closed by the end of the day, then you are over-lighting. Try this experiment: shade part of your tank with egg crate, and after a few days, compare the shaded zoas with non-shaded.

I've been experimenting with this lately, and have seen happier zoas with faster growth when shaded slightly. Cranking down the leds seems less effective than shading or "dappling" the current intensity. I've created a new thread about this topic HERE.