need help to understand zoa growth

[Raideress]

Hi,
really interested in Zoas, the colours WOW, but my LFS have zoas so small the colour is barely a pin head in size 1-2mm, and then they have some that might be around 5mm polyp size but always seem to be plain bright green zoas, im trying to understand if i buy zoas with 5mm polyps the growth wont be polyp size, but instead growth will be polyp numbers?
or will they growth in numbers and size of polyps? want to find some Rastas in australia that you can see the colours maybe about 1/2 inch polyp? am i dreaming ive seen amazing zoa gardens, they look close to an inch in size in some, i want some colours in the tank

 

[MaxxuM]

Some could be zoa's and some could be pally's. It's hard to tell with some of them. Growth rates are very random it seems. Some grow like weeds while others only have 1 new polyp per month. 1-2mm is really small though. I know there are differences in availability between the States, EU and Australia. I'd shop around or ask your LFS if they can import what you want. There's tons of colors and verities out there. Like thousands of color morphs. Surprises me they don't have more.

 

[ReeferWarrant]

It depends on the type of coral. Be careful, there are some that absolutely grow like weeds and are not worth having in your tank. I bought some Pandora's Palys to test out coral and yeah just now getting rid of the last plugs of them. They grow like weeds and will absolutely dominate a tank.

I look online for the ones I buy, whether it's through Craigslist or a reputable website. Craigslist and here have helped a lot, find some people to start trading with once you get a good set of them. I have a set of LA Lakers that are doing good but have not grown a polyp since I have had them. I have bought from AquariumDepot.com, and SaltCritters.com with little complaints. Not sure what a good source in Australia would be but good luck!

 

[Nano sapiens]

There are many Zoanthid species and some will tend to grow bigger than others. On top of that, different morphs of the same species can have quite different size and growth rates. BTW - Most of the 'Palys' (Palythoa) that you'll hear people speak of are actually still Zoas (Zoanthids), just larger and meatier. True Palythoa are out there, too, and once you get familiar with these you'll be able to spot the difference (true Palythoas tend to be of good size and have small sand-like particles incorporated into their outer body wall making for a rough texture).

Here's where things get a bit strange with Zoas. You can get a strain of something like Sunny D's from one place and they might make 1/2" (if you are lucky) and be very temperamental.. But then you can buy from a different place and get a strain that easily approaches 1" and grows like a weed. This happened to me, so I speak from experience

 

[Raideress]

There are many Zoanthid species and some will tend to grow bigger than others. On top of that, different morphs of the same species can have quite different size and growth rates. BTW - Most of the 'Palys' (Palythoa) that you'll hear people speak of are actually still Zoas (Zoanthids), just larger and meatier. True Palythoa are out there, too, and once you get familiar with these you'll be able to spot the difference (true Palythoas tend to be of good size and have small sand-like particles incorporated into their outer body wall making for a rough texture).

Here's where things get a bit strange with Zoas. You can get a strain of something like Sunny D's from one place and they might make 1/2" (if you are lucky) and be very temperamental.. But then you can buy from a different place and get a strain that easily approaches 1" and grows like a weed. This happened to me, so I speak from experience

interesting, im lining up some sunny Ds and Rastas for a weds pick up

 

[old salt reefer]

My Rastas are maybe 3-4mm round. Didn't really do anything for 1st half year I had them (6 polyp frag), then took off like no tomorrow. Got to be over 100 of them now.

 

[MaxxuM]

Group of 3 rastas are growing 2 new heads in two weeks. Utter chaos's have turned from 3 to 8 in a month. Another group, forget the name, haven't shown any growth since I got them a month ago.

It's luck of the draw vs tank conditions. Digitata recede or STN in my tank (orange and bubblegum). I have no clue why. Acropora and other montipora (superman) do fine and even color up.

 

[Raideress]

My Rastas are maybe 3-4mm round. Didn't really do anything for 1st half year I had them (6 polyp frag), then took off like no tomorrow. Got to be over 100 of them now.

the guy im getting them from when i asked how big were the polyps, said pretty big, so hoping they are good sized lol

 

[Raideress]

Group of 3 rastas are growing 2 new heads in two weeks. Utter chaos's have turned from 3 to 8 in a month. Another group, forget the name, haven't shown any growth since I got them a month ago.

It's luck of the draw vs tank conditions. Digitata recede or STN in my tank (orange and bubblegum). I have no clue why. Acropora and other montipora (superman) do fine and even color up.

yeah its weird i guess hard to get every coral what it wants in terms on flow, light, position, parametres, even lighting changing etc, i often think would they prefer steady flow, a wave type flow or irradic flow as the ocean has a pattern, but wave strength is variable