Noob question

Mr_Banana_Pants · Nov 2, 2016

Hey everyone, I'm currently just starting my reef. I recently added some frog spawn and anemones, and am looking to possible add some Zoas in another week or 2 once the anemones have chosen their place. My tank is only a 55gal with about 60lb of rock. I'm just curious about the best way to keep the Zoas from taking over my tank... I love the green star polyps but I've heard horror stories that they spread too fast and take over... any suggestions for a newbie????

ahiggins · Nov 2, 2016

Hiya!
How old is your tank?
IMO star polyps or kenya tree or the waving hand things take over everything fast. Ive seen it tons of times lol so do green palys or protopalys (cant remember the exact name).
I stay farrrrr away from those.
zoas and palys (most of them) are going to be hardier than what you already have. especially that nem. So if those are doing well-theres no reason why you cant add in some zoas

tankstudy · Nov 2, 2016

Mr_Banana_Pants said:
Hey everyone, I'm currently just starting my reef. I recently added some frog spawn and anemones, and am looking to possible add some Zoas in another week or 2 once the anemones have chosen their place. My tank is only a 55gal with about 60lb of rock. I'm just curious about the best way to keep the Zoas from taking over my tank... I love the green star polyps but I've heard horror stories that they spread too fast and take over... any suggestions for a newbie????

I generally "Island Off" fast spreaders/growers.

ahiggins · Nov 2, 2016

Ive never tried lol just because I know my luck....the spores would get exactly where I dont want them to be

Salty1962 · Nov 2, 2016

Isolate them on their own rock island.

Mr_Banana_Pants · Nov 2, 2016

ahiggins said:
Hiya!
How old is your tank?
IMO star polyps or kenya tree or the waving hand things take over everything fast. Ive seen it tons of times lol so do green palys or protopalys (cant remember the exact name).
I stay farrrrr away from those.
zoas and palys (most of them) are going to be hardier than what you already have. especially that nem. So if those are doing well-theres no reason why you cant add in some zoas

My tank is about 2 weeks past cycling, maybe a month or so... I used a bottle of bio spira and I only had a minor ammonia spike, then everything zeroed perfectly. I figured I'd have to give it its own island, just nervous it's still gonna spread...

ahiggins · Nov 2, 2016

Some people may not agree with me but you probably shouldn't have a nem in your tank....
Have you tested your nitrates lately? Just curious.
Anyway, I won't buy stuff that spreads like that because I have nano tanks and that kind of stuff would just take up room lol
Zoas and palys are the easiest of all coral...maybe discosoma shrooms would be a close tie. They like more (some) nitrates.
You could put them on an island but why take that chance? To knowingly put something invasive in there...just save a little more money and spend it on what you want.

Desmond · Nov 3, 2016

If you dont want them to spread put on a rock island as stated. Depending on the type of zoa some grow allot faster than others. Your tank is not nearly mature enough for a nem. Should be at least 6 months or more. Keep a close eye on it as if it dies it cause you big problems.

ahiggins · Nov 3, 2016

Dont get me wrong, I adore zoas and palys. some do become invasive though. 95% of z's and p's arent super fast growers though.
Heres a few "invasives" Ive come across (not just zoas/palys):

ps. My intent with the anemone wasnt to make you feel bad about it. Its to educate. I have always wanted one but I know my tank and its parameters fluctuate too much to keep it healthy. Also, it can be a real pain if it gets shredded in a powerhead or dies in your tank. Good luck

Kswish74 · Nov 3, 2016

Everyone always says don't add nems till the tank is well established, in my old tank I had a nem put in right after cycle. It last 2 years... it not always the case. If you have the right products and you feed the nem what it needs then you will have no problem....

JackDE · Nov 3, 2016

With green star polyps my experience so far is as long as I keep him on his own little island he is fine.

tripdad · Nov 3, 2016

ahiggins said:
My intent with the anemone wasnt to make you feel bad about it. Its to educate.

I really like how you worded this, nicely done.

ahiggins · Nov 3, 2016

tripdad said:
I really like how you worded this, nicely done.

Thank you
I reread my first post and I didnt want them to feel like I was saying "it cant be done, youre a bad tank mom for doing that" lol
We have all been new at one point or another. The purpose of this forum is to learn new things-not tell others theyre wrong. Who knows-maybe their nem will flourish in that tank? lol

RookieReef · Nov 22, 2016

I'm all honestly, unless you know exactly what your doing I don't think anything will rapidly spread. Unless it's a pest of coarse. But from my experience of being in the SW life for the last year, if your parameters aren't on point, then stuff won't grow. I've had green star polyps but the haven't spread yet. For a couple months I let my tank go, and in the beginning months I never really tested my water. Now I do a lot more test and stuff is thriving. I've had a Kenya tree pretty much since the beginning and it hasn't spread anywhere except for where I've cut it and placed it. Again my parameters where all out of whack for a good couple of months, and to me a one year old tank is still a baby. I love the SW life style there's so much to learn, and so amazing to watch how it all works.