Small zoas

[Backreefing]

hello I have a few plugs with different zoas
Radioactive dragons
Momma eyes
Candy apples
yes they have multiplied a little. But they are small and short. Is there a trick to getting them big ?
The tank in old and was neglected until a few months ago currently all coral is frags and I have been more into acropora, montipora, birdsnests . I planned to put sps mid level/high and use the zoas to fill down low . But the sps are doing better. The tank is tall 37gal 24” deep . Some water parameters are
Alk 9
Ph 8.2
Nitrates not 0 but low (1-2 ppm)
Phosphate low but there to
Led black box and now t5 ( 1 bulb ) as well
But why so small ? More light or more nutrients?

 

[DSC reef]

IME, light intensity seemed to make zoas smaller/tighter growth. The shaded zoas had less color and pattern but a wide polyp.

 

[Jvesche20]

Zoas like more "dirty" water so they like to have nitrite slightly higher. I also target feed my zoas reef roids.

IME, light intensity seemed to make zoas smaller/tighter growth. The shaded zoas had less color and pattern but a wide polyp.

I had a zoanthid i forgot that I fragged and placed on my frag rack till today and I noticed it was small and tight then I placed it in the sand bed and it opened up within an hour

 

[Backreefing]

IME, light intensity seemed to make zoas smaller/tighter growth. The shaded zoas had less color and pattern but a wide polyp.

Yes they are small and short and tight not a space between them

 

[Jvesche20]

Yes they are small and short and tight not a space between them

do you have any pictures?

 

[sbash]

I find higher light yields larger polyps to some degree. Well, kind of...

My radioactive dragon eyes are larger under lower light than high light (either way, they don't seem to get very large). My Candy Apple Reds are larger under higher light... I have no idea what Momma Eyes are, so I cannot comment on that.

That said, it takes a while for the flesh to stretch and the polyp to grow, so you will not get a large polyp right away. Pick a spot, leave it for a month (unless it starts to recede), and see how it does.

I am curious to see what others have to say about this!

 

[Backreefing]

Some pics they are zoomed in my guess is they are 1/4”-3/8” diameter

 

[DSC reef]

Hard to tell from the pic but the size difference and even color of the utter chaos zoas we had are pretty noticeable in person. Same colony and even the rock it's on.