Wow!! You guys are great!! :target:
I didn't come to this forum for a while and it is full of people talking about zoas!!:grouphug:
I found out that in the long run my zoas needed to be fed. Tried to believe the opposite, but it's just impossible to accept.
I've been keeping zoas for 18+ years and tried many types of systems and equipments I could afford.
I've spend money with lots of different foods too!! And I'm not rich!!!
Today I target feed all my zoanthids once every 2 weeks or so. Nothing crazy about it, but sure it is fun!!
First I make sure pumps are off and target feed the colonies with dry coral food. Watch for those smart fishes, 'cause if you feed the polyps when lights are on they will try to still food from them!!
When possible, I feed the zoas at night.
I like to offer Coral Frenzy and Reef Roids, most of the time.
Zoanthids don't need lots of particle food and when you target feed them the food doesn't get wasted, therefore it doesn't polute the system.
I'm not a fan of broadcast feeding. It's just a waste of time and money IME/O. The need for maintenance is much higher.
I'm not a fan of mixing those crazy soups with lots of different sea foods and chemicals together. I don't recommend those things.
Many people still think that zoanthids "like dirty water", meaning high known nutrients, but that isn't what I see in my systems.
I keep the system clean and have a skimmer running. Water changes are performed every 2 weeks and I feed my fishes well, not in excess!! All parameters are great, including undetectable PO4 and NO3. The use of activated carbon is very good, when well managed.
Dry particle coral foods are the best! I've tried many times all kinds of liquid foods, like phytoplanktons, zooplanctons, etc… for years.
Nothing better than dry coral foods!! Amino acids and vitamins in small portions are something to think about. They do play a good part on the zoanthids' absorption abilities. You can mix them with the dry foods too.
Another rumor is that "Zoanthus spp. don't grab food, only Palythoa spp.". IME that's not what happens. All my zoanthids will grab food particles.
They feed on what is suitable for them. Hope that makes sense. The food particles need to be on the right size and right "taste". All my zoanthids eat the dry coral foods I offer. The grab, ingest, digest and poop them out.
:ranger:
Light makes a big difference, of course!!! If the system has a good reef light the zoas will do very well and the feeding will be a complementary diet. That's what you're looking for! If the light isn't good enough there is no food that will substitute and the zoas will come to an end sooner or later. They normally drink and melt. The primary "food" is light and water quality/stability in the long run. Light and feeding come together to keep zoas healthy for years and years.
Light and quality food particles will help most polyps to keep color too.
Sometimes excess food will allow some dormant diseases to act in the system!!! It doesn't happen all the time, but I've had a hard time in the past while feeding the zoas too much and not performing enough water changes. So, there is a balance there for some of the systems.
My US$.02.
Grandis.
