Zoa Noob

djr7879 · Sep 10, 2012

Just got my forst 3 zoa frags, and they have all opened nicely after a few hours in the DT. I do have a couple of questions for the experts in this forum:

1) I keep reading about zoas "melting". What exactly does this look like, and what is the primary cause?

2) How fast should I expect them to start growing new polyps? I understand it depends a lot on lighting, water parameters, and placement, but assume all these are spot on. What should I expect to see.

Thanks!

Mr. Microscope · Sep 10, 2012

1) When zoas melt, they typically stay closed and get smaller and smaller eventually dissapearing. Hense, the term melt cause that's kinda what it looks like in the long term. Caused by unstable water, disease, irritation (from fragging, being moved, touched, pestered by you or tank inhabitants), or sometimes it seems there is no apparent reason. One thing to note is that sometimes zoas will close up for a while, but it doesn't necessarilly mean they are melting. As long as they stay puffy, they should recover. Also, sometimes melting zoas stablize and will come back. You might loose all your polyps, 90% of your polyps, or just a couple. Finally, once in a while fragging can actually save some zoas if you cut off the dying ones.

2)Set 'em and forget 'em. The less you move them, the faster they will be happy enough to start growing new polyps. I've had zoas that showed no growth for months and then suddenly took off like wildfire. Others seem to settle in and start growing immediately. I only suggest moving them if it seems like they're getting too much light (not really opening, spitting out their zooxanthellae) or not enough (loss of color and polyps stretching).

reefpeeper · Sep 10, 2012

Mr. Microscope said:
1) When zoas melt, they typically stay closed and get smaller and smaller eventually dissapearing. Hense, the term melt cause that's kinda what it looks like in the long term. Caused by unstable water, disease, irritation (from fragging, being moved, touched, pestered by you or tank inhabitants), or sometimes it seems there is no apparent reason. One thing to note is that sometimes zoas will close up for a while, but it doesn't necessarilly mean they are melting. As long as they stay puffy, they should recover. Also, sometimes melting zoas stablize and will come back. You might loose all your polyps, 90% of your polyps, or just a couple. Finally, once in a while fragging can actually save some zoas if you cut off the dying ones.

2)Set 'em and forget 'em. The less you move them, the faster they will be happy enough to start growing new polyps. I've had zoas that showed no growth for months and then suddenly took off like wildfire. Others seem to settle in and start growing immediately. I only suggest moving them if it seems like they're getting too much light (not really opening, spitting out their zooxanthellae) or not enough (loss of color and polyps stretching).

Very well said +1

djr7879 · Sep 10, 2012

Thanks so much. That's very helpful. So far, so good I think. I have kept them on the frag mounts so far in case I have to move them. Do they seem to do better on the mounts or do you typically take them off and attache directly to your live rock? I don't like the look of the mounts very much, and think it may be a while before they get covered over.

Tenor · Sep 11, 2012

You could remove them and glue directly on the live rock.

Bry · Sep 11, 2012

Tenor said:
You could remove them and glue directly on the live rock.

Does gel super glue work for this or what do you use? Also, what is the best way to remove them from the disk, razor blade?

Mr. Microscope · Sep 11, 2012

It depends. Are they directly on the frag plug or on a rock on a frag plug? You can remove the rock from the plug, but it's best to leave zoa where they are planted if they are attached to the plug. The nice thing about zoas, unlike SPS they can take over a plug and look okay in a display. Another good way to deal with this is to kinda chop up the sides and bottom of the plug (with SPS cutters) so it doesn't look like a perfectly round thing. Then kinda tuck it into a rock and glue it there. The zoas grow over the plug and you won't even be able to see it. This is a much better way to conceal a frag plug without slowing down the growth and progress of the coral.

And yes. Super Glue Gel. I use this in combination with an epoxy when attaching rocks. It goes:

Rock with coral on it
Super Glue Gel
Ball of Epoxy
Super Glue Gel
Display Rock

This is also a decent way to build up a rock scape where you only need moderate stability. I've also used this technique to put things on the back wall of my aquarium.