Zoanthid procedure

[Saltwatertaylor]

I just bought my first zoa coral. The lighting in the fish store was T-5. I have MH. I put it on the bottom of the tank to acclimate it. All the zoas have opened, but they dont look as bright as they did in the fish store.
Questions are:
-Is this because they are adjusting to the lighting
-How long do I keep the zoa on the bottom of the tank until I can bring it near the top?
-Is there anyway to speed up growth?

 

[Pappy]

What color spectrum is your mh? Guessing the t5's had a Better spectrum. You could always add a led strip for accenting and that will help with the colors. Or add t5's for supplemental lighting.

 

[Lilmatty5dimes]

Agreed with pappy. Do you have any t-5 with the MH?

 

[Saltwatertaylor]

I actually
Don't know the spectrum but I don't think
The fish store had that great of a spectrum because he said their just standard t5

 

[Pappy]

I actually
Don't know the spectrum but I don't think
The fish store had that great of a spectrum because he said their just standard t5

T5's generally put out much better color because they have multiple bulbs with different colors. What spectrum r your mh's?

 

[caudill187]

I actually
Don't know the spectrum but I don't think
The fish store had that great of a spectrum because he said their just standard t5

Probably more in the actinic-blue spectrum to enhance the appearance of the colors in the corals.

 

[Saltwatertaylor]

I don't know my
Spectrum as weird as that sounds. Can I put the zoas on any rock or should I out them on a small one invade they overgrow it? When do I move the zoa from the bottom
Of the tank, and will the size of the zoa get bigger. They are extremely
Small
Right now

 

[divewsharks]

What kind of MH bulb do you have, brand and such?
You can put the zoas on a rock, at this point i would wait until they acclimate to your tank/lighting. I'd give them at least a week on the bottom before moving them.
Do you have a pic of the zoas?

 

[Loki]

I always wait about two weeks before moving in any direction. If you have one metal halide bulb you will have a very hard time recreating the look of the tank in the store. Even normal T5's can make corals pop. Is all about that one actinic bulb in a t5 fixture to really make things look better/brighter.

As stated earlier you could add one strip of blue LEDs and it will help out a lot.