Zoanthids go Dormant?

[GregAW]

I have a crazy question. Is it normal for Zoas to go dormant? The reason I am asking is that while I was recovering for my health issues sometimes the rocks high up in the tank would go dry for weeks. Now that I'm get the system back up and running some of the polyps that should be dead and some were as dry as the rocks they were sitting on, seem to be coming back. I am watching these things really close but from what little I can tell right now, it appears they are going to start opening up again.

 

[pumarjr]

I know that they live daily here exposed to the direct sunlight and without water while the tide is out, however, being left out for more than a few days imo would cause permanent life cessation.

 

[GregAW]

That's what would have thought too, but I must be going crazy because these things are starting to come out. Also I have a tube worm that showed up too. I just now looked closer at the one rock I had that had quite a colony on it, and up side down right now, and it appears more are starting to revive. I'll take a better look at this rock later on today. This is just nuts as this rock st times was out of water for a week or 2 at a time. I'll try to get photos as well later on.

 

[impur]

Zoas are odd. We have them melt all of the sudden, or just wither away for no reason we can come up with. Then you have ppl who leave them in open air overnight and nothing happens to them, or like you they had been exposed to air for a long period and then when you get them back in the water they start opening like nothing happened. Check out these zoas from one of my trips to Hawaii. These get pounded by waves all day, then they are out of water while the tide is out and in direct sunlight. But look how huge the colony is!! Gotta admire these corals

 

[GregAW]

DANG Man! those are great shots! Thanks for sharing. DId you by chance bring any home with you?

 

[impur]

Thanks. Nah you can't collect corals there without a permit and only from specified areas.

 

[GregAW]

LOL I shot a snowflake eel off Waikiki beach early one Sunday morning. My first wife wanted it to preserve for her science classes. She was teacher.

 

[Zoanthkid]

Some corals are like the terminator I swear.. I've seen star polyps sit in a bag in a cooler that was forgotten about, left outside for a whole winter, no light, no circulation, freezing temps, ect. And 6-9 months later float the bag under some light n have them open in the bag within an hour... it's crazy what some corals can go through and survive.. and some can't handle a couple degree temp swing or not having super high flow for a few hours...

 

[GregAW]

Yes they do. I got some rock several years ago and it had been sitting in the guy's garage for several months dry. I picked it up since it was cheap and the formations were pretty nice. I brought it home and it sat on the carport for a couple of more months. Then I put all of it in a drum of regular old tap water just to wash off and dust, dirt or leaves that may have gotten trapped in the holes. Got it all washed off and didn't think anything more about it for about another week. Then I felt I needed some more rock in my tank so I pulled it out of the shed I had put it in and covered and started adding to my tank. Several days later I noticed a feather duster type tube worm showed up. I'll see if I can find a photo of it and post it.

 

[GregAW]

I found a picture of that tube worm that just won't dye. It's back again.

 

[Cherub]

I've seen zoas dried up and dusty on old egg crate that hasn't seen water in 6 months or more come back.

 

[KoralKeith]

Awesome thread. Love the stories and pics!!!

 

[jonbar1]

They are definitely tough little creatures. When I was heavy into zoas and palys I usually shipped them in paper towels dampened with tank water and when I got new ones I acclimated them by sitting them on the table out of water for about 20 minutes and then just plopped them in the tank. Always had good results and still "acclimate" most corals this way today. I also used "air therapy" on my people eater types when they looked unhappy and seemed doomed to melting. Amazing how much some benefit from a good hour out of the tank actually.