Zoas are for NOOBS!

revhtree · Nov 29, 2012

In past years the idea that Zoas and Palys were for "NOOB" hobbyists were very much a common belief. But now the idea has changed due to the fact that certain types of zoas and palys are proving much harder to keep these days. This could be due to several different factors.

What are your thoughts on this statement as well as why do you think that some zoas/palys are harder to keep alive and thriving than others?

The notoriously hard to keep Armageddon polyp!

Jpurpz831 · Nov 29, 2012

i would have to agree zoas and some hot acans are under rated on the care level

jcdeng · Nov 29, 2012

its for "noobs" because most zoa are hardy and can tolerate subpar water parameters, and they prefer dirty water and a little phosphate in the water so even lazier ppl can get away with fewer water changes. More over, beginner reefers tend to over feed either their fish or corals which is a plus for zoa.

On the other hand, some designer ZnPs are less hardy then the common, usually "ugly" ones, they melt and close up due to the slighest para/temp swings, some are dead out of the shipping bag because they don't travel well. Also, the dirty water requirement is like a double edged sword, while that is good for your ZnPs, it is very bad for your tank, algae outbreaks, nitrate build ups and sps dying, etc...

IMO, the zoa and palys are not really for noobs, they are somewhat sensitive, I think the LPS family are easier than the ZnPs, just direct feed them and you are good to go, the food is not free flowing in water so won't affect the water pars much and lps can tolerate subpar water conditions too.

revhtree · Nov 29, 2012

jcdeng said:
its for "noobs" because most zoa are hardy and can tolerate subpar water parameters, and they prefer dirty water and a little phosphate in the water so even lazier ppl can get away with fewer water changes. More over, beginner reefers tend to over feed either their fish or corals which is a plus for zoa.

IMHO this is so not true!

I have seen zoas and palys grow significantly better in the cleanest of sps tanks and I mean WAY better than in other tanks. I don't buy the dirty tank opinion really.

cdness · Nov 29, 2012

I feel that while some zoas and palys are for noobs, others are for sure not... Some like dirty water and some love clean water. Some are high light and some are low light. There is as much variance in zoas as there is in SPS for care level. I have some palys I personally cannot kill no matter what I do (and I would LOVE for them to be gone), but others that melt for no reason at all.

I will have to say though, generally zoas are more forgiving than SPS where they will close up for awhile but can reopen when the parameters are correct again. Also I don't feel they are as ALK/Calcium dependent as SPS or LPS as they can handle swings better.

revhtree · Nov 29, 2012

What would you list as the zoas that like "dirty" water?

Loki · Nov 29, 2012

All of my zoas do better in clean water and good light.

Sent from tapatalk

cdness · Nov 29, 2012

I can say the palys I have will grow in whatever water you place them in. It doesn't matter how dirty or clean they grow like weeds... That's why I want to get rid of them as they crowd out the other corals and zoas too easily. I should rephrase my sentence to they will grow in dirty water, not like dirty water. I would think that most courals would prefer clean water, but I bet if you placed a frag of these palys in the skimmer cup they'd still grow

buddythelion · Nov 29, 2012

People who think all zoa morphs and for beginners need to try spending money on those $30+ morphs. There's a melting poll for a reason. IMO, Campires, Darth Mauls, and Hawaiian PEs are difficult to care for.

I'm not a big believer that they prefer "dirty water." I think that they prefer clean water as most corals do, but they do like having fish poo poo in their environment.

weaponsofmassdesign · Nov 29, 2012

cdness said:
I would think that most courals would prefer clean water, but I bet if you placed a frag of these palys in the skimmer cup they'd still grow

Haha! Maybe you should do an experiment.

notxes11 · Nov 29, 2012

i find higher flow provides for better growth in my z and p's. o think the variance of hardiness has to do with the location and environment from which they came. different temps and light requirements make some species more difficult to keep in or tanks.

Mr. Microscope · Nov 29, 2012

I love zoas, but SPS are easier IMO.

BBoley24 · Nov 29, 2012

My darthmauls decided to quit on me.

Pappy · Nov 29, 2012

I was taught in the beginning the good water parameters, good filtration, and good lighting are key to any coral growth. All my corals generally do equally well regardless. 10% a week, reef octo 2000, and DIY LEDs PERIOD

Me z · Nov 29, 2012

I dont think they like dirty water. But I think they def like more food than most corals. Zoas can be found scuba diving in some nasty looking stuff especially where waste water is dumped into the ocean. I think that if you could set up a tank like an nps with excellent filtration and food being dosed via a dosing pump they would grow really well. No coral likes high nitrate/phosphate or fluctuations in params. But I can see how they would grow better with more food being introduced into the water column.

johnanddawn · Nov 29, 2012

revhtree said:
In past years the idea that Zoas and Palys were for "NOOB" hobbyists were very much a common belief. But now the idea has changed due to the fact that certain types of zoas and palys are proving much harder to keep these days. This could be due to several different factors.

What are your thoughts on this statement as well as why do you think that some zoas/palys are harder to keep alive and thriving than others?

first off i believe zoas are for everyone

extreme variability in color patterns, relatively hardy, good growth rate, generalist as far as light, flow, and water quality

just watch the zoa threads - one person will say " mine do great in high light" and the next will say "mine do great in low light " for the same morph.
some say high flow others low flow
- it all works!!
even the melt threads are varied - some say "this part morph are melters" while others will say "they do great for me"

the issue is simple - given reasonably good husbandry, shipping, and initial collection or fragging and most coral regardless of type will stand a good chance of survival.

i would say that most people that have trouble with zoas starts at the source
BECAUSE OF THE MONEY involved in some zoas they are often fragged too early or as single polyps thus making their survival more risky

If you receive a healthy zoa from a reputable source that was properly collected, handled, shipped, properly acclimated to aquarium life, fragged, shipped again, and received, they will do well.

none of the long time in captivity zoas, or any morphs that are frequently imported are considered to be difficult to keep by anyone.

i personally am a long time reefer (20 years) and and avid zoa guy and would recomend zoas to anyone - NOOB or veteren

frugner · Nov 30, 2012

funny this comes up for me, i just lost a pair of rastas that i bought at reefapalooza, they were cruising for a few weeks, then all of a sudden, melted. at the same time i have darth mauls and other morphs that are doing just dandy in the same tank, glued to the same rocks.
i have many different types of zoas and pallys in my SPS tank, i have only ever lost the recent rastas and a rock of blue zoas.

jeffblly · Nov 30, 2012

I think zoas used to be for noobs because of what was available at the time but now there is more diverse palys available. In my tank those highly available ones are very hardy and some I consider pests. I started with rde, watermellons, green implosions, bright pinks and some ugly brown toxic sps killing hitchhiker palys that have survived the few tank crashes I have had but my lps and sps died. Ime all the zoas and palys I have are much better at adapting to different water conditions than sps.

joshporksandwich · Nov 30, 2012

I've only been in the hobby 1 year and in my experience all corals are hard. I can't get xenia or gsp to grow in my tank, they shrink and don't grow.

With zoas once they're acclimated to someones system a lot of people don't ask for the parameters or what lights were they on or where in the tank they were. The ones that survive a lot of times get used to certain conditions so any changes makes them melt or get sick. I had a darth maul colony of over 40 and when I installed new tunze powerheads didn't realize the flow was hitting them in the middle of the tank straight on and killed them.

I have a friend that has t5 and when i get something from him it takes like 3-4 months to start doing good in my tank. Most of us save spots for zoos without knowing if they are used to the par or flow in that spot. I try to get 2 frags and put in different spots and that minimizes death or loss of that specific zoa or P.

schprock · Nov 30, 2012

Zoas and LPS are a little easier to keep than SPS in general. There are always specific zoas or sps that are harder to keep. Darth mauls melt easily. When compared to a Bali slimmer or digitata, the darth mauls will be more difficult. But compared to a real touchy sps like the tyree purple monster the darth maul is easier. There are always overlaps. Chalices are blah. Throw them in the sump and they'll live. New fad for the new kids now.