Zoos moved to low flow area.

JammyBirch · 12/31/2014, 04:40 PM

Bought some new corals to add to the tank and while in the shop I asked about my zoo trouble. My zoos are growing some but I rarely see them open all of the way, some are open some are closed at all times. Anyway I had them located on a rock in the sand bed under the return jet.

The thought is that the flow is too high and they don't like it. I moved them on to the main structure on the bottom in a lower flow area. I also picked up some Kent plankton for the new corals so I can target feed, I'll try target feeding the zoos also.

What do you guys think?

evan38109 · 12/31/2014, 06:07 PM

Flow could be it, though I haven't found my Zs & Ps to be particularly picky there. Probably worth an experiment.

I did have some problems with a few that didn't open for a while. After testing everything I could think of, I finally calibrated my refractometer to find that it was way off and my salinity had crept up near 1.030. Bringing it back to sane levels made everything happy.

whosurcaddie · 12/31/2014, 07:09 PM

Some species like lower flow but I haven't had a problem with any species in the highest flow areas of my tank.

JammyBirch · 12/31/2014, 07:43 PM

Refractometer is on my list, since I have such a small system the smallest change could be a big deal. Salinity is one thing that could swing wildly although my specific gravity meter doesn't show anything out of the ordinary.

cloak · 01/01/2015, 11:35 AM

Have you checked them for pests yet? Any one of these in the link below could cause your zoanthids to remain closed or just look a little off.

http://www.coralpedia.com/index.php?...&g2_itemId=384

tmz · 01/01/2015, 11:58 AM

Mine seem to like flow as long as it's not constant asnd really high, like next to the output of a powerhead. Many species of zoanthids are high reef animals where turbulent flow is high. Pests as noted above might be an issue and high flow . I'd give it some time and the consider a dip in hydrogen peroxide ( 4parts tank water to 1 part standard 3% hydrogen peroxide for 5 minutes) .
Not sure they use phytopknakton; I don't think they do. Target feeding can't hurt unless over done ,though many species don't really exhibit a feeding response and may absorb organic materials from the water for their heterotrophic needs. Palythoa and proto palythoa clearly feed on meaty foods when offered; zaonthus not so much.

JammyBirch · 01/01/2015, 04:28 PM

They are pest free, I've had them for months, and inspect them often.im going to give them a week in this spot and see how it goes.

12/31/2014, 04:40 PM	#1
JammyBirch Aquaria Engineering Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Elkland, PA Posts: 1,182	Zoos moved to low flow area. Bought some new corals to add to the tank and while in the shop I asked about my zoo trouble. My zoos are growing some but I rarely see them open all of the way, some are open some are closed at all times. Anyway I had them located on a rock in the sand bed under the return jet. The thought is that the flow is too high and they don't like it. I moved them on to the main structure on the bottom in a lower flow area. I also picked up some Kent plankton for the new corals so I can target feed, I'll try target feeding the zoos also. What do you guys think? __________________ 25g cube, split 10g sump with refugium, Jebao RW4, reefbreeder value Livestock adds: Osc Clowns, Royal Gramma, Pygmy Cherub Angel, Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, Serpent Brittle Star Current Tank Info: 25 gallon cube

12/31/2014, 07:43 PM	#4
JammyBirch Aquaria Engineering Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Elkland, PA Posts: 1,182	Refractometer is on my list, since I have such a small system the smallest change could be a big deal. Salinity is one thing that could swing wildly although my specific gravity meter doesn't show anything out of the ordinary. __________________ 25g cube, split 10g sump with refugium, Jebao RW4, reefbreeder value Livestock adds: Osc Clowns, Royal Gramma, Pygmy Cherub Angel, Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, Serpent Brittle Star Current Tank Info: 25 gallon cube

01/01/2015, 11:35 AM	#5
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	Have you checked them for pests yet? Any one of these in the link below could cause your zoanthids to remain closed or just look a little off. http://www.coralpedia.com/index.php?...&g2_itemId=384 Last edited by cloak; 01/01/2015 at 11:45 AM.

01/01/2015, 11:58 AM	#6
tmz ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Seneca NY Posts: 27,691	Mine seem to like flow as long as it's not constant asnd really high, like next to the output of a powerhead. Many species of zoanthids are high reef animals where turbulent flow is high. Pests as noted above might be an issue and high flow . I'd give it some time and the consider a dip in hydrogen peroxide ( 4parts tank water to 1 part standard 3% hydrogen peroxide for 5 minutes) . Not sure they use phytopknakton; I don't think they do. Target feeding can't hurt unless over done ,though many species don't really exhibit a feeding response and may absorb organic materials from the water for their heterotrophic needs. Palythoa and proto palythoa clearly feed on meaty foods when offered; zaonthus not so much. __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: Tank of the Month , November 2011 : 600gal integrated system: 3 display tanks (120 g, 90g, 89g),several frag/grow out tanks, macroalgae refugia, cryptic zones. 40+ fish, seahorses, sps,lps,leathers, zoanthidae and non photosynthetic corals.

01/01/2015, 04:28 PM	#7
JammyBirch Aquaria Engineering Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Elkland, PA Posts: 1,182	They are pest free, I've had them for months, and inspect them often.im going to give them a week in this spot and see how it goes. __________________ 25g cube, split 10g sump with refugium, Jebao RW4, reefbreeder value Livestock adds: Osc Clowns, Royal Gramma, Pygmy Cherub Angel, Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, Serpent Brittle Star Current Tank Info: 25 gallon cube

12/31/2014, 06:07 PM	#2
evan38109 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 39	Flow could be it, though I haven't found my Zs & Ps to be particularly picky there. Probably worth an experiment. I did have some problems with a few that didn't open for a while. After testing everything I could think of, I finally calibrated my refractometer to find that it was way off and my salinity had crept up near 1.030. Bringing it back to sane levels made everything happy.

12/31/2014, 07:09 PM	#3
whosurcaddie Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 2,354	Some species like lower flow but I haven't had a problem with any species in the highest flow areas of my tank.