Zoanthid feeding question    1/14/14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjt3TgcpDfk&list=HL1389701651
<Wow! Muzak from "Cats"; a ceramic ornament worth of a Jackson shire scene... skunk clowns and a bright yellow Zoanthid colony>
Thats my new Zoanthid. I think it is a green/yellow Zoanthid. It was in a
bad shape. Hidden in a tank without light for god knows how long. I took it and kept it in my tank with fingers crossed. At first I just put my fish pellets(*New Life Spectrum Marine Formula 1mm)* in a mixie(blender) and made a fine powder of it and target fed them for a couple of weeks alternatively.
<A good food; but not appropriately used here>
 Some did feed on it I didn't see them vomit it out. But some didn't and died. some detached themselves from the rock which I collected and fixed them with "quickfix" on a rock. They stay bloomed throughout the day and close up at night 6.30pm when the lights(Light Power: 5.2w) go out.
I read in the forums that they reproduce every week if they are fed with Cyclops eeze (pardon the spelling). Here I can get baby brine shrimp. I have a bottle of brine shrimp eggs and could try it. The reason being that the zoas have stopped accepting the powdered food I am supplying them. So any help. I am from tamilnadu-india. And they are wild caught by the looks of it.
<Ah yes>
Tank specs:
• Tank Volume: 34 Litres ( 8 gallons)
• LED Bulbs: 22LED
• Light Power: 5.2w
• 480 Litres per Hour Filter Pump
• Tank Dimensions: 310 x 310 x 360 mm
ajeet
<Please read here re: http://wetwebmedia.com/zoanthidfdgfaqs.htm
And peruse the linked files above re this group; in particular "Compatibility" for your and your fish's health. Bob Fenner>

Button polyps acting funny..??    10/29/13 I have acquired two separate small pieces of live rock with button polyps growing on them. They were fine for about three months and now a few have opened up (all the way if you will) and wrapped down around themselves. I have tested my water 8.2 pH, the tank is cycled and i have 10ppm nitrates and am running a protein skimmer. They all eat (even the closed ones) when i feed them. Am dosing Fluval 3-Ion and running a protein skimmer. http://s26.photobucket.com/user/Sceptre6/media/null_zps38897b67.jpg.html http://s26.photobucket.com/user/Sceptre6/media/null_zpsa9e6edf1.jpg.html http://s26.photobucket.com/user/Sceptre6/media/null_zps4b55616d.jpg.html They have been like this for going on 5 weeks. there are more pictures of them in my photobucket account. <... what other Cnidarian life is in this system? Do you dose iodide-ate? If so, what, how? The NO3 is fine; do you have measurable HPO4? Bob Fenner>

Re: Button polyps acting funny..??       10/29/13 2 small mushroom polyps and they are clear across the tank on a different pile of rocks. All my fish are being QT for marine Ich but that's been ongoi to 8 weeks now. So there is a cleaner shrimp, 3 hermit crabs, 3 turbo snails, 2 bumblebee snails and a Fromia starfish. And my phosphate are 0ppm. <Ah yes; a problem. Search, read on WWM re the need for all chemo-photosynthates for some/measurable soluble phosphate. BobF>

Coral Feedings 6/13/2011
Hello,
<Hi Alex>
First of all, thank you for WetWebMedia. I've sent a few emails before and I've read many FAQs and articles, and it feels like I'm getting expert advice as opposed to expert hearsay I read from other sources. It's been very invaluable.
<You're welcome, Alex.>
I would like some input on coral food. Are there suggested foods for soft corals (Rhodactis) and Zoanthids? I understand that soft corals are mainly plankton feeders so would an occasional feedings of a phytoplankton product (DT's, Reef Nutrition) whether dosed into the tank or target fed be helpful?
For stony coral, I have what many would say belong to the LPS category. Do they benefit from a variety of foods in the same way people suggest variety for fish? I currently put in Cyclop-eeze once a week, and they seem to respond well by extending their tentacles, but the vast majority of the Cyclop-eeze seems to just float past the corals without ever making contact. I was thinking of trying something else like oyster eggs to see how well it works, although I don't expect to be able to see something so small get captured.
I've been in the hobby for about 8 months and enjoying it. My corals seem to be healthy and some (especially my Euphyllias) have been showing growth.
I know that they can do fine on just photosynthesis, but I would really like for them to thrive through feedings.
<Best to read here and related articles/FAQs found in the header.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/corlfeeding.htm>
Thank you!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Alex

Zoanthus care 11/4/05 Hello, Do zoanthids eat live Nanochloropsis phytoplankton?  <Zoanthus feed on zooplankton.>  What's the best stuff to feed these corals? <Any type of small meaty foods, though with sufficient light source and a waste source in the tank (fish) these corals can thrive without to many direct feedings.> Thanks, Zoo Zoo <FYI its Zoa' not Zoo' ;) and you are welcome, Adam J.>  <<Common misstatements/misperception here.  Thanks for the FYI, Adam.  Marina>>

Feeding zoanthids Hey!  I'm new to the home salt tank world (only 6 gal), << That is small, very small. >> you guys have been an info bible!  Thanks in advance.  I have some zoanthid polyps and was wondering->  How long can I leave the power-head off while I feed polyps << Well for an hour... I guess???  I'm not sure I would turn the powerheads off.  I would just use a pipette or eye dropper and just squirt some food on them. >> (I have 2 fish and some inverts too)?  I work for an aquarium, so I have access to (Pacific cold water only) brine larvae, copepods etc, what's best? << I'll say copepods but any food in that size range is great. >>  How often to feed, small feed each day? << I'd feed them one little squirt every week or so. >> <<  Blundell  >> Yellow polyp feeding Hey Bob, So, I just started adding my first coral per say to my tank, and I've started with a colony of yellow polyps and some button polyps well I think that's what the second ones are) Anyway, I read about feeding the yellow polyps and I want to confirm a few things... Stats: I have a small colony of about 20 yellow polyps in a 25 gal min reef with a 32W power compact retrofit on an eclipse hood. All my nitrites and nitrates are 0 on account of about 10lbs of live sand mixed with about 10lbs of fine crushed coral all together with 25-30lbs of live rock. Tanks about 1 1/2 years old and has a Skunk back Pseudochromis and bicolor blenny. and a 9hr light cycle on my light timer So.... my questions are, is the lighting fine for the polyps, i.e. is 9hrs enough? <Yes> In feeding the polyps, I have some frozen mysis and brine shrimps, which I feed to the fish, and I noticed that the polyps close up and then re-open, and one actually caught a whole shrimp during the feeding. Is this an example of them catching food, or being upset by the frozen food?  <The former> (I'm assuming they are catching what they want, but I wanted to make sure) Last, how often should I feed them? Do you think they are getting enough when I feed the fish? <Likely so... with careful observation you will be able to tell if they're "getting enough"> or should I mash up some of the shrimp as squirt it at them like I've read some places? (Including your site) <Not necessarily... practice for now> Oh, and one more last question, What do you think would be better for my tank, a Rusty Pigmy Angel, or a Flame Angel if I want to get clams eventually? <About the same. Bob Fenner> Thanks!!!! David

RE: Yellow polyp feeding thanks for the help! they look like the grew already!!! How often do these little guys multiply? <How much? Indefinitely... given food, space, a lack of predators, competitors... slowly though... doubling only every several months in colony size. Bob Fenner> Thanks a bunch David

Brown Button Polyps (Zoanthus sociatus) closed! Hello everyone!  <Cheers, my dear... Anthony Calfo first one back from Germany/Interzoo. My batteries are recharged, the buzz from gallons of seriously tasty beer has worn off and I am ready willing and able to relieve/assist my fellow crew members left holding up the fort!> I feel I am beginning to get back on track here on the Cape. I've been reading and testing and adding to my systems water. The numbers are beginning to look better. I do have another problem cropping up though. My Brown Button Polyps (Zoanthus sociatus hasn't been looking too good for about 2 weeks now. Lots of the trumpets are staying closed a lot of the time. I have 2 questions about this: (1) Can coralline algae encroach on them and kill them? My rock is covered with Maroon Coralline (Peyssonnelia sp.) and it is on the rock with my polyps. <not at all likely/possible. This/most cnidarians are far more aggressive> (2) I have recently been feeding the polyps black worms. I suck up the worms with a turkey baster and stuff their mouths. Is this a bad thing? <not at all a bad idea... the direct feeding route is generally the best for inverts that feed organismally/particles. However, your choice of food is a problem. Even rinsed of freshwater... there is still inevitably freshwater contained within the prey that is unnatural if nothing else. If you suck them up in a baster from a freshwater slurry it is that much worse. And more importantly it is an inferior food source alone since it is not of marine origin. Let me suggest that you feed small whole prey or finely shredded meats of marine origin like mysids, Gammarus, krill, zooplankton etc. And thaw in a solution of saltwater for baster feeding> Maybe they are digesting, hence the long period of closed polyps? <nope> Thanks guys for your work and knowledge. I'd be lost with out you!!! <that still doesn't explain how/why we are still lost ourselves...ha!> Pamela <kind regards, Anthony>

Zoanthids Good Morning Bob, Anthony and the rest of the WWM crew. <Steven pro this morning.> Let me start by saying Bob I bought your book "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" and keep it close by. <As do I.> Now my reason for writing today is this, I have a colony of button polyps, brown and then green, under actinics. These little guys were gorgeous while in my 55. A few months ago I wrote you about transferring to my new 125 *reef one day* Still building :) anyway I did all the things you said I should and still almost 5 months into it they haven't opened all the way in sometime, now here's my dilemma. *I have many* My tank specs are as follows. 125 6ft standard tank 220 watts of compacts on each side (running day and actinic) and in the morning and evening blue moons are on. a huge sump with an AMiracle skimmer putting out a good amount of yucky stuff. I keep a log and biweekly I add essential elements and weekly sometimes every few days I add calcium, stron-mag, iodine. my tests read as follows. Amonia-0 nitrate always reads 5 or less very small trace of it nitrite-0 ph-8.2 CA- 450. <The above sounds ok> Now My LFS sucks so I have to drive an hour away to one I trust (Rehobeth beach) I went there this week to talk to them and get something new for my tank (coral) but they said maybe I should check for phosphates, so I spent the money for the test kit and for the remover in case, and guess what *0-PHOSOHATES* needless to say I was happy about it but mad as I wanted this little piece of rock with 6 different corals on it :( so after this long book to you I'm praying that maybe the best *you guys at WWM* can shed some light on the problem. I have moved this colony around all over every few weeks to darker spots then brighter spots, <There is your problem. It takes "corals" time to acclimate to different lighting conditions and every time it is just about ready, you become discouraged and more it in an attempt to encourage the polyps to open. Please, select a good place and leave it there.> I run wavemakers in the tank but they are not in the fast current of it, I feed phytoplankton 2 times a week, <These polyps do not eat phytoplankton.> now last but not least they are on a huge piece of rock (I'd say about 20 inches long and about 8 inches wide) all my mushrooms are happy, even a baby rose anemone came as a ride along on live rock has grown so much in just a few months, also coralline algae growing on glass and such I have about 75 red and blue leg crabs and the red legs crawl on that piece of rock a lot, in fact so do the others and the snails. Please help as I'm really wanting to add new corals but I am leery due to the Zoanthids. I have about 150 lb. of live rock in there, will be adding another case soon. <150 pounds in a 125 sounds about right to me.> As always thanks in advance, it's always a pleasure speaking to you all. Sincerely, Robin <Have a lovely weekend! -Steven Pro>

Re: Zoanthids Good Morning Steven, <Morning> Wow so all this time I'm just adding stress to them :( <Yes> I feed phytoplankton due to all the other filter feeders in the tank. <It can be beneficial to feather dusters, clams, and some leather corals to name a few.> So how long does it take usually for them to adjust as you say. <Depends on how well you matched their conditions (lighting, water movement, etc.). I would wait one month without any moving around.> I want to add more corals just a bit leery about it. Thanks as always your the best! Take care and have a great weekend! Robin <You do the same. -Steven Pro>

How to feed zoanthids? Bob, Antoine, Steve and J (which means??) Greetings! I bought a little colony of zoanthids, they look like the ones you have in zoanthids section. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/Cnidarians/Anthozoans/ZoanthidPIX/ZoanthidAQ5.jpg (this photo belongs to you) So, my question is: How can I properly feed this little fellows! I read through your FAQs about feeding but I can't understand how those little things can eat a bit of shrimp! <It is all a matter of relative size. Nothing bigger than a mysis shrimp, for smaller ones the Sweetwater Zooplankton (daphnia) are an appropriate size.> They really need additional food giving by my hand or they can manage the food issue by themselves. <Better to target feed vs. dumping large amounts in and hoping they get some, in particular if you want to maximize growth.> Thanks a lot. Carlos