Zoa's not for the new

[Sean]

Hey Guys,

I'm still fairly new to the reef keeping but I just wanted to share my experience with Zoas to those who are also new and might be out there looking for their first coral.

Often when I look online Zoas are one of the most recommended corals for people who are new to reef tanks. They are fairly easy to keep and don't demand much attention. This much is true, but if you are still learning and understanding your water quality I would suggest going with something like a Toadstool mushroom or leather as your first coral. While they might not be as colorful I find they take a little more punishment and are easier to monitor as your first coral.

Also a single coral is much easier to clean up/remove from a tank then one with multiple heads. If the zoas start to die off and you don't notice your water quality can change very fast which will cause more stress on your tank.

Hope this helps

[lastlight]

Yeah good advice. I actually think live rock is a great pet while you're sorting out your water chemistry! I'm a bit hypocritical because I got the hang of 2-part dosing while I had sps in the tank but if you test like a madman and never make changes in leaps...you should hit your sweet spot in a couple weeks.

[Lance]

You are absolutely right. There are some varieties of zoas that can be pretty tricky.

[lastlight]

You're talking about the ones that don't respond well to large voltages Lance?

[Lance]

Originally Posted by lastlight

You're talking about the ones that don't respond well to large voltages Lance?

Yeah, those ones too.

[Sean]

The little buggers vanished on me and the next thing i knew my tank was brown... Tank cycled.. dirty but cycled. :P Off to get some filter goods

[Zoaelite]

I have always pondered why they classify zoas as easy to keep as certain strains just have dismal track records in captivity (Notably African species). If anything is off in my tank my zoas are usually the first to show signs of stress, at times I think SPS is easier to keep .

I have a feeling the reason that zoas are classified as a beginner coral is because of the lower light and feeding requirements that go along with them. That being stated the diversity of the genus/ species is so vast we run into problems classifying them as the same coral and caring for them accordingly. Some polyps seem to be much more resilient to water fluctuations while others melt very easy, unlike SPS or LPS the lack of a predominant calcareous skeleton means these corals are more susceptible to predation also.

Out of all of my corals zoas are the most sensitive to ALK swings, temp fluctuations and irritation from pests (Such as Pods, worms or fish).
Levi