Zoo growth?

What am I missing or doing wrong -

While my zenias, coral trees, colts grow like crazy, my zoo's don't seem to multiply at all.

I have a number of different colonys in the tank, and with the exception of GSP's they don't seem to be doing anything.

I do add some Kent Marine Iodine now and then...but does not seem to help any...

Any thoughts?

:-/

 

Well after much research...there seems to be no one answer to this great mystery.

Reasons:

Too much flow, too little

Some spread slow, some fast, some not at all.

Too much nutrients in water, not enough.

Too much light, not enough.

etc...

 

Good questions Scott,
Unfortunately I'm not a Zoo guy. Are they open and happy. or are you loosing some?

J

 

No, they are open and happy. The only things I am loosing are Yellow polyps which I attribute to asterina's. - guess they can spread so terribly fast, this may not be a bad thing.

 

Take a knife/scalpel and cut some areas between polyps. This puts them into 'survival mode' and they will form baby buds rather quicky.

They won't have as much genetic diversity...but you will have more
check out nanoreef.com's thread 'Playing with your PPE'

 

Cool idea. Will give it a try. Thanks.

 

Try moving the zoo's to a different place within your tank and see what happens. I know that strong light is optimal for Zoo's and Palythoas. Iodine is also essential for all your octocorals!
Best of luck with them and I hope this helps and your zoo's flourish in due time. Their are so many awesome zoo's out there in all the colors of the rainbow, that deciding on the perfect choice is like being in a candy store with a credit card as a child! hahaha...

 

^^Why I just buy colonies...frag em keeping some for myself...and trade the rest

Get in good with a couple LFS and just trade them
My LFS moves ALL the stuff I bring in for him

 

My zoo's are spreading! --- was comparing photos of just couple of months ago with what it looks like now and noted lots of new zoanthid's spreading to surrounding rock or on the rock they are on.

Don't understand it...some of these I have had for ages, and they have done nothing. Now all of a sudden new little ones are popping up all about.

Maybe just because they are so slow, I finally just now noticed --- different kinds --- all seem to have urge to reproduce...

Wonder what could possibly have triggered it? -

(I have started adding a little iodine with each wc last couple of months)

Who knows????

 

Some zoos just take a LONG time to acclimate to the tank. I have a few frags that I've had for 3 months now with NO new polyps. I have other frags that have been in my tank 2 weeks and they already have new polyps

It really depends from zoo to zoo

Possibly the iodine...I need to look into that myself