Adding zoanthids to an SPS tank?

[Unarce]

I've been toying with the idea of adding some zoos to my SPS tank, but have never done it before? What are the concerns I should have? Possible drawbacks?

Thanks!

 

[brandon4291]

I have never had any issues with keeping SPS and zoanthids together. I have had to peel back a little zoanthid matting from the base of my sps frags, they seem to grow faster than the stony corals in my system. They didn't appear to sting the SPS in the way green star polyps do, they just seem to physically overtake some of my montipora colonies. I wouldn't be suprised if some species of SPS can hold their own in close quarters with zoanthids, ie stinging them or chemically repelling them in some fashion.

 

[Anonymous]

No issues at all. You just might have to do a little gardening now and then to keep them from contacting certain things, but that's with any coral.


Jim

 

[Unarce]

Thanks for the replies.

Now, what about zoos becoming a nuisance or plague. Is it really an issue, or does simple harvesting take care of that?

 

[Fastmarc]

The zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum will sting sps. I have had it sting a Diploastrea heliopora that I eventually had to move. It is very fast growing and the only thing that I have seen repel it in my tank is Erthropodium caribaeorum (encrusting gorgonian), so you can keep this in mind.

 

[Anonymous]

Aside from the species mentioned above which I'm not familiar, they don't seem to grow that fast. You have plenty of time to react. There is certainly no danger of a plague, they spread slowly and in a linear fashion.

Jim

 

[reefland]

I've found the colonal anemones types that bud with "stolon" like growths are easy to control and remove from near by SPS corals. If you can get in low in the cluster (I used hemostats) and pull up by this stolon, you can remove 20 to 30 at a time in a nice resellable lumps/clusters. This type also seem to be able to "let go" and free float to new locations like mushrooms do. They will not stay confined to a specific area for long.

The ones that grow in a dense mat base (don't recall the specific term) I've found are near impossible to remove. You can rip off the vertical standing oral disk, but removing the base is about impossible. They can generate massive amounts of slime if you try. (This slime will do a job on your SPS corals). The ever creeping base will force you to move the SPS some place else.

After a few years you'll be facing issues of which to keep SPS or zoanthids. Expect this to include swapping out rocks for ones without zoanthids. They really don't sting and kill most SPS, they just overgrow them. Once the base of the SPS is killed off, they attach to the dead skeleton and work up, slowly, but they take it over.

If you are thinking about some rare neon blue colony by all means it's worth the risk. If you are thinking the typical brown/orange/green ones I'd think twice.

 

[Mouse]

Id isolate the colony in the sand on a rock, theres been a few reefers lately looking for zoanthid hungry Nudies for their tanks in an effort to reduce colonys.

And go for some kinda green/red dual colour or some blues, the browns and yellows suck ass.

You know im thinking of getting a little hand held UV to take to the LFS, their actinics are nearly allways too old to really get a good idea of colour.