Zoanthid Compatability

[hamdogg08]

Can I keep zoos with feather dusters? Also do feather dusters reproduce in an aquarium, or do I have to go to a store to get them?

[Turf]

pretty much any coral is fine with a feather duster... just the fish and inverts you have to watch

[hamdogg08]

So once these guys take off, how do I get them off the rocks? Do I have to bust the piece that they're on off with a hammer, or could I slide them off the rock onto another rock?
(this will be my first coral and I am absototolutely clueless as to how to take care of a coral. I just know a little bit about the water chemistry and some lighting right now)

[Goldpony75]

i would research each coral individually as they all may require different care and conditions, but if you want to frag a zoo colony you have to break up the rock.
So once these guys take off, how do I get them off the rocks? Do I have to bust the piece that they're on off with a hammer, or could I slide them off the rock onto another rock?
(this will be my first coral and I am absototolutely clueless as to how to take care of a coral. I just know a little bit about the water chemistry and some lighting right now)

[Turf]

breaking up the rock is one way but if possible there is an easier one.
get a razor blade and scrape underneath them... alot of times the rock is soft enough or there is coralline that you can cut through leaving just a little bit still attached to the zoos... then you get some super-glue gel and slap it onto a small piece of rubble or a frag disk an put right back into the water. Salt water acts like a catalyst and the glue dries MUCH faster and then the vapors don't harm the coral.

[hamdogg08]

i would research each coral individually as they all may require different care and conditions...

I'm not sure where to start. I've just been checking out the treads on here and the zoo's seem pretty easy to keep. I'd really like to keep the bright yellow and red ones that look kinda like a cactus. I'm not really sure what they're called or if they're easy to keep though. I'd just like the peace of mind that I am capable of keeping a coral alive in my tank for the time being. I have a high level of coral anxiety since this is my first reef tank.

...if you want to frag a zoo colony you have to break up the rock.

I assume that it's with a hammer and chisel... Does the shock wave going through the rock cause any problems with the zoos, or are they ok with all of this. I'd like to know ahead of time so I know where/how to place them in my tank.

[hamdogg08]

breaking up the rock is one way but if possible there is an easier one.
get a razor blade and scrape underneath them... alot of times the rock is soft enough or there is coralline that you can cut through leaving just a little bit still attached to the zoos... then you get some super-glue gel and slap it onto a small piece of rubble or a frag disk an put right back into the water. Salt water acts like a catalyst and the glue dries MUCH faster and then the vapors don't harm the coral.

I like that Idea! I'll make sure to have them grow on a piece of LR with lots of algae on it then.

[Turf]

Just remember if your dealing with soft corals it isn't surgery... just slice and dice. Besides there are plenty of people near you that could stop by and help if you wanted it.

Also, this isn't always true but the brighter the coral, generally the more light they need. Zoos and mushrooms or leathers are among the easiest to keep so i wouldn't be worried as they can be harder to kill then keep alive.

[hamdogg08]

...harder to kill then keep alive.

I think I found my coral then! I was actually going to see if anyone who lived around here wanted to take me under their wing and teach me everything there is to know. Maybe an ad in the personals section of the classifieds...:jester:

[mtfatwork]

A word of caution with zoanthids. They carry an extremely harmfull toxin called palytoxin, which IS toxic to humans. IIRC, it is on the top 10 list of most deadly neurotoxins. I would not suggest anyone new to reefkeeping try peeling them off the rock as suggested. They can squirt you in the eye, so wear eye protection, and always wear gloves, also, do not attempt peeling them if you have open wounds, getting palytoxin in your bloodstream is a guaranteed trip to the ER. Most softies are easy to frag, but zoanthids need alot of caution.

[David Grigor]

There are little tiny feather dusters that come in on LR sometimes in cool colors but mostly just white. Multiply like crazy without wrasse and other fish that will eat'em. The larger type of feather dusters like from Hawaii that you buy ( purple/white and brown/white), they don't multiple. At least they never have for me and I've kept them for many years.


Ditto on being careful with zoanthids. Robin from our club has had to go to the hospital not once but twice. I do think it is similiar to bee stings in that some people are more prone having a reaction.

In a small tank, probably not a big deal to let zoanthids run rampid. Worst case, you just take out the chunck of rock and sell it. But in larger tanks be sure not to let them grow on any main structure rock that your not willing to get out someday. Capman had a clam that ended up getting covered with zoanthids which to our best guess is why it eventually perished. So I'd never just let them run wild so to speak.

[hamdogg08]

I'm glad that you let me know. I'm not the type of person who does the whole "safety" thing that people are always talking about. Maybe I can make an exception.

I did find two little tiny feather dusters. They're only about a cm wide and white. Until they cause a problem, I think I'll just let them go though.

How much would a colony of zoo's sell for? It'd be cool to sell a colony and maybe get enough back to buy one or two new frags to grow out. How fast do they multiply under good conditions anyway??

[Turf]

Good point guys... I left that part out! I know the guy the runs zoomania in STL and has been fragging them for years but as a result he has almost no feeling in his fingers from not wearing gloves... not sure if it's from prolonged exposure to salt water or the zoos.

[David Grigor]

tiny white ones are common and unless you have fish such as wrasse that will munchem' they will multiply. I have also noticed in my bare bottom tanks where detritus stays more suspended vs. just sinking into the sand there is a increase in little feather dusters and sponges.


Like any coral, different zoathids grow at different rates. Some really fast growers others not so. Feeding helps some but I never bothered as I'm not interested in have lots of them if anything I'd like to stunt the growth because they can be a plague to some. Color has everything to do with how much you can get for them in trades. Obviously the more common stuff isn't going to fetch much.

[capman]

I have a type of really nice small white feather dusters that reproduces well in my tanks and makes leathery tubes (like a small version of the big ones) - in contrast to the more commonly encountered even smaller ones that have limestone tubes. Once the school year is under way and my schedule is more predictable (I teach at Augsburg College and keep reef tanks in the lab), you could stop by and pick a few up. Maybe a few coral frags too.

Free... no obligation. The only problem I have with these offers is that sometimes I have a really hard time scheduling times when I can be there predictably for the exchange... there are a few people I made offers like this to back in the Spring and we have not managed to get together yet I regret...my schedule this Fall should be better though.

[Chris Goetz]

there are a few people I made offers like this to back in the Spring and we have not managed to get together yet I regret...my schedule this Fall should be better though.
lol It happens to all of us. Let me know when you are ready for the urchin.
Chris