The wonders of feeding phyto to Zoanthids

[djbacon]

So about a month ago I started buying critters that need frequent feeding of phyto, namely a cocoworm and a gorgonian.

Since I started feeding, (a few dropsevery couple days in a 14g) I have noticed an insane growth response in my zoanthids. Check out this first picture of with pink zoas taken 5/22 - Then look below at a new shot of the zoanthids taken 35 days later on 6/27.

The head count went from 5 to 13 in a little more than a month! This is true for all my zoanthid colonies. Just thought I'd share in case anybody is eager to rapidly grow your zoas. There is a little more green to scrape off the glass due to the phyto, but DAMN - amazing growth rate.

after 35 days of phyto in the tank

 

[BEELZEBOB]

my pinks zoos grew just as fast. had to "irradicate them" before they took realestate from my more desirable corals

 

[charlestonemt]

That's awesome. I'm just about to start feeding phyto myself. Do you turn your skimmer off when you feed it?

 

[djbacon]

My tank is so small that I dont bother turning off the skimmer - its a crappy skimmer and he water remains with a slight green hue for about 20 minutes after the feeding - i think thats long enough.

Bob, these things did not grow a bit in the first 4 months I had them. Now all of the sudden they are taking off like crazy. Going to need to start fragging some of this stuff out soon -

 

[BEELZEBOB]

weird, i thought is was common for the pink zoos w/ the white mouths to grow quickly.

 

[djbacon]

yea, i dont really know....just my experience - could be they were just slow to grab on at first ??

 

[BEELZEBOB]

i bet the phyto tickled their growth spirt.

mine just went nutz.

 

[SeahorseBT]

My pinks grow pretty fast.

 

[djbacon]

heres a new one of the zoa ledge - none of these colonies was more than 10 polyos when I got em, in fact, the fire and ice and green radioactives were a couple singles glued to the rock. You can see the fire and ice in the middle have about 5 more new heads in the last week !!

 

[ScubaDrew]

Can you tell me about the specific phyto your feeding?

 

[blue_eyes53813]

Very Nice.. yes please tell us about the phyto..

 

[tippMANn98]

That last pic is really nice. Its like my zoa shelf on the left side of my tank....I had those pink ones before, they grew fast for me, but didnt retain their original colors....they dulled out.

 

[djbacon]

The pyhyto is just reefnutrition brand phytofeast - comes in a green liquid bottle, about 12-15 oz.

I droop feed a tiny amount via an applicator syringe - they polyps take it in, close up, and expel it about an hour later.

 

[nikkipigtails]

That's really cool! Do you have any other corals in your tank that have responded to the phyto feeding (obviously except the ones the phyto is meant for)?

 

[Fauna Marin]

HI

Nice pictures
Try a mix of a good Powderfood in a mix with Aminoacids You will get more brightend and flourecens colors

 

[cuttie100]

Are you direct feeding them? Or are you dosing the tank with a certain amount?

 

[cheeks69]

Zoanthids don't eat phyto but zooplankton.

Eric Borneman:

Zoanthids feed on particulate matter, organic macromolecules, bacteria, plankton, and even larger prey. To what degree each food item can theoretically comprise the natural dietary intake of zoanthids is anyone's guess, but it would appear that most tank conditions are able to supply the required external nutrition to a tolerable level based on the success of colonies in the aquarium.

Bob, these things did not grow a bit in the first 4 months I had them.

This is usually what happens. Mine did the same thing for the first few months and then they just multiplied at an alarming rate, eventually I had to remove what I could and isolate the rest.

 

[antdizzle]

mine gro extra fast with out having to add phyto, but I have recently started growin my own phyto to add due to my gargonians and to see what the oevr all response would be like