Reef Sanctuary - View Single Post

NaH2O · 12-28-2003, 02:55 PM

WELCOME TO RS!!!!!

I am going to jump on the band wagon: Genus Zoanthus. Very nice colony, by the way. How long have you had it....it seems large....cool!

There are many varieties of zoanthids...they also go by the names: button polyps, sea mat, and some people refer to them as zoos (or zos). The Zoanthus species normally reproduce by buds that are attached at their base to the main colony. They are dependent on their zooxanthellae, instead of feeding on zooplankton.

Another thing to look for, if you notice that there are some areas not opening, there are a few "pests" to zoanthids. One is the heliacus sp. snail, Check the link below, and scroll down to the 8th picture.

>>Hitchhiker FAQ<<

There are also nudibranch parasites to the zoanthids, which can be difficult to find unless you are looking for them. They have great camouflage:
>>Coral Eating Nudibranch<< linked from this thread: >>Zoo eating nudibranch<<

As stated earlier zoanthids contain a palytoxin that can be deadly if ingested in high amounts. They are easy to propagate...check out the thread that was linked by TDevil.

Hope this helps!!

[edit to change a glaring error...sorry for those that caught it]

12-28-2003, 02:55 PM	#6 (permalink)
NaH2O Contributing Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 1,928 View Gallery Karma Komment	WELCOME TO RS!!!!! I am going to jump on the band wagon: Genus Zoanthus. Very nice colony, by the way. How long have you had it....it seems large....cool! There are many varieties of zoanthids...they also go by the names: button polyps, sea mat, and some people refer to them as zoos (or zos). The Zoanthus species normally reproduce by buds that are attached at their base to the main colony. They are dependent on their zooxanthellae, instead of feeding on zooplankton. Another thing to look for, if you notice that there are some areas not opening, there are a few "pests" to zoanthids. One is the heliacus sp. snail, Check the link below, and scroll down to the 8th picture. >>Hitchhiker FAQ<< There are also nudibranch parasites to the zoanthids, which can be difficult to find unless you are looking for them. They have great camouflage: >>Coral Eating Nudibranch<< linked from this thread: >>Zoo eating nudibranch<< As stated earlier zoanthids contain a palytoxin that can be deadly if ingested in high amounts. They are easy to propagate...check out the thread that was linked by TDevil. Hope this helps!! [edit to change a glaring error...sorry for those that caught it] __________________ ~Nikki~ Last edited by NaH2O : 12-28-2003 at 02:58 PM.