COTW--Zoanthus polyps

Zoanthus polyps
also known as mat polyps,sea mats, and button polyps.

These are great beginner corals that reproduce rapidly in the home aquarium. They come in a wide variety of colors, textures, and shapes. Some of these corals can be gorgeous and fairly pricey for the rarer colors and varieties.
that aren't seen very often. when ever possible to increase your collection trade with fellow reefers to increase the variety that you have.

To do the best They need medium to high light they will survive under lower light conditions but may not spread as fast. They also need good water movement. They reproduce by budding or splitting at the base. each polyp is an individual coral living together in a colony. Zoos contain zooxanthellae a symbiotic algae that coverts light to food for them this is where they get the majority of there nutrients.They do however benefit from occasional feeding of baby brine or other small meaty foods along with micro plankton and other invert foods.

Fragging needs to be done with caution and out of the main tank. There have been reports that the toxin that is released by the polyps when they are damaged can kill animals such as dogs. and with people have been known
to cause numbness in the arms and where the toxins have touched bare skin. Its best to use rubber gloves or let the polyps crawl to new rocks and then separate them.

a small frag colony grow quickly so they need to room to spread. they aren't that aggressive but can sting other corals. There sting isn't as potent as other corals they can also crowd other corals so giving them space is a
good idea.

Please add your personal experience and photos of your zoos to this post.

ALL THESE PHOTOS ARE SWF.COM PHOTOS IN THIS POST ONLY. SWF has them for sale by going to the coral section where these photos are located and can be found.
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here is a previous COTW
Zoanthids by kip1430

-From the genus zoanthus
-Street name: colony polyps, button polyps, sea mats (best description)
-General class of coral: polyps
-Like mushrooms, they are said to be the links b/w the anemone world and the coral world

There are a handful of subspecies:
Z. pulchellus
Z. Solanderi
Z. Coppingeri
Z. Mantoni
Z. Vietnamensis

Identification:
Noted on reefs by large numbers of less than dime-sized polyps in such close proximity to each other that there is little to no space in between them. The flat polyp, also known as the oral disc, is often multicolored. A common mat that is easily peeled away from the substrate joins them.

Locale on the reef:
Zoanthids are usually found in shallow waters of the reef where they are exposed to intense sunlight and high
currents. Many are often exposed to direct sunlight during low tide.

Getting along with others:
Their ability to out-compete other corals for real estate is their primary strength. Their rate of reproduction can easily choke out other corals around them. They use their oral discs to block light which stresses and eventually kills nearby corals. Often they are found growing in seemingly odd shapes only to be found covering what used to be a stony coral.

Life in Captivity:
Zoanthids have the ability to change colors depending upon light intensity due to their vary adaptable zooxanthellae. Under substandard lighting, they may appear darker as they are producing more zooxanthellae to absorb more light. Zoanthids are very dependant upon lighting for metabolism, more so than feeding upon zooplankton. It is uncommon to see them feed up zooplankton unless the particle sizes are very small. Feeding zoanthids is unnecessary for all intensive purposes as they will usually get enough food from DOCs and from the film algae you rub off the tank with your glass magnet. These are some of the easiest corals for a new hobbyist to start with.

Disease and Predation:
They can be prone to a pathogen that will take over the colony, turn it yellow and cheesey, and kill it. Remove afflicted areas before they spread. As of now, I didn’t find a cure. Zoanthids are also susceptible to sundial
snails. (heliacus) Be sure to inspect all new colonies. If you find them, keep them…an SPS grower with too many zo’s will buy them from ya. Another problem common to zo’s from others’ tanks is flatworms… be sure to screen your zo’s for flatworms. I have also found peppermint shrimp to have a taste for zo's... especially young ones.

Propagation:
These are pretty easy corals for propagation. Propagation can be as simple as placing another rock next to the desired zo’s and waiting for them to spread to the new rock. A quicker, more direct method involves taking a knife
and slicing the common mat away from the rock much like you would peel an orange and then gluing the fragment to another location. As far as trading zo’s with your friends, I have found these to be excellent shippers in minimal
amounts of water over 3-4 days. Except for extreme heat or cold… they don’t require much temperature control during transit either.

Toxicity:
**added to original post**
Fragging needs to be done with caution and out of the main tank. There have been reports that the toxin that is released by the polyps when they are damaged can kill animals such as dogs. and with people have been known
to cause numbness in the arms and where the toxins have touched bare skin. Its best to use rubber gloves or let the polyps crawl to new rocks and then seperate them.

here are some zoos that I had in my tanks.

Mike
please post pics of your zoos and your experience with them as well.

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those are gorgeous zman!!! and everyone else I know others have pics of zoos and can add some more care info and their experiences on them.

Mike