Dirty Water Zoas and BTAs

[kveekx]

Well heres my question and Im hopeing someone can help! Let me say my 2 favorite things in my tank are zoas and BTAs.

People are always saying Zoas like and grow faster in dirty water. What exactly does this mean and how can I achieve that? How do some of you zoa experts and fraggers do that? Also can BTAs be okay in that dirty water? The reason I want my zoas to grow faster is so I can frag them and get some nems with the money.(: Thanks for any help and insight!

[kveekx]

bump

[Spirofucci]

Good question.......I've never understood what "dirty" water is either.

[Formula462]

Nutrient rich. Lots of free floating zooplanktons and phytoplankton. Some people think it means full of Nitrates. Those people are wrong.

[kveekx]

Nutrient rich. Lots of free floating zooplanktons and phytoplankton.

And how would I achieve this?

[malady]

its easier than you think lol

[kveekx]

its easier than you think lol

Then elaborate!!! More fish or something? I I have only lost 6 corals in the time I have been reefing.. One freshly cut acan to brown jelly, a pocci to a hammer sting, and 4 NICE zoas melting and I cant figure it out!! I really like them but they have been the toughest coral for me to keep.. Never lost a paly though.

[tajaba]

Just dose liquid zoos and phyto

Dont run a skimmer and bam!

[kveekx]

Just dose liquid zoos and phyto

Dont run a skimmer and bam!

 

More thoughts on this? I have the zoo and have to buy phylo. Is the kent brand good(i have zooplex). More optinions on no skimmer? I just bought a bubble magus NAC3!!!

[doppelganger]

personally I think a skimmer is a good safety net, especially if you're continuing to dose zoo and phyto. Unless you know how much your tank can take and properly monitor nitrates. Obviously you need to turn the skimmer off for a while if you're target feeding.

 

I'm not sure if you want to go that route if you have a BTA. Zoa's are more tolerant and can still grow well in cleaner water. BTA's not so sure. I'd suggest just target feeding your zoa's. You can use whatever. Keep in mind, phyto usually will increase pod populations. Some ppl might not be so keen on a bunch of amphipods running all over their zoa's.

[jack1978]

More thoughts on this? I have the zoo and have to buy phylo. Is the kent brand good(i have zooplex). More optinions on no skimmer? I just bought a bubble magus NAC3!!!

 

An established tank with stable params is most important. Some zoas like high light, some moderate to low. Also, some like high flow and some like low. Buy from reputable people and ask what light and flow they came from. Some zoas grow heads real fast and then won't produce for awhile.

Run that skimmer, it's not going to slow them down. Some will take small mysis. You can feed oyster feast every now and then as well. Mostly just need light.

[ReviloM]

*Stabilize Parameters

*Manually dose or automate dosing of phytoplankton, zooplankton, coral frenzy, or reef chili in system

* Make sure to not overdose too quickly because it will spike nitrates and phosphates.

* Once dosing at a steady rate, keep that rate until you see growth and change accordingly to growth.

* Keep a skimmer but only run it for 1-2hrs a day to remove some organic wastes or you can always do large trusty WCs.

 

 

This is the simple way to do it. This useful for non-photosynthetic tanks. I used this method on a 10g pink cucumber tank.

[BulkRate]

The key is as Formula put it - nutrient-rich water, not high waste product water. All too often they're one and the same... but the former's the thing that will help growth, not the latter. I mean really... when is neglect ever the right answer?

 

I feed my 9 gallon tank with a small amount of ground-up new life spectrum pellets every day towards lights-out in the evening. I imagine you'd get the similar results or better from a drop or two of phyto or other liquid food but I subscribe to the approach of "feed my fish, let the biomass deal with the rest".

 

Also, some zoanthids are just plain fickle... I've had some "former-LE" single polyp acquisitions just close up and melt for no apparent reason days or weeks after being acclimated, all the while surrounded by thriving colonies of other specimens. I've also had small frags sit for weeks/months without any appreciable growth whatsoever, only to turn around one day and notice 1-2 new polyps each week. Weirdness aside, I find most grow best when anchored securely (ie the frag plug's not allowed to be knocked around) and when not handled or moved for a couple of weeks.

 

OP - sorry for the zoa-centric answer... no real experience with anemones, but from what I gather they tend to be sloppy eaters/poop machines so having to make "dirty water" is likely to not be an issue.

[ReviloM]

I would suggest reef chili from brs to feed though. It is great for LPS, sps, and fish. I broadcast feed it in my 28 gallon tank because I have a bare bottom tank. I leave the return and skimmer off for two hours. Here are some examples:

 

Duncan coral I have had for 4 months started with two heads and now have about 8 but I see new ones starting to grow

 

 

My zoanthids

 

[kveekx]

Ill probablly just pick up some phylo and spot feed and use phylo, zoo, and coral frenzy. Now to another quesion.. I will be getting a new sump soon and Im wondering, same skimmer or 2-3 gallon fuge? Thanks for all the great responses.

[ReviloM]

Ill probablly just pick up some phylo and spot feed and use phylo, zoo, and coral frenzy. Now to another quesion.. I will be getting a new sump soon and Im wondering, same skimmer or 2-3 gallon fuge? Thanks for all the great responses.

 

Hmm...keep the skimmer. It will be more effective IMO. In the end it's up to you,.

[kveekx]

Could I set the skimmer on a timer for the skimmerto go off for 2 hours around the time I will usually feed phyto and zoo?

[ReviloM]

Yep! If you have a controller system even better.