Invasive Zoas

[NSS]

Hi everyone, on my Zoa rock, there is one very agressive variation. They are purple with a green eye. They are Zoa size but behave similar to Palys. These invasive Zoas are taking over not only the space of other zoas on the rock but also growing their mats over other variations of Zoas.
In the image you can see the purple one's growing over the "Hawaiian People Eater" and killing them off. On the photo look at the arrow left: looks like the mat of the puple is almost done covering one of the "Hawaiian" polyp. The arrow on the right is where a small polyp of the purple is overgrowing the mat of the "Hawaiians".
Any suggestion how to keep them appart? Do I just have to sacrifice my "Hawaiians"?

 

[Nano_Man]

You could frag your Hawaiian on too some other rock
But be careful when handling them full of toxins and no joke they can damage your health mask gloves eyes protection needed keep safe

 

[VintageReefer]

I have been through this many times and in my experience…if you have any kind of mixed zoa rock, in time, one will eventually take over, and you will be left with only one type. It can happen slow. It can happen fast. But it will happen. Something is always stronger and more dominant. The only way to keep pure colonies is to keep them separate with spaces in between

Frag right down the middle and move them apart. One colony will be pure. The other will be mixed. And the dominant one will take over the mixed rock

Example

Original

1 year later - the red skirted with blue centers were dominant and took over the rock. My pic shows orange skirts, before I had a filter. They are red skirts like the original pic

 

[Doctorgori]

…if you have any kind of mixed zoa rock, in time, one will eventually take over, and you will be left with only one type. It can happen slow. It can happen fast. But it will happen. Something is always stronger and more dominant. The only way to keep pure colonies is to keep them separate with spaces in between

This is a repeat quote to emphasize accuracy and confidence. Those crazy colorful “zoa gardens” are dynamic as hell.
I avoid palys of any color anymore

 

[mfinn]

I have been through this many times and in my experience…if you have any kind of mixed zoa rock, in time, one will eventually take over, and you will be left with only one type. It can happen slow. It can happen fast. But it will happen. Something is always stronger and more dominant. The only way to keep pure colonies is to keep them separate with spaces in between

So true.
Learned the hard way

 

[OrionN]

Great information for me. I am new at Zoas. I am buying a few frags and was looking to get frags with more then 1 type on them. I guest I should not have done this.
Have any of you tried to kill off the polyps of the more aggressive colony to keep them at bay in one direction so it won't kill of the weaker colony? Inject with kalk or feed them kalk?

 

[VintageReefer]

Great information for me. I am new at Zoas. I am buying a few frags and was looking to get frags with more then 1 type on them. I guest I should not have done this.
Have any of you tried to kill off the polyps of the more aggressive colony to keep them at bay in one direction so it won't kill of the weaker colony? Inject with kalk or feed them kalk?

I have not, and to be honest, it happens so slow I didn’t even realize it. Then one day I step back and am like what the heck. The rock is all one type of zoa lol

 

[JoJosReef]

Great information for me. I am new at Zoas. I am buying a few frags and was looking to get frags with more then 1 type on them. I guest I should not have done this.
Have any of you tried to kill off the polyps of the more aggressive colony to keep them at bay in one direction so it won't kill of the weaker colony? Inject with kalk or feed them kalk?

Injecting with kalk works, but in my experience seems to tick off other corals in the tank--not sure if the zoas/palys are releasing toxins or if the kalk itself is causing a distirbance, but my hammer would usually close up for a day or two after culling palys.

 

[OrionN]

I don't know, but pretty sure poke a hole in them to inject kalk will cause them to spill toxin to the tank. I don't know about feeding them kalk.

 

[JoJosReef]

Great information for me. I am new at Zoas. I am buying a few frags and was looking to get frags with more then 1 type on them. I guest I should not have done this.
Have any of you tried to kill off the polyps of the more aggressive colony to keep them at bay in one direction so it won't kill of the weaker colony? Inject with kalk or feed them kalk?

If you want a really nice "garden", I think the best is to take easily movable rubble rocks with a hole drilled in them and place a single zoa/paly on them. Arrange the rocks. The zoas/palys will grow in a nice dome shape. When they start to reach off their rock for other rocks or across the sand, just pick up the rock and frag off the extra.

 

[JoJosReef]

I don't know, but pretty sure poke a hole in them to inject kalk will cause them to spill toxin to the tank. I don't know about feeding them kalk.

I haven't gone the injection route, just feeding them kalk directly in top of their oral disk.

 

[OrionN]

I just oredred some Zoas from GoatCorals.com. Really great store with very nice Zoas for low price. A wrong package was send to me yesterday. Jim contact me right away when I inform him of the mishap. I get to keep the corrals that were send in error. My package will be send out right away.

Very healthy and VERY well pack corals. These Six coral frags was send to me in error. Put in my tank less than 24 hrs ago.

Bloodsuckers

Laser Lemons

Orange Hornets

Rainbow Infusions

Rastas

Star Gazers

 

[OrionN]

I haven't gone the injection route, just feeding them kalk directly in top of their oral disk.

It works? without mortality to corals nearby or fishes in the tank?

 

[JoJosReef]

It works? without mortality to corals nearby or fishes in the tank?

Fish never showed any stress. My Euphyllia (hammer and octospawn, not so much the torch) were unhappy for a period of 1-2 days in all occasions where I tried to nuke plays.

 

[JoJosReef]

I just oredred some Zoas from GoatCorrals.com. Really great store with very nice Zoas for low price. A wrong package was send to me yesterday. Jim contact me right away when I inform him of the mishap. I get to keep the corrals that were send in error. My package will be send out right away.

Very healthy and VERY well pack corals. These Six coral frags was send to me in error. Put in my tank less than 24 hrs ago.

Bloodsuckers

Laser Lemons

Orange Hornets

Rainbow Fusions

Rastas

Star Gazers

If you can keep them separate but close, you can get a really nice mixed effect.

Mine are a bit of a disaster from lack of management, but plan to redistribute after the upgrade

 

[OrionN]

Fish never showed any stress. My Euphyllia (hammer and octospawn, not so much the torch) were unhappy for a period of 1-2 days in all occasions where I tried to nuke plays.

Thanks. I will protect myself with gloves face shield and be careful with the water for several day after..

 

[mfinn]

Great information for me. I am new at Zoas. I am buying a few frags and was looking to get frags with more then 1 type on them. I guest I should not have done this.
Have any of you tried to kill off the polyps of the more aggressive colony to keep them at bay in one direction so it won't kill of the weaker colony? Inject with kalk or feed them kalk?

The problems with using kalk ( in a colony of zoanthids) is it's like using a shotgun for a mouse problem.
It can spread/ooze to a desired zoanthid.
Kalk is usually used as a paste and doesn't flow well out of a small syringe.
If it's a large area, kalk would work, but containing the kalk to just that area is tricky.

Maybe injecting ( the offending polyps) with lemon juice or a vinegar.

I've done it many times in the past, but am not going to recommend it, scrapping the ones off with a blade like an exacto knife. I've done this above water and in a dish of water. I did use glasses to protect my eyes. Vinyl gloves would be a good idea.
Fragging zoanthids used to be a pretty common, but it seems to have fallen out of favour.

 

[OrionN]

I think people frag them in the past and using instant glue/adhesive to attach the polyp to rock or tile.
I likely use a tub large enough to get both of my hand in and use something to scrape the polyp off under water. Attach them to new base use super glue. Glove, face mask and face shield should be use.