Where to buy good, cheap zoos + care

[fishiee]

i am looking for good, cheap zoos for my 2 foot tank (as zoos are the only ;easy' coral left that i have not tried)? i usually go to reborn and aquamarin, but reborn sells only sell big colonies (which are all green in colour), which i will have to frag a lot (and inevitibily kill some, i am hopeless at fragging) and aquamarin of course does not import zoos that often.

I am looking for small colonies around 10-20 polyps (preferablely colourful) in size that go for around 5 - 10 bucks? anything like that? if so, any tip offs?

also, is it a MUST to feed your zoos? i have a 2 foot tank and am only wishing for my zoos to open up nicely, not to reproduce like wildfire. and if it is a must to feed, would frozen brine shrimp i feed to my brain be enough? or do i need to buy microscopic coral food?

[Solo77]

Think iwarna still left some US zoas. Small and nice but price is above 10 but below 25 or less. Small colony, you have to visit iwarna. Alternatively, you can go GO and ask them to frag small piece for you. For cheap and big colony, T95 is another option. All the best.

[Solo77]

Just to add, it is not the hardiest coral, depending on the type. Think many reefers have encountered them dying without a reason. Also, their deadiest enemy nudi, snail, spider and zoa pox can spread and wipe out yours zoa. Hence, search the ways to aclimatise and treat them before adding to you main tank. All the best.

[Thexder]

Can buy cheap zoas from CF. $4-6/rock depending on size.

[yikai]

zoos are not as easy as u think actually. i used to think the same way...until all of mine died and i gave up on them forever. they are probably win the award of getting the most number of pest on one coral at anyone time contest lol. nudis, spiders, sundial snails, zoapox, are some of the many things u find on zoas lol. quarantine all zoas u buy ESPECIALLY those from farms.

some of the varients of zoos need very high lighting too. like those pinks i think.

[fishiee]

thanks for your comments. what i will do is to buy 1 or 2 zoos and see how they go first. You never know till you try; zoos are one of the only options i have left for decorating the areas of my tank where the flow is too high for mushrooms, unless you have any other options (no colt coral please; my tank is too small). I already have 2 colonies of brown button polyps that i picked up from the beach. They have been with me for around 4 months now and have survived my 1 or 2 of my big mistakes. They are doing fine (not excellent, but fine)

[Hehe]

if lets say i buy those zoos colonies frm sealife or reborn (which r always so big), how do i actually frag them into smaller pieces?

jus chop down? sacrificing some polyps?

[yikai]

thanks for your comments. what i will do is to buy 1 or 2 zoos and see how they go first. You never know till you try; zoos are one of the only options i have left for decorating the areas of my tank where the flow is too high for mushrooms, unless you have any other options (no colt coral please; my tank is too small). I already have 2 colonies of brown button polyps that i picked up from the beach. They have been with me for around 4 months now and have survived my 1 or 2 of my big mistakes. They are doing fine (not excellent, but fine)

u can try GSP. they tolerate flow and are very brilliantly green. good addition. and perhaps even hardier than mushrooms.

if lets say i buy those zoos colonies frm sealife or reborn (which r always so big), how do i actually frag them into smaller pieces?

jus chop down? sacrificing some polyps?

u can put a screw driver in the middle of the rock and hammer it. the screw driver will impale the rock and split it. u may sacrifice a polyp or two... another harder way, is to use a scapel and cut around the parts u wan to frag, and then lift the whole thing up from underneath. like a mat. but this method is hardre and more work. then u need to glue the frag to a smaller rock.

[fishiee]

u can try GSP. they tolerate flow and are very brilliantly green. good addition. and perhaps even hardier than mushrooms.

u can put a screw driver in the middle of the rock and hammer it. the screw driver will impale the rock and split it. u may sacrifice a polyp or two... another harder way, is to use a scapel and cut around the parts u wan to frag, and then lift the whole thing up from underneath. like a mat. but this method is hardre and more work. then u need to glue the frag to a smaller rock.

you can cut the zoo mat out from the rock? i always thought that there will be a low survivability rate if you do so....

anyway, i use the saw function of my swissknife and saw through around 3/4 then twist and split. i got lots of small cuts on my hand the first time i did it though..

what underwater epoxy do you all use? i use rockbonder; any other recommended brand for around the same price or lower (15 bucks)? i find having to roll the 2 pieces together very troublesome.

what does GSP stand for anyway? new aquarist. sorry.

[fishiee]

sorry. GSP = green star ployp. i have one in my tank already. the thing is that i have large vertical surfaces (besides the tank wall of course, i am not that crazy) i want to decorate, so the only options would be to cut mushrooms and zoos into small frags and stick them on, you cannot stick a whole rock onto a vertical surface!

[albinosage]

anyway, i use the saw function of my swissknife and saw through around 3/4 then twist and split. i got lots of small cuts on my hand the first time i did it though..

:shock:

Palytoxin, isolated from soft coral, is considered to be one of the most toxic non-peptide substances known

The onset of symptoms is rapid, and death usually follows just minutes after.

Do not handle zoas with bare hands especially when you have open wounds! One of the most poisonous toxin among corals, can cause death almost instantly.

[yikai]

omg u frag zoos with open wounds? dude thats like a death sentence. if u have a metallic taste in ur mouth, that is the effect of palytoxin. please please be careful!!! sufficient level of palytoxin can and will kill you.

u can lift the mats off the rocks. ya survivability is low. that is just another method of fragging. seldom used though

[Hehe]

you can cut the zoo mat out from the rock? i always thought that there will be a low survivability rate if you do so....

anyway, i use the saw function of my swissknife and saw through around 3/4 then twist and split. i got lots of small cuts on my hand the first time i did it though..

what underwater epoxy do you all use? i use rockbonder; any other recommended brand for around the same price or lower (15 bucks)? i find having to roll the 2 pieces together very troublesome.

what does GSP stand for anyway? new aquarist. sorry.

how do u saw? i find it abit difficult to saw thru as its so damn hard to find a space in between the polyps in those big colonies.

i find that rock bonder abit hard to use when the frag doesnt have any rock, for example those zoos frag by the "matting out method".

but its the cheapest and longest shelf-life epoxy i find.

wondering r dere any glue tt is lik superglue or silicone but only hardens when in contact with water. so can keep long long and easy to use.

[markietan]

have u tried super glue gel? it hardens when left in air or in contact with water... otherwise if you keep them in a cool dry place (e.g. fridge) they can last quite long without hardening.

i've stuck GSP frags onto my glass tank wall using super glue gel before and it works.. and most of my zoa frags i've stuck them onto rocks / frag plugs using the same stuff. However you gotta be careful not to glue the polyps / mat itself. it would be better if you can glue the rocks that the mat is attached to.

i've always been using the aquaz superglue gel sold at iwarna. tried locite once and its super powerful.. but mine expired and hardened. you can find many other brands in hardware store. good luck!

[fishiee]

oh well, i was fragging mushrroms then; i will be more careful with zoos. gloves mabye...i only discovered (i actually just felt the cuts, no blood) a few hours after the fragging.

[MarcoVan]

if you want zoas, bro, I have a few pieces to let go FOC. but collection is by yourself. Let me know what you think.

err not those super nice ones lah. normal indo kinds (: