Show us Ya Zoa

Hi All

Thought it may be an interesting topic to see other Zoos (the collective) in our club - they are my favourite animal from both a colour and growth perspective in my tank at the moment.

Here is some interesting info on them first -

Zoanthids (order Zoantharia also called Zoanthidea or Zoanthiniaria) are an order of cnidarians commonly found in coral reefs, the deep sea and many other marine environments around the world. These animals come in a variety of different colonizing formations and in numerous colors. They can be found as individual polyps, attached by a fleshy stolon or a mat that can be created from small pieces of sediment, sand and rock. The term "zoanthid" refers to all animals within this order Zoantharia, and should not be confused with "Zoanthus", which is one genus within Zoantharia.

They are among the most commonly collected coral in aquaria, easily propagating and being very durable in many water conditions.

Dangers

Some zoanthids contain the highly toxic substance palytoxin. Palytoxin is one of the most toxic organic substances in the world, but there is an ongoing debate over the concentration of this toxin in these animals. However, even in small quantities, the toxin can be fatal should it be ingested or enter the blood stream. If delivered immediately, vasodilators injected into the ventricle of the heart can act as an antidote.

In order for this toxin to be dangerous to humans, the average aquarist would need to ingest the zoanthid in sufficient quantities, or brush a recent cut over it (So dont feed them to your kids) . Average handling, propagation and aquarium maintenance is unlikely to pose any danger beyond a localized skin reaction.[citation needed] A 2010 study found toxic zoanthids in three Washington D.C. area aquarium stores.

Contrary to common belief, palytoxin can be absorbed through intact skin. The danger of acute poisoning from venomous zoanthids is quite real.

An aquarist was poisoned through skin injuries on fingers by a Parazoanthus species, but recovered after 3 days. His zoanthid was found to contain 2-3 milligram of palytoxin per gram. For comparison, the intravenous LD50 dose of palytoxin for a grown man is less than 8 microgram. Thus each gram of the offending zoanthid contained enough venom to kill at least 125 grown men.

Palytoxin is a tumor promoter, and is being studied in relation to signaling pathways in skin cancer genesis.

Diet

Zoanthids feed both by photosynthesis, aided by the zooxanthellae they contain, and by capturing plankton and particulate matter. Although photosynthesis aids in their nutrition, even species that do not actively capture plankton cannot live through photosynthesis alone. Zoanthids can eat meaty foods, such as lancefish, brine shrimp, krill and bloodworms.

Amazing stuff ah !

Here are some crappy pics - more better one to follow -

Wow, love the green zoas you have, and nice writeup BTW.

Here's mine in the 8L Pico


and here are the ones in the new nano

I have the green ones but some that came with them have changed, the dull purple ones a while back that were near them that I had not found there in a few years, I got a few of them as well and they are the ones that have developed an orange centre to them,the others just became a brighter purple.

I put this in my journal thing,so you probably have seen this already,but it’s the only interesting thing I can add about zoas.

The reason they have changed has to be the close proximity to the xenia and over all conditions of course.

Another thing if the zoas grow over the corals the corals loose, but are not poisoned, if you place some in the tank not fastened and they fall on the coral and get stuck in the branches , like two of my stags,and can not open properly they kill the coral, most likely the toxins and its sting potential are a problem to the corals polyps.

The times this has happened the acro has recovered nicely, the last nearly a week ago I put in some that I was going to take to the meeting but no one wanted any, so I placed some around the tank above the across and some fell into the stags and the bleaching has not recovered yet where they were.


The last ones several years back mutated to 7 variations over two years, so far this is the only mutation in this tank.

Great idea Mate!

I only have a few varieties that I have photos of, but am working on a few garden concepts. hence the frag rock that will eventually be a garden of 4 colours, more if I happen across any more




Cheers
Ryan

RyanG wrote:Great idea Mate!

I only have a few varieties that I have photos of, but am working on a few garden concepts. hence the frag rock that will eventually be a garden of 4 colours, more if I happen across any more




Cheers
Ryan

I like the red/orange rim one,nice!!!

My Favourite !













And my 2nd Favourite



Hopefully my photos get better....

WOW I love the long tentacle varieties mate!