Zoanthids and lighting 2/209
Hello crew. It is me once again....sorry if you find me annoying by now with all the questions, but i am trying to make my tank a better place for all my corals and inhabitants. I have a question about Zoanthids today. I have a Zoa that is placed at the bottom of my tank, and the polyps have grown long and ugly ever since...
<Long? Might be "looking" for food>
some of which have even dropped off.
<!>
About a week ago, i shifted it up to the upper-middle portion of my tank, where there is more light, and the polyps are now short and stubby again.
They also look much better. Here is the question however....i am currently using T5s fluorescent bulbs. 39W each, and there are 4 bulbs in total. 2 white and 2 actinic blue. Total of 78W of both white and blue. Is this sufficient lighting for my Zoanthids?
<Perhaps not>
If i place all of them in the middle section of my tank? My tank is 3ft by 2ft by 2ft.
<Two feet away? Too far>
They seem to be doing well so far..All my other corals are doing very well. i have some torches, hammers, bubble, green star polyp, fox coral and a mushroom coral. I am a little under budget right now, so i am really hoping that my lights are good enough for my Zoanthids... Once again, sorry for the continuous flow of e-mail. I would rather ask someone with good knowledge than to post on forums and receive mixed remarks from different reefers. Thank you for your time :)Regards - Kai
<Please learn to/use the search tool on WWM... For this time, read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/ZoanthidlgtgF.html
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Zoas and lighting 02/03/09
Thanks for the prompt reply mr.bob.F. The height of my tank is 2ft, and i place my zoos in the middle, which means they are 1ft away from the light, and the surface of the tank. Will be changing my bulbs tomorrow to ATI bulbs, of equal wattage. Currently i am using bulbs of an unknown brand....maybe the new ATI bulbs will be brighter and better. If my Zoanthids start to show some decline in overall health, maybe it is best i buy a new lighting fixture altogether. However, i keep chancing upon the fact that Zoas can withstand a myriad of different lighting, from high to relatively low. I am quite sure that my lighting, 2X 39W white (10k), and 2X 39W actinic blue should suffice....with my Zoas places 1 feet from the surface of my tank...i don't understand why it is not enough...have seen tanks with Zoas thriving in environments with lesser light than what i am providing.
<Some Zoanthids are more tolerant/adaptable than others...>
Anyways, my Zoas look fine...now...will continue to monitor growth and overall health for the next couple of weeks/months. Have another question, since i am at it, and i hope you do not mind. Sometimes i see my torch
coral and bubble coral expel this brown stringy substance....are they expelling waste?
<Yes, waste, and maybe also some zooxanthellae, undigested food, etc.... >
Or are they expelling their zooxanthellae... I am so confused right now...if all these problems are caused by my lighting, i will replace them soon. Everything seems to be doing very well.....perhaps i am just paranoid. Seems like i consistently find new things to worry about everyday...
<If your corals are doing fine, then why are you worrying? Your lighting is not great for a reef tank, but you might be ok if you feed the tank well and don't mind your corals turning less than pretty corals.>
A relaxing hobby turned stressful? haha :) thanks again for helping me in my journey to be a better reefer. Regards....kai =D
<Keep reading, learning!
Cheers,
Sara M.>