Blue Zoas

General information

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<div class="more_detail">Zoanthids feature a hard exoskeleton and is considered one of the most durable inhabitants in a reef aquarium making them the perfect piece for newbie aquarist. Their appearance resembles like a cluster of miniature sea anemones that often creates a hard matting appearance. While they look similar with sea anemones, Zoanthids are generally smaller with an oral disc measuring only from 1 to 2 centimeters in diameter.</div>
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<div class="more_detail">For the Blue Zoas, they are predominantly colored blue with brown tentacles. This are the water paramaters in cultivating Blue Zoas:</div>
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<li>Calcium: 380 – 430 ppm</li>
<li>Alkalinity: 3.2 – 4.5 MEQ/L</li>
<li>Phosphates: 0</li>
<li>Magnesium: 1250 – 1300 ppm</li>
<li>Strontium: 8 – 10</li>
<li><span class="subListHeading1">Temperature: </span>72° – 82° F (22° – 27° C)</li>
<li><span class="subListHeading1">Salinity / Specific Gravity:</span> 1.023 – 1.025</li>
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In the wild, Blue Zoas has developed a symbiotic feeding relationship with marine algae called zooxanthellae. But in captivity, you have to feed them with nanoplankton or dissolved organics.

A mature tank is highly recommended in propagating Blue Zoas. They should be set in the middle or top part of the tank where they will receive the most amount of light.

Blue Zoas requires strong lighting and moderate waterflow.

While the Blue Zoas are easy to maintain, you have to be alert for filamentous algae that can overgrow and smother their polyps. They are also prone to box snail which feeds on them, so you need to remove this particular snail from the tank. You also have to look out for large crustaceans and fish like angelfish and butterflyfish that nibbles on their tentacles.

Blue Zoas are abundant and can be found in the waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean.

Blue Zoas are known to posses high levels of palytoxin and vibrio bacteria especially in their mucus. So, you need to wear gloves in handling them.