• Name:

    Black Hornets Zoas

    (View AKA's)
  • Family: Zoanthidae
  • Species: Zoanthid
  • Scientific Name: Zoanthus sp
More Details

Also Know As:

| Sea Mat

| Button Polyps

| Colonial Anemones

General info about Black Hornets Zoas

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.
 
For the Black Hornets Zoas, they are predominantly colored black with light blue mouth. This are the water paramaters in cultivating Black Hornets Zoas:
  • Calcium: 380 - 430 ppm
  • Alkalinity: 3.2 - 4.5 MEQ/L
  • Phosphates: 0
  • Magnesium: 1250 - 1300 ppm
  • Strontium: 8 - 10
  • Temperature: 72° - 82° F (22° - 27° C)
  • Salinity / Specific Gravity: 1.023 - 1.025

Black Hornets Zoas Diet & Nutrition

In the wild, Black Hornets 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.

Fragging / Propagating Black Hornets Zoas

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

Flow / Lighting Requirements for Black Hornets Zoas

Black Hornets Zoas requires strong lighting and moderate waterflow.

Parasites & Diseases that Affect Black Hornets Zoas

While the Black Hornets 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.

Black Hornets Zoas Origin

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

Caution Should be Taken with Black Hornets Zoas

Black Hornets 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.

How to Acclimate Black Hornets Zoas

Black Hornets Zoas are purely marine. So, therefore, salinity must be maintained thoroughly at 1.023 to 1.025 specific gravity.

Stinging Tentacles on Black Hornets Zoas

Since the Black Hornets Zoas contains toxins and bateria, you have give them ample space so that they cannot sting other coral species.

Relevent Articles

Original Detail

Name Species Family Scientific Name More Detail Added by
Black Hornets Zoas Zoanthid Zoanthidae Zoanthus sp
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.
 
For the Black Hornets Zoas, they are predominantly colored black with light blue mouth. This are the water paramaters in cultivating Black Hornets Zoas:
  • Calcium: 380 - 430 ppm
  • Alkalinity: 3.2 - 4.5 MEQ/L
  • Phosphates: 0
  • Magnesium: 1250 - 1300 ppm
  • Strontium: 8 - 10
  • Temperature: 72° - 82° F (22° - 27° C)
  • Salinity / Specific Gravity: 1.023 - 1.025
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