What sparks Zoanthids insane colors?

First off you might wonder what qualifies me to talk about this... I have a Marine Biology Degree with a heavy focus on coastal ecology and Cnidarians(Corals). This is all REAL facts not opinion based, so if you want your zoas to color up here a few tips and tricks! Zoanthids have an algal symbiont that gives them their color called zooxanthellae. This is a dinoflagellate symbiont, so not all dinos are bad like we make them out to be! Zoanthids however also passively feed on pods and plankton drifting through the water column. The way this food is broken down is what helps the zoanthids grow and color up most importantly. The most important nutrients for your zoanthid's color health are as follows... AMINO ACIDS, these are the keys to building proteins which allows your zoas to grow and flourish their natural colors. Hence why Red Sea's AB+ is taking the market by suprise with its results, its full of AMINO ACIDS!! You can make a cheaper version of AB+ in your home but that's a whole other topic! The second nutrient and most important in their color is Potassium! That's right, I bet no one has ever told you about using potassium as a supplement but if you go on BRS and look up potassium supplement, you will find that there are supplements for it! The way the zoanthid uses potassium is it fuels the chemosynthesis process for making the intense colors in the zoanthid. It acts as the catalyst in the reaction that helps the dinos produce the beautiful colors. Lastly, the third most important nutrient for zoanthids color is IRON. This is another one that you have probably never heard of dosing, but I assure you it is important. Just like humans, zoanthids need trace elements of heavy metals in their bodies. Iron specifically is important due to its roll in the same chemical process that potassium acts as a catalyst in. Iron acts as one of the active ingredients for starting this synthesis and keeping it going. If you have any questions on this feel free to comment down below!

1 comment

  • Hmmm.. wonder what sparked this topic? Lol good talk the other day.

    Matt M

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