Zoanthus sp. (Button Polyp)

Source: liveaquaria.com

QUICK STATS

• Care Level: Easy
  
• Temperament: Semi-aggressive
  
• Lighting: Moderate to High
  
• Waterflow: Medium
  
• Placement: Middle to Top
  
• Water Conditions: 72-78° F, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.023-1.025
  
• Color Form: Red, Tan
  
• Origin: South Pacific
  
• Family: Zoanthidae
  
• Insert Date: 19 February 2011

The Zoanthus Button Polyp Corals are also referred to as Sea Mats, or Colonial Polyps. Their most common color is green, but are also found in other colors, such as light pink to lavender. They are colonial animals with multiple individual polyps attached to a piece of live rock.
These polyps have the ability to sting other polyps or corals. While the sting is not strong, they are semi-aggressive and need to have space between their colony and any neighbors since they tend to crowd them out. They are easy to maintain, making them a good choice for beginner reef aquarists. They require a high light level combined with a medium water movement within the aquarium. For continued good health, they will also require the addition of iodine and other trace elements to the water.

They will reproduce easily in the reef aquarium by budding (splitting off a portion of their base or mouth), which will increase the size of their colony.

They contain the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae which provide almost all of their nutritional requirements. Especially if the lighting is not optimal, they should be fed micro-plankton or baby brine shrimp.

During one of my visits Saturday I noticed a nice big rock with a toadstool on it. Attached to this rock was a rock that was covered with buttons, 2 kinds and Red Mushrooms. Unfortunately for the toadstool that piece broke off during transport. The buttons are one that I might consider nice for the RSM, since there are some really beautiful ones there.

Then I started with the rock that broke off the Toadstool rock, the one with the mushrooms and buttons and one toadstool also.
I took the rock out of the aquarium and fragged it using a chisel and hammer.

The result: 4 rocks with buttons, one small rock with a toadstool, a big rock with red mushrooms and many fragstones that went into the small bin where the Kenya Trees where located. 3 of them that had attached to a rock have been moved to the RSM.

Because the fragtank is now being prepared for an overflow the more fragile corals moved to the Red Sea Max for the time being.

More and more polyps are opening up again now that the rock is located in the RSM

Removed the rubberband from the Kenya Tree, the buttons where also holding it down, they have grown onto the rock below already