What To Feed Zoanthids? Best Food For Faster Growth

Do you want to learn what to feed your zoanthids to have faster growth and better coloration? If so, you are in the right place. Learn about the best food for zoanthids, how often you should feed your zoas, and what they need to grow.

I used to stay away from keeping zoanthids because I was afraid of all the stories about these corals. Zoas contain palytoxin, a very potent substance that may cause serious health issues if you are not careful.

However, as I got more experienced and progressed in this hobby, I learned that I could keep zoas as long as I was careful. You should always wear gloves, eyewear, and mouth protection when handling zoanthids.

Since my fear has gone, I decided to purchase a small frag of zoanthids. I fell in love with these corals, and in the next few months, I bought many different types of zoanthids.

Now, I have several big colonies and many little frags of different zoa morphs. I plan to create a beautiful zoanthid garden.

If I want my zoas to grow fast, I need to feed them regularly. Here are my findings on whether zoas grow faster when they eat supplementary food.

What should I feed zoas?

Zoanthids don’t need additional feeding to live and thrive. They get their nutrients from the lighting and the waste your fish produce in your reef tank. Your zoas will grow fine without extra food.

However, you will most likely get better coloration and faster growth if you give them supplementary food. What to feed your zoanthids?

You can feed your zoanthids with amino acids, vitamins, live phytoplankton, oyster feast, reef chili, reef roids, and many other foods available on the market.

Be careful, though. Many of these foods will increase the nitrates and phosphates in your reef tank. A sudden increase in nutrients may encourage the growth of unwanted algae.

How often should I feed zoas?

Now that you learned about all the foods you can give to your zoas, you are probably interested in how often to feed them.

I would recommend feeding your zoanthids a couple of times a week. If you feed them more, you risk increasing the nutrients in your reef tank.

There are two ways of feeding zoanthids: broadcast feeding and target feeding. Most zoanthids have small polyps and will refuse target feeding. 

At least, that is my experience. Broadcast feeding works the best because, in that way, the other corals in your tank get nutrients as well.

What is the best food for zoanthids?

There are a lot of different brands on the market that specialize in coral food. Here are some of the most popular foods you can add to your reef tank.

Oyster Feast

The Oyster Feast is a product that contains a mix of oyster eggs and oyster ovarian tissue. This combination is full of high-quality proteins and omega-3 fatty acids that benefit all the organisms in your reef tank.

Coral Frenzy

The Coral Frenzy is another popular dry coral food. It contains many different ingredients( you can see it all on the bottle) that have great nutritional value. Many hobbyists use this brand for feeding their zoas.

Reef Roids

Reef Roids by Polyplab is one of the most favored coral foods on the market, and it’s easy to see why. Corals grow faster and color up better with reef roids. Be careful, though. Reed roids are notorious for increasing phosphates in your reef tank.

Coral Dust Fauna Marin

Coral dust by Fauna Marin is also a good choice for coral food rich in natural ingredients, vitamins, and high-quality proteins. It’s a superb food for many different kinds of corals, including zoanthids.

Final Thoughts

Zoanthids don’t need supplementary feeding and will grow okay just through photosynthesis. However, if you want to increase their growth rate, you can try different foods to see whether there is an effect.

In some cases, you will see an improvement, and in others, it will be a waste of money. But you will never know if you won’t try. 

I am currently testing different types of zoa foods on my tank, and I will share the results in a couple of months.

My last advice is whatever you feed, do it in moderation. You don’t want to encourage the growth of nuisance algae.