Micky D Zoas

Micky D Zoas are a popular zoa colour morph that are instantly recognizable.  They have a yellow face with a purple outline and a bright orange skirt.  Their skirt is longer than most zoas, which gives the coral a beautiful, textured look.  Like other zoas, Micky D Zoas reproduce by budding, with a small frag capable of becoming a beautiful colony quite quickly.  The polyps grow tightly together and are connected by a fleshy network of tubes that allows the colony to share nutrients.

Zoas are found throughout the world’s tropical and subtropical oceans, although most of the popular colour morphs are found in relatively shallow tropical waters.  Due to their popularity, Micky D Zoas are extensively aquacultured and the vast majority of what is available for sale is tank raised.  Fragbox grows its own Micky D zoas as part of our Fragbox Cultured Corals program.  This helps to reduce strain on reef ecosystems.  In a home aquarium, zoas are often placed on rock islands on the substrate.  This prevents them from growing out of control and taking over the main rockwork.  Hobbyists will often place multiple zoa rocks together to form a classic “zoa garden”.

Like other zoas, Micky D zoas are adaptable to a wide range of lighting conditions.  They should not, however, be placed in areas of extremely intense lighting or in total shadow.  Zoas that are exposed to too much light may fail to open, or in extreme cases they may melt entirely.  Flow should be sufficient to prevent the build-up of detritus but not so strong that the polyps are blown around aggressively.  Flow that is too strong may also prevent the polyps from opening.

All zoas are photosynthetic and are able to use aquarium lighting to meet their energy needs.  They can, however, be spot fed food designed for soft corals.  This will increase their growth rate and may improve colouration.

Due to their speed of growth, fragging zoas is common but it is a bit of an art form.  Since they do not have a calcified skeleton that can be cut, polyps must be scraped from the rock and glued to a frag plug or piece of rubble rock.  This usually takes a few tries but is fairly easy once mastered.  The fragged polyps will soon attach themselves to the plug and begin to grow a new colony.  Due to the possibility of the zoas secreting toxins when handled, it is recommended that hobbyists wear gloves and eye protection when fragging zoas.

Micky D zoas are one of the brightest zoas available and make a great addition to any reef tank.