Nano reef aquariums are a new way to keep a miniature oceanic ecosystem in the confines of a home. No longer is it necessary to have a giant, expensive aquarium to have a thriving, healthy, beautiful miniature coral reef. Advances in technology now allow for the keeping of delicate ocean animals in aquariums of 20 gallons or smaller.
However, even though keeping a mini reef in a smaller space is now possible, there are new dangers for doing so. Corals and other reef-critters are extremely delicate, and do not handle stress that easily. Note that the ocean is a gigantic place--there is plenty of room for corals. But in the nano reef aquarium, space is extremely limited and corals don't have the space they need to grow. Since they don't have the space they need, they may touch other corals and wreak havoc.
Some corals, such as zoanthids, have built-in defense mechanisms against other corals. They have the ability to sting other corals, and will do so if they come in contact with them. As I said, corals are extremely delicate, and will die if they are 'invaded' by other stinging corals. Because of this, it's necessary to keep corals trimmed so they don't come in contact with other ones. And this trimming becomes more frequent and necessary in a nano aquarium, because there is a much smaller space to work with.
This doesn't mean zoanthids (and other similar corals) can be in nano reef aquariums. Zoanthids are actually perfect choices for nano reefs--they are hardy, easy to care for, and beautiful. They just have a nasty ability to sting other corals. A colony of colorful, vibrant zoanthids can be a part of a nano reef aquarium without much trouble at all; they just need to be trimmed so they don't come too close to other animals in the aquarium.
