Zoanthids Changing Color Common?

[TaylorW]

So I've recently in the past few months been buying zoanthids (haven't really had any in the past except a couple no names) and I have noticed a couple different kinds have completely changed colors on me, now since I'm not experienced with them I'm not sure if this is normal? Maybe because of my lights? For example I bought a frag of some kind of pinwheels (that's what I was told they were) they had much duller green skirts and and an almost brown center when I bought them and now the skirts are a much brighter green and the center has turned an orange almost pinkish with bright yellow dots in the very center. And the other ones were originally a dark green, now they're a bright neon green/yellow with bright green centers! Anyway can someone please tell me if this is normal lol

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J120AZ using Tapatalk

 

 

[Paratore]

Very normal! Zoas can morph quite a bit from tank to tank. Lighting and water levels all can affect zoas. Lighting is the biggest one for sure.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TaylorW]

Very normal! Zoas can morph quite a bit from tank to tank. Lighting and water levels all can affect zoas. Lighting is the biggest one for sure.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you so much! Well that's definitely good to know!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J120AZ using Tapatalk

[Emerald525]

Cody is correct. A good example is candy apple reds. If you blast them with a higher par they get brighter and look more like the Bowser palys. I am still not convinced Bowsers are not simply a morph of the candy apple reds.  Another interesting thing is that zoas can take on the coloration of nearby zoas. I have had this happen. Size can also vary. Higher flow can sometimes make a zoa smaller. I have seen a lot of this with the grow outs we have done in the past when the same line was introduced into a bunch of different tanks. 

Sps also will look totally different under different par and lighting.

[Sasquatch]

In the wild they can be dirt brown or mute green. Then under LED or more blues and even UV it will color up to the colors we see in tanks. Once they have enough light and have been aquacultured they usually retain the same coloration. Some size and shape changes with tentacle length and polyp size can still occur. 

If you get one part of the colony starting to change colors or pattern then you have a new morph.

dont try to morph them by injecting them, blasting with too much light, or putting two types next to each other. I've found that usually results in melting or a temp color change like in Purple Death Palys and Nuclear Green Palys showing two tone

Edited May 29, 2017 by Sasquatch

[TaylorW]

Cody is correct. A good example is candy apple reds. If you blast them with a higher par they get brighter and look more like the Bowser palys. I am still not convinced Bowsers are not simply a morph of the candy apple reds.  Another interesting thing is that zoas can take on the coloration of nearby zoas. I have had this happen. Size can also vary. Higher flow can sometimes make a zoa smaller. I have seen a lot of this with the grow outs we have done in the past when the same line was introduced into a bunch of different tanks. 
Sps also will look totally different under different par and lighting.

That's so interesting! I never knew that. Thanks

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J120AZ using Tapatalk

[TaylorW]

In the wild they can be dirt brown or mute green. Then under LED or more blues and even UV it will color up to the colors we see in tanks. Once they have enough light and have been aquacultured they usually retain the same coloration. Some size and shape changes with tentacle length and polyp size can still occur. 
If you get one part of the colony starting to change colors or pattern then you have a new morph.
dont try to morph them by injecting them, blasting with too much light, or putting two types next to each other. I've found that usually results in melting or a temp color change like in Purple Death Palys and Nuclear Green Palys showing two tone

Oh is it bad to put two types next to each other? I've already done that [emoji46] well I guess I'll have to see what happens or I suppose if I need to I could move one type

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J120AZ using Tapatalk

[Sasquatch]

28 minutes ago, TaylorW said:

Oh is it bad to put two types next to each other? I've already done that well I guess I'll have to see what happens or I suppose if I need to I could move one type

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J120AZ using Tapatalk
 

One will usually win and overtake the other. But it will happen slowly

[albertareef]

1 hour ago, Sasquatch said:

One will usually win and overtake the other. But it will happen slowly

I assumed this might happen but wonder then how folks maintain the really elaborate mixed zoanthid rocks... do they carefully "prune" those to try and keep established borders or, given enough time, to they all end up overrun by the same type?  I guess it depends on how slowly is slowly...

[Sasquatch]

Same type of zoas, same size and growth. They will clash and slowly one will take over and consume the rock. It's a nice effect but if you want to keep a certain kind make a separate frag and keep it apart