Zoanthids, how can you tell if they are healthy

[baytran7]

i hear so many theories from different hobbiest,
some say:
a) zoas are happy when the polyps are small and compacted together
others say:
b) zoas are happy when the polyps are big and stretched out.
here is an example
picture a is small and compacted
picture b is expanded and stetched out
anyone have actual proof which response is the right one?
thanks

 

[pyro]

I dont' know about density, but I would say a no fail way of judging is based off of their colors.
Also, it is hard to tell the difference inbetween the two pictures. If you can get a looser crop on the image so we can see a little more other than just the zoo's it will help us to get a scale :yes: .

 

[wax32]

Those are both happy. They stay compacted/small or loose/big depending on light and current, but as long as they are expanded, spreading, and have good color I'd call them happy.

 

[lamaface]

im not a zoanthid guru but i think that if the zoanthids in A stretch out occasionally like B they are healthy while if B is continually stretching out more and more maybe they need more light. I think that if they look like each other (largeness of polyps ect) that they are healthy but i think probably B is healthier.

 

[wax32]

Usually ones that look like picture "a" are fresh from the reef OR are from a tank with insane lighting, while "b" have been in captivity a while (under less than real sun intensity of light.) Mine all start out like "a" but begin to look more like "b" after a month or so.

 

[kaotik]

it looks like some of the polps in A are actually white and disintegrated, while in B, they all look healthy.

 

[wax32]

Nah. They are just closed. A hermit might've walked across them or a fish gave them a poke.

 

[kaotik]

OICOK

 

[baytran7]

nothing walked across them, don't look at the closed polyps in A but look at the open red ones. i'm referring to the open red ones verses the open B ones. I know about different species and some prefer brighter light then others. but in general, semi open ones in A vs Fully stretched open ones in B. Both are tank raised colonies which used to be under MH, but are now under T5 for a few months already. does anyone have a pic of a zoa colony taken in the wild in it's natural habitat? I need to decide if i should increase my lighting or decrease it.

 

[wax32]

The red ones in a are as open as they can get because their neighbors are packed against them, it's totally normal. If you just like the looks of the taller/more open ones, you could decrease your light some, but your zoos won't really be any happier. The taller ones are most likely stretching for light because they want more than they are getting. All that said, I wouldn't change a thing if this were my tank and corals. I have some that look like both and I just let them do whatever is natural according to their placement in the tank.

 

[smarls]

Personally I think both of those colonies look healthy. Lots of stretching is bad, but fully opening of the polyp is not bad, and I think it is colony specific whether they grow "up" or stay tightly packed. I have red ones that stay tight, and then lime ones right beside them that open a ton...and both are in medium to high flow areas with similar lighting.
The other thing to remember when looking at pictures of colonies is that there are a few closely related types (I think this is correct, but don't quote me on this, hopefully someon with more knowledge can correct this next statement!) zoanthids, paylthoas, and proto-palythoas...and the all have slightly different tendancies. IMHO palys are bigger, open up more, and spread out the poylps alot more than say a zaonthids, and then protos seem to me to be somewhere in the middle. However in pictures, the different types can look very similar.
HTH
Stewart

 

[wax32]

All the zoanthids in his pictures are Zoanthus spp. which are what most ppl refer to as zoos. All three genera, Zoanthus, Palythoa, and Protopalythoa can correctly be called Zoanthids as they, along with another genus or two, are in the family Zoanthidae. The genera Palythoa, and Protopalythoa have corals with neurotoxins. Your more common Zoanthus, everyones favorite "zoos", don't have the neurotoxin.

 

[druluv]

Originally Posted by wax32
All the zoanthids in his pictures are Zoanthus spp. which are what most ppl refer to as zoos. All three genera, Zoanthus, Palythoa, and Protopalythoa can correctly be called Zoanthids as they, along with another genus or two, are in the family Zoanthidae. The genera Palythoa, and Protopalythoa have corals with neurotoxins. Your more common Zoanthus, everyones favorite "zoos", don't have the neurotoxin.

Thanks for the info wax, I thought all zoos had neurotoxins in them.