Zoo question? Is this bad or noral

peter78

Member
My zoo didnt start out like this when I got them. They were much greener and flat like a plate. Now they are cuped like a shallow bowl. Is it getting to much light?, Not enough? It was lower in my tank and my LPS guy said to put it up higher. A couple of months ago it looked worse. The tenicales wouldnt even come out. I just want to know if I hurt it by not giving it enough light when I got it and it is now on its way back to recovery. I have a 29 gal with PC, 130w. I do feed it mysid shrimp every once in a while, new polyps have been always growning. Here is also a pick of the zoo under blue lights and a pick of my tank.
 

007

Active Member
I've got the same exact polyps . . . they do that on a regular basis. No idea why.
 

peter78

Member
Sweetreef, where do you live in Oregon? Also how long have you had your zoos. Also does your zoos get the whitish or light green around the mouth of the polyp?
 

smarls

Member
OK, I have no scientific basis for this answer, but...
I have noticed that every now and then when my Zoas start acting weird, they are actually about to go through a little "growth spurt".
When it happens to me, the polyps start doing strange things (not opening properly, elongating, just absically being weird!). It lasts about a week, then i notice that ther are more polyps.
I don't know if this is what is happeneing to you, but you may want to see of they are budding.
HTH
Stewart
 

smarls

Member
Also, those look pretty big for zoas, and they way they are curling makes me think that they may be palys?
 

fishcake

Member
HE means Palythoa Sp. There are different species of zoo's
Palythoa Can be very Toxic... Especially to humans.
You should read up on Palythoa toxica!
 

smarls

Member
What Sweetreef said...except don't freak out, not all palys are toxic...although you should read up on them to be sure.
Personally, I think Paly are really beautiful, I have a colony of pink ones that are great, although I still like zoas. I actually like the size differnec ebetween the two polyps when they are in the same tank.
In my limited experience, Palys are more prone to curl up at the edges than zoas are...for whatever reason.
Regardless, zoas or palys, your "polyps" are cool, and I am sure they will be fine!
Stewart
 

peter78

Member
I have read about the toxicness of a type of Zoanthea that makes things go numb or paralize even. I do have a couple of books that I can look it up in. Could you recommend any?
 

scubagirl

Member
My understanding is that zoos grow under overhangs and don't need a lot of direct light. Maybe they are getting too much light. Mine are positioned with a small rock ledge over them and they are doing great. Just a suggestion.
 

peter78

Member
From what I have read about zoos, they need a good amount of light. Just not direct light. Smarls and Fishcake were right, it isnt a zoo, they are palythoa sp. and what they are doing is perfectly normal. When I bought them, I was told they were zoos, but then again, they were a lot smaller and not so many.
 

ssweet1

Member
Mine did that and even turned white around edges I moved them away from the halide side of my tank and under the VHO they are beautiful and spreading! They completely recovered from that curl so I would move them down and away from a halide and give it a week to see how it is doing. Carrie
 

rubberduck

Active Member

Originally posted by smarls
OK, I have no scientific basis for this answer, but...
I have noticed that every now and then when my Zoas start acting weird, they are actually about to go through a little "growth spurt".
When it happens to me, the polyps start doing strange things (not opening properly, elongating, just absically being weird!). It lasts about a week, then i notice that ther are more polyps.
I don't know if this is what is happeneing to you, but you may want to see of they are budding.
HTH
Stewart

COOL OBSERVATION
 
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