So what's with all these colors?

[musicsmaker]

What is it about zoanthids that there are so many colors? I've heard it said both ways. They are either different species or just different color strains. Also, could one color placed next to a different color produce a totally different color via sexual reproduction?

[RicksReefs]

i'd go with different color strains, depending
on lighting,as i've had solid blues get pink centers,
greens go blue,purple to light gray blue,brown to
pink,brown to yellow dot,etc..,most changed within
1-3 months of going under my VHO's.some of my
colors have never changed.

[Cavil]

So, zoos will chage colour depending on lighting .. really!? ... now I find this interesting.

I would like to hear anyone elses experiences with this.

Cavil

[KorbinDallas]

Green button polyps turn brown under lower light. Also, I read that lower lighting causes zoos to produce more zooanthyl (spelling?) algae to aid in photosynthesis, which causes them to appear more brown or loose color.

I have bought many - a - zoanthid from my LFS that were under a metal halide without actinics. Once I get them under my PCs with some blue light they look 100 times better. Pinkish ones appear bright orange in my tank green ones are more green. Stuff like that.

[musicsmaker]

But in the same tank there can be some that are totally different colors. Are they different species, different color morphs of the same species, or both? What about the sexual reproduction?

[KorbinDallas]

Sexual reproduction doesn't happen with zoos, as far as I'm aware. None of mine in my tank have drastically changed colors or paterns. A lot of what I've read kind of skims over classifying zoos. I think that there are so many different types and since they are such weird critters, they're hard to classify without writing an entire book on it.

[bookfish]

I'm gonna ask Dr. Ron since I've been wondering myself.
-Jim A.

[musicsmaker]

Sounds like a good idea bookfish. I link us to that question in his forum. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=153613 Thanks again.

[Mako]

My own personel expeirence has shown that lighting plays a major factor in zoo coloration a majority of the time. I can take certain zooanthids and place them under different intensity/spectrums of light and come up with totally different colorations. Species plays a roll in this also, becuase I have observed others that stay pretty much the same color no matter the light intensity/spectrum.

fwiw

[scubadude]

The zoos on the right are under 10k ushios


Same exact zoos but after 2 mos. under natural sunlight

[BlAcK_PeRcUlA]

scuba dude,

did you use some sort of outdoor vat? that's really cool color changes

[musicsmaker]

What about two different colors in the same tank? Are they most likely different species, or just color strains of the same species.