The Georgia Peaches (or Nuclear Peaches) zoanthus is one of my favorites because it was one of the zoas I owned that not a lot of other people had. Even though I didn’t hype it up, I’ve always thought it was one of the best morphs in my collection.
Under MH lighting and actinics, the peach color really popped – to the point of radioactivity!
When I showed these pictures to the community, some have even suggested these zoas could be a morph of the rainbow zoas. What do you think? Are these more like rainbows or are they simply peachy?
Tags: Peach Zoas, Rainbow Zoas
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As far as green zoas go, Mean Green zoas is one of the more sought after green zoas.
Mean Greens can be easily identified by their brown skirts, green plate and an enlarged white center that extends just beyond the mouth.
I’ve found these zoas do better in medium lighting as they seem to extend better in that setting coupled with medium flow.
Tags: Green Zoas, mean green
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Purple People Eater (a.k.a. PPE) is probably one of the most famous named palythoa/zoa if not THE most famous coral in the zoas market. You can probably say PPE’s are what started the whole zoanthid naming fad as well as helping push collectors and reefers to sell and charge outrageous prices for zoas and palys by the polyp.
Despite it being one of the plainer morphs compared to some of the more recent discoveries, this giant polyp palythoa (or zoa) commands attention in private tanks and is often sought after by zoa collectors.
You can note its distinctive features by its size, the neon green skirts, the deep purple colored plate and its distinctive neon green mouth which is now grouped as the “People Eaters” feature.
The origin of PPE’s came from Blane Perun’s online store Farms of the Sea where he describes the PPE’s in more detail.
I obtained this colony by chance in or around 2001. In addition I have a matching zoanthids colony, as to where I believe this to be Palythoa or Protopalythoa. After about 1 year the specimen began coloring up and I sold off about 15 fragments for $25-$35 bucks each,ironically most of these people complained about the piece when they got it. The colony at that time still was not mature, not reaching it’s full beauty. The following year I sold propagation’s for about $40 bucks and people were outraged, So I stopped but soon saw them selling on ebay for about $200.
Although the original high listing price was set to help a charity, it inadvertently set the status for this morph and helped set the precedent for high prices for reefers who desperately wanted this paly. PPE’s slow growth also contributed to its inability to meet demand, thus continuing the high price points which are often found on the Internet for collectors who simply MUST own a frag of this morph.
So what are your thoughts on this matter? Is the PPE worth it?
Tags: blane perun, Palythoa, people eaters, PPE, PPEs, purple people eater
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True Eagle Eye Zoas are really something when you get them in your collection. Compared with their darker, deeper morph (the watermelon zoas), the Eagle Eyes cast a bright orange stare that sometimes hipnotizes you when you stare at them. It always amazes me how people can see different things in a circle filled with different colors but I must admit, when you look at this zoa, it really does feel like you’re staring into the eyes of an eagle or some predatory bird.
Eagle Eyes can be defined by their light green skirt, gray mouth, orange plate and a bold dark ring around the main zoa body (plate). Luckily for beginners, this is one of the more traded zoas in the hobby and they grow pretty easily under normal home reef conditions. If you are looking for some Eagle Eyes to trade or frag, please leave some comments below.
Tags: eagle eyes, watermelon zoas
Posted in Orange Zoas, Zoanthids | Comments (View Comments)
The Armor of God zoanthid is definitely a fan favorite amongst zoa collectors. This zoanthus has a metallic sheen which sparkles under the right combination of metal halide and actinic lighting. The zoa is defined by its silvery/gray skirt that surrounds a red, pinstriped plate which resembles a shield that may have been blessed by unexplained religious powers.
Fortunately for zoa collectors, this is a relatively easy zoanthid to grow and as long as your tank has proper lighting and flow, this morph will reproduce rather easily.
Tags: armor of god, red zoas
Posted in Red Zoanthids, Zoanthids | Comments (View Comments)
