Could use some help trying to determine the value of this zoanthid that is being offered up by a fellow reefer. According to the owner it is a morph that has grown from a single polyp within his reef. It looks to have 10-12 adult polyps as well as some babies. Please let me know your thoughts, thanks!
No, it's not worth $200.
The value is $ 15 to $ 20 max.
This is a macro shot with top down digital photography. Unless you have the exact same lighting, ( bulb number, bulb type, K value and ballast), placed on your reef, away from the front glass, and your tank isn't Starphire glass, there is no guarantee it will even look like this, and remember, it's a super macro pic top/down photo. As someone stated above, it could even morph into something completely different then what you are seeing, it happens all the time. In spite of all of that, there is no guarantee it will even live in your system. Just think about it, perfectly healthy polyps, frags and colonies die everyday and are shared on most every zoanthid forum.......and there goes your $200 and no one is going to replace them for free. Every polyp ever photographed like this is going to be stunning, even dookie browns. Unless you place it on your substrate one inch from your front glass, and you're lucky, you will never see those tiny specks and lines and it will only look like an orange zoanthid. Just keep that in mind.
See post # 17, 18 and 19 in the link below.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2062730
That's an awful lot of polyps for half the price.
You resfectfully ask for opinions, and that is my opinion my friend.
Good luck with your decision.
Mucho
