How much color change?

[alten78]

In attempts to start stocking my 75, I picked up these zoa frags about a week ago. Though I kept a mostly lps/sps 30 gal for 3 years (RIP,) I've never had zoa's. The question I have is, after adding them to the tank, how soon and how much have you noticed that they change color or if any at all? They've only been in there a week and Ive noticed a fairly subtle change.

The lfs had them on sale, 3 frags for $40, figured it was a decent price and might as well try'em out.

These fell over onto the sand and haven't opened up since, but the brown around the skirts are getting larger.
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y139/alten78/fish011.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

These are starting to get white spots around the skirts, another thing Im not particularly happy with.
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y139/alten78/fish010.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

The yellow is slowly taking over the purple, hopefully most of the purple stays.
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y139/alten78/fish009.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

And finally a shot of the tank to show where these are positioned. Still adding rock week to week. Running 2 250w 14k phoenix bulbs, only using one tunze on a controller until more rock is added (too many sandstorms with both on.) ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are at 0, ph 8.1, alk is a little low at 2.0 meq/L (correcting now,) calc test ran out so that is coming soon.

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y139/alten78/fish012.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

TIA

 

[alten78]

nobody else has witnessed a color change, sweet

 

[cmsargent]

Zoas changing color is very common. They react to the lighting and tank conditions. I've had zoas that gain and loose white spots or lines like you mentioned. I've had them change color from green to orange. Some seem to darken others lighten thier base colors.

They're not real garuntee that the way zoas look in the store or in a friends tank is how they'r going to look in your tank. Sometime the zoas may change while they're acclimating to your tank and will change back to there original color with time. Other times the changes are permanent.

You can try to change where they are in the tank if you want to try and have them change colors. It's kind of trail and error. But if you do move them around leave them in one spot for at least a couple of week to give them time to see how they'll like that spot.

 

[aquarius77]

my avatar morphed from what you see into these guys on the bottom right side of this pic:

 

[alten78]

cool, thanks for the info