I need to know!

[aquarius77]

What are the differences between zoos and palys?
I realize some paly are much larger than some zoo polyps but what defines each and how do you tell the differences?

 

[LoudProudNPunk]

i believe a paly will have little bits of ruble and sand because it uses that to help build its structure. Also palys size is larger. thats how i tell, why do you need to know? maybe if you have something post a pic and people will tell you.

 

[Peter Eichler]

Keep in mind that most zoanthid fanatics will call what are not really palythoa palythoas. For instance People Eaters are not really palythoa according to scientific classification but are widely called palys in this hobby. In other words, if you're talking in terms of the hobby, usually it's just the larger polyps that often exhibit a feeding response that are called palys. Now that my work here is done, I'm off to confuse more people! :lol:

 

[aquarius77]

I need to know because i want to know what im buying!
I have pics but i figured id wait on em. but you asked!

I belive these to be palys because of their size:

Here we have what i belive zoos to be up on the left and pink palys downto the lower right. I think those are palys because they grow in a different way that what i belive zoos do, kind of like a thick fleshy base.

In this picture the bottom left green ones i think are zoos above them are some blueish fellas that im am unsure of? On the right side of the pic i have a decent colony of what i belive are zoos, right below them i have some hitch hiker polyps that i belive are palys.

here is a better shot of the hitch hikers im talking about, they are kind of peach and pink.

And what are these? Dead center of this pic are some beautiful polyps, the ones in front of the orange ric. They seem to be large but are they zoos or palys. To me they seem to grow out like what i belive zoos do, but they have some good size like a paly?

Im not sure about any of these but i suspect the big green guys are palys.

So what defines a paly from a zoo? Is there a noticable difference in their growth pattern? How about the base of the coral, some that i think are palys grow in a fleshy mat, some seem to grow single and pop off another single when they reproduce? Is there a difference in growth pattern between different species zoas? Im just really confused and would like to be able to look at a polyp and say thats a paly or thats a zoo, and if asked why they are a paly or zoo id like to be able offer a clear answer that makes sense.

 

[Peter Eichler]

So what defines a paly from a zoo? Is there a noticable difference in their growth pattern? How about the base of the coral, some that i think are palys grow in a fleshy mat, some seem to grow single and pop off another single when they reproduce? Is there a difference in growth pattern between different species zoas? Im just really confused and would like to be able to look at a polyp and say thats a paly or thats a zoo, and if asked why they are a paly or zoo id like to be able offer a clear answer that makes sense. [/B]

The reason you're not getting a whole lot of help is because just about everyone else is just as confused as you are, even science to a certain degree... You've got is down pretty well from the hobbyist perspective, but keep in mind, just because hobbyists call it a Paly doesn't mean it is Palythoa or Protopalythoa. Things often called Palys are often just a larger species of Zoanthus, which is what all of your larger polyps appear to be.

If you want to just simplify it and go along with the typical hobbyist definition. If it's a larger polyp that doesn't form a dense mat and exhibits clear feeding responses it's considered a paly. If it's a larger polyp that doesn't have the feeding response it can still be considered a paly as long as it's most solitary polyps or clusters of smaller amounts of polyps. In short, there is no clear answer and we've managed to confuse things as hobbyists and labeling things that are clearly Zoanthus as Palys.

 

[aquarius77]

Me and my LFS guy go rounds about what is paly and what is a zoo everytime im in there. We both finally admitted that neither one of us know what were talking about, so i figured id ask.