I want to see pics of colorful ZOAs in their natural habitat

Here are some pictures from the Keys, we usually find Greens and Blues....

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those pics are awesome. I've been diving in the keys for years. seen lots of ricordea(looe key reef) but never seen any zoas. When we went earlier this year it was very dishartening. There were many large dead patches all over the reefs with brown diatomes and red slime all over them for yards and yards. sad really.

Hey Grouper, on a lighter note where exactly did you snap those pics? I'm gonna guess somewhere off of big pine.
 
Yep, "somewhere" off of Big Pine Key....
First 2 in about 20 feet of water, last one in about 1 foot....
We dove Looe Key earlier this year, not a ricordea in sight.....but I got plenty of Ricordea pictures from other locations throughout the Keys, I have a thread somewhere in the Ricordea forum....
 
I REALLY like the Palythoa in the bottom left of the 1st pic. I have been driven absolutley CRAZY trying to find one available near me! I think that the palythoas r the kings of button polyps/ sea mats. Since I started to get into reefing seriously I have been looking for a nice healthy colony. I only come across 2 in 5 years and they were far from healthy. I know that some online sources sell them once in a very long while but I would like to avoid the whole shipping process to assure I am getting a specimen thats healthy and minimally stressed.
I wish there was a thread showing pictures of other reefers Palythoa. It would help me identify a healthy specimen.
Thanx for the pics
Joe
 

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