Master Scoly Babies?

[wireefman]

Definitely look like buds to me.

agree

Zoas do not spread in that kind of pattern.

couldnt be more wrong... not all zoas grow in clusters.. some spread out before growing new polyps



if the buds have a stony base they can't be zoas.
agree and in one of the pics it looks like there is a stoney base

I have seen several multiple headed scolys online so it can be possible.Keep us posted.

 

[klrreef]

That awesome. Instead of cutting them, I'd rather have a master scoly colony!! Imagine that. :thumbsup:

Great news

I agree! I would not cut them!

 

[klrreef]

Buds are growing pretty quickly. Might try cutting one off when they get a little bigger.

<a href="http://s1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb396/Jim23439/?action=view&current=IMG_4003.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb396/Jim23439/IMG_4003.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

This image appears as if the baby are budding off of the scolymia and I surfed google and came across these images which suggest scolymia do bud in the pattern that we are possibly seeing on your scolymia.

This is a different sp. of scolymia but still a scolymia, so the reproduction patterns should be similar if not the same.

 

[NVTE]

that is cool.

 

[oceanarium]

They still look like buds to me,

If you want to be sure in your own mind just give one a very gentle touch. You will feel the stony base.

 

[Sheol]

Those are Scoly buds, you can see the skeleton/corralite forming in the flesh.
This is pretty darn cool btw. I lost two Scoly's so I will not be trying anymore but I love to see them reproducing for someone!

Sincerely,
Matthew

 

[Fishbone]

I'm honestly not convinced one way or another. Good or bad I will keep everyone up to speed. I have some baby zoa in my tank that are somewhat similar in size and they look different. I repositioned the scoly so the babies were facing up and for the better part of today the "mother" was puffed up more than normal and covering the babies. I'm concerned they might get choked out. I'm going to move the scoly back to the way I originally had it.

 

[Fishbone]

Here some more pics from today. The larger of the babies is just over an 1/8". I took a couple shoots of my small Zoas baby for comparison. The small Zoa's in the pic are close to the same size.

<a href="http://s1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb396/Jim23439/?action=view&current=IMG_4051.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb396/Jim23439/IMG_4051.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb396/Jim23439/?action=view&current=IMG_4038.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb396/Jim23439/IMG_4038.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb396/Jim23439/?action=view&current=IMG_4037.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb396/Jim23439/IMG_4037.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

There appears to be a white skelton at the edges.

<a href="http://s1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb396/Jim23439/?action=view&current=IMG_4032.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb396/Jim23439/IMG_4032.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

[wireefman]

in thoes pics they look like zoanthids when closed... if you touch it is there a skeleton forming? that should awnser your question

 

[Fishbone]

They look just like zoas when they close up. I don’t want to risk damaging or irritating them by touching. Nothing really good can come out of it beside me finding out what they are quicker. If there is one thing 15 years of reefing has taught me is patience. I’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out. The thing that really makes me think they are Scolies is the lack of an outer skirt. All the zoas i have, which is only four colonies form a small outer skirt at 1/8”

 

[jkhchris]

Closed up they really look like Zoas . The appearance of a sceliton could just be a short skirt/frill around the zoa.

Chris

 

[strittmatter]

here is my 2 mouthed Scolly, But I always assumed it was some sort of split not a baby growing out the side.

 

[oceanarium]

Haa those last pics make them look more like Zoa's :uhoh2:

 

[aakinego]

Those do look like zoas now.

 

[Fishbone]

They are growing at a pretty good clip, so we will know soon enough. I'm traveling this week and will take some more pics when I get home this weekend

 

[alpinestar]

I have ordered them in before and some have had zoanthids growing in same pattern and others truly sprouting little scolys. Easiest test for me was to gently touch the either with finger or smooth side of scalpel to feel the bone under the flesh. It's very easy to tell the diference in the two. Just try and be gentle as not to irritate or damage it

 

[Fishbone]

Alpinestar-when they grow scoly do they close like Zoas? I just manned up and felt them and I don't feel a skeleton.The big one is now the size of a small zoa and still has no skirt.

 

[reefling]

here is my 2 mouthed Scolly, But I always assumed it was some sort of split not a baby growing out the side.

when i researched scolys, this is what I came up with for reproduction. that or cut them up like a pizza with a wet bandsaw. as much as I want those to be scoly, they are probably polyps. it is hard to explain the pattern. it would seem as if they should be connected by a mat if they were zoas.

 

[elegance coral]

Those are not zoo's.

Congrats on the little ones.:celeb3:

I would let them grow out a little more. Until they have a good solid skeleton of their own. Then very gently remove them from the parent coral. They will grow much faster once they are on their own. The trick is to get them off the parent coral and attached to something solid without damaging them.

Good Luck
EC

 

[alpinestar]

I can't really say the retract like scolys it's more like they deflate. And I would defiantly remove them once they have reached a decent size like half dime size but I also wasn't afraid to feed a couple pieces of of brine late night either