New Species!

[davidhughes85]

My accounting professor does some diving in the carribbean and came across a zoo that he nor his friend, a dive master, could identify. The dive master has ran a pic of it around in some circles but has not found an id. I dont have the pic but I have seen it in his office. I told him I would post on here and see if anybody has heard anything. Its not hard to explain, its a zoo that is white, pure white, all the way cross including the frills on the edges. Anyone seen or heard of anything like this?

 

[msman825]

were was they diving at, what state

 

[davidhughes85]

Im not sure I think it was somewhere around the bahamas maybe?

 

[msman825]

I'm sure someone around here has seen them

 

[edwing206]

someone claimed that they had pure white zoos that had an orange mouth but when asked to post a pic numerous times he did not. try to get a pic.

 

[chrisstie]

Kind of like these? I took this pic of a tank in EPCOT at walt disney world. Tried to email them to find out what it was but no response yet. I'll have to go in and ask them when I get the chance

 

[Azurel]

The ones in the picture look like bleached out Palyhtoa grandis....If that is there true color that would be a sweet one to have....

 

[davidhughes85]

actually that looks a lot like the if not them exactly ill eamil that to my prof maybe hell email his pic too

 

[sambo123]

they may have just been bleached

 

[Juan-Carlos]

Yeah Chrisstie,

Those look like bleached P. grandis, David, try and get that picture, I'd LOVE to see it!

-J

 

[jimmy595]

Perhaps these normally look like they were bleached. Why is everything that is white in color considered bleached and with such a negative connotation?

 

[Juan-Carlos]

No negative connotation from me at least... just pointing out they look bleached from my point of view. If you notice the P. grandis in the picture have a light green ring in each polyp I have seen P. grandis put under higher lighting bleach out and look exactly like those pictured above. Just an observation and an opiniated answer to Chrisstie's post.

Cheers,

-Jc

 

[Azurel]

Any coral that has zooanthellae algae such as zoa, palys and others will have color in them due to the algae. There isn't any coral in the sea that don't. The colors are there to absorb light and thus turn it into an energy source. White is the reflection of all color and that would mean the zooanthellae cannot if there is any left absorb any light. It also protects the corals from excess light by producing enzymes that allow the coral to remain alive kinda like a sunscreen.

 

[chrisstie]

Only to play devils advocate but theres dendrophyllia etc that lack zooxanthelle and need to actually eat instead of absorb sunlight.


When i saw the ones i posted up close they truly look that color and not bleached and weren't very close to a lightsource.

Ok now you're going to make me go back to epcot just to stare at these things. lucky i live in orlando!!! I can bring the good sony camera we have now and try for some macro shots but iirc these were in one of those round tanks.. so hard to photograph

 

[Azurel]

That can also be a problem, not having enough light. I just got some Palythoa grandis 2 weeks ago and were very white with blue hue. After 2 weeks in my tank they have started to get some brown and green in them along with the blue hue. I would put money on the table that if they were under more light they would color up, what colors can't tell but I would be money they would color up. I'm sure those eat also as do most large palythoa polyps but that is not a main food source and sometimes you can keep them alive longer by feeding them. This still doesn't mean they are not bleached for under lighting or over lighting. At the same time the ones the good Prof. saw they might get just enough light and enough food from plankton and detritus in the ocean to keep the energy needs met to stay alive. This doesn't mean that if they were higher in the reef or in the water column they wouldn't color up.

It can work both ways, ever lose a frag of zoas in the rock of your tank and only to find them later on all white? But when you put them back under light they color back up over time? Same thing here. I don't doubt that those at Epcot have some experience but I have seen corals and coral tanks that are far less amazing then some of the folks on this site. I have seen the tanks at Sea world and was very disappointed in the quality and the health of some of the corals in their tanks. You know they have people that are knowledgeable in the marine environment. With the ones posted I'm sure it is all about placement. Here is a picture of mine after a week in my tank in indirect lighting from 250w 14k halide:

I will tank another and you can see the difference after another week in the tank...........I wish I lived down there some really nice fish shops and I have seen some of your sweet mushrooms that never make it to the frigid north.

 

[davidhughes85]

I emailed and he said thanks for the info will pass it on.....eh

 

[Aliie]

Please keep us posted if you happen to get a pic of the ones your friend found.

 

[syrinx]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9254222#post9254222 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Azurel
Any coral that has zooanthellae algae such as zoa, palys and others will have color in them due to the algae. There isn't any coral in the sea that don't. The colors are there to absorb light and thus turn it into an energy source. White is the reflection of all color and that would mean the zooanthellae cannot if there is any left absorb any light. It also protects the corals from excess light by producing enzymes that allow the coral to remain alive kinda like a sunscreen.

In the classic never say never I have plenty of variaties of milk white leathers and toadstools. Also there are many photosynthetic xenias and other soft corals that are white.

 

[Azurel]

Stresses cause coral to expel zooxanthellae, the small algae living inside the bodies of coral. Because the zooxanthellae give the coral their colour, when they dissipate the corals suffer a loss of colour, hampering the photosynthesis process. This eventually leads to their death.

http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/about/communications/backgrounders/20020130-coral-bleaching.html

If they are milk white then they do not photosynthesis the light, and any of the Xenia that are photosynthetic will have color some where as all corals that are photosynthetic, in which the light is absorbed by the algae. Other wise they receive their energy source from the water in the form of nutrients. If there is no color(not tissue it self like Dendronephthya and other corals) then they are not photosynthetic, have you ever seen a all white Wellsophyllia? I have a nice colony of Anthelia but the veins that run along the feathery polyps are green that is where the zooxanthellae algae resides. If you have a toadstool that has green polyps or a green head then yes it is, but when it comes to white or without color, they are not photosynthetic. It defies science and the use of light as an energy source in the theory of photosynthesis in corals.

Not trying to argue......If we should discuss this more then we should start a new thread.......And leave this one to davidhughes85

 

[cokeandsmile]

time will tell keep us updated