Paly vs zoa growth differences

[brad65ford]

Maybe it's just mine or the setup I'm running but I've notice that my palys want room and spread out vs my zoas like grow tightly together. Does your palys do the same?

 

[tamn3]

Yeah I've noticed the same thing. I think that's just how they are.

 

[partsguy247]

I got the same thing going on in my tank.

 

[MAVX]

x3.

 

[Sinclair81]

Yea mine do the same, I have a colony palys that is over taking my zoas now! argh!

 

[MrBillLumberg]

how do you know what are palys and what are zoas?

 

[Jarred1]

Palys look like they have little bits of sand in their stocks and are usually not as colorful as zoas. Zoas should have nothing on their stocks it should just look cloudy.

 

[childofgod]

Can any one post a picture to show the differents? I was wondering the same thing.

 

[brad65ford]

Hard to see the bodys/stems/stocks but the plays are spreading themselves out unlike the zoas like to stay tight. Propably a night picture would be better to see what I'm talking about.

 

[SushiGirl]

Zoas - note how they spread almost from a mat and have short stalks (unless they're reaching for the light). Heads are not as big around or as "flimsy" as palys.

Palys - individual polyps (no mat), and thicker stalks with white specks of sand embedded and bigger, floppier heads.

 

[brad65ford]

Much better pic than mine, thanks SushiGirl

 

[SushiGirl]

No problem!
I was actually surprised I had a couple that showed a pretty good difference LOL.

 

[childofgod]

I thought you could tell by the heads. So when I heard about the stalks I thought maybe I was wrong. Thanks a lot.

 

[Jarred1]

Many people call zoas that have larger oral discs palys even though they are zoas and not palys. Many of the zoas that people call palys aren't true palys they are zoas that are just slightly larger than other zoas.