Will two zoa mats become one?

[121]

I have a load of single polyps left over after fragging and wondered if glueing multiple polyps onto one frag plug would turn into one colony.

Say you glued two individual zoa polyps (of the same type) onto one frag plug. When their mats starts to grow out and touch each other will they fuse into one colony, (sharing nutrients) or grow around each other as two seperate colonies?

I presumed that they would fuse and become one.

Your thoughts?

 

[dfowlks]

I have seen my lfs glue different zoas onto one rock and they look very good together. I am not sure if they share the same mat but they grow in together. Just make sure the polyps are the same size.

 

[motownmego]

i have taken yellow zoas, fire and ice zoas, and radioactive dragon eyes on the same rock and they all grew together

 

[srjordon]

if one of them is a really fast grower it might grow over the others, I have some button poylps that will overtake just about anything

 

[hunnicuttz]

i have taken yellow zoas, fire and ice zoas, and radioactive dragon eyes on the same rock and they all grew together

Do you have any pics of this rock, I bet it looks great!

 

[Jacwil]

Also if you do this, the ones closest to a differing one may morph into a new colored zoa.

 

[motownmego]

Do you have any pics of this rock, I bet it looks great!

i just cut a bunch off it the other day its still recovering but i will once it looks better

 

[Akwarius]

Also if you do this, the ones closest to a differing one may morph into a new colored zoa.

What are you basing this on? Has this happened to your zoanthids?

 

[650-IS350]

it's only been done on protopalys mixing nuclear greens and purple deaths resulting in a new protopaly, nuclear deaths or what some call two face.

 

[Scopus Tang]

i have taken yellow zoas, fire and ice zoas, and radioactive dragon eyes on the same rock and they all grew together

The zoas grew together or the mats grew together and mixed? IME, the zoas will grow together, but the mats and zoas remain seperate. The now commonly avialable Whammin Watermelon and Radioactive Dragoneye rocks are a classic example of this. I have Pink Panthers and Chocholate mint zoas that have grow together in the same area of rock but the colonies and individual polyps remain distinct.

it's only been done on protopalys mixing nuclear greens and purple deaths resulting in a new protopaly, nuclear deaths or what some call two face.

Charles, if I remember correctly, some of this was also accomplished by cutting and gluing polyps to create the hybrid look as well. Sound right? I have seen pictures of the true hybrids as well, and its pretty cool, but I've also never seen this on zoas, just protopalys.

 

[650-IS350]

yep just protos from what I know of. I also think protos are much tougher which allows you to cut em and glue em together. Don't know if zoanthids/palys can take such abuse.

 

[Akwarius]

Interesting concept. Makes me want to go Dr. Frankenstien on all of my zoas. I wonder if anyone has created any hybrid captain America protos?