Zoa spawning event

[cook]

This is the third time that I have seen them do this in 2 months. They have prob done it many more times, I have had big problems w/ my skimmer overflowing. I think they will morph into armegeddons. Is this common? They are letting out large eggs and sperm bundles.

 

[ssavader]

PHOTO!!!!!!! Share the experience!

 

[cook]

pics

pics

This is the colony

an egg

the sperm comes off in bundles and breaks into many about the size of a microbubble.

 

[650-IS350]

Are you sure they aren't POOPing... zoas and palys unlike like other corals produce by replecation/cloning like anemones. SPS do send out eggs and sperm

 

[kolamp]

Wow!!....ure lucky can view the great event...soon ur tank will full of baby zoa...hehe

 

[cook]

Not poop. You can actually see the sperm bundles raise into the water column and burst. Some are sending out eggs. They all do this together so I doubt it's poop. Plus I have seen many zoas poop and it's nothing the size of these eggs.

 

[650-IS350]

Thats very odd and intresting, you should send Fener and shmieck an email and ask them questions regarding that.

 

[ssavader]

See the RC article by Eric Borneman and/or Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine, 2003 article which describes zoanthid and protopalythoa spawning events. The later article describes zoanthid spawning synchronized with classic coral spawning events on the Great Barrier Reef. Beside the classic matting and budding of new polyps, they can actually spawn like SPS. Borneman's article has some great pictures. Cook, can you possible get some better pics if it is still occurring or occurrs again?

 

[cook]

I would think it will happen again. I will try to get better pics but it is tough.

 

[650-IS350]

goodluck, it'd be sweet to see better pics

 

[cook]

I have a nice cannon but my wife dropped it. Landed right on the tile floor. This is the resulting macro shot. It would be nice to get some zoas out of it but I doubt that will happen. It is possible though. I just watched a great special called equator. This had some of the best shots and info of coral reefs(in HD too!) They show the spawind events-sperm and eggs. This is def what this colony is doing.

 

[mikedelgado]

I had no idea they did that...Thanks for the info....

 

[MUCHO REEF]

Great thread, hate to see it die so soon. Any other developments to report? If you have mpeg capability on your digital camera, it would be great if you could shoot and post the event, here or on Utube and share the link. Thanks for sharing this.

Mucho Reef