What This On My Zoas?

[njphin]

I just got a new frag of zoas yesterday. They haven't opened yet. I noticed this featherduster looking thing in the middle of the zoas. It closes if you try to touch it and it opens if left alone. Not sure if this is the reason my zoas aren't opening. Anyone know what it is?

 

[mr_X]

probably a feather duster. can you get a closer pic?

 

[njphin]

Not sure if this pic is any better. If it is just a featherduster should I still go down and try to pull it off with tweezers? I got another frag of zoas that opened up the day I got them and are still open even with the lights off. Thinking this featerduster is keeping them from opening.

 

[JustOneMore20]

Its hard to tell, but it slightly resembles aiptasia. That for sure would keep them from opening. Usually feather dusters don't bother then as much...atleast the smaller ones that I have on my Zoa rocks don't.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Really hard to tell, but it does kind of have an aiptasia look to it.

 

[mr_X]

if it has an anemone-like appearance, then it might be aptasia or majano anemone, but if it has a calcium based tube it retracts into, then it's a duster or some type of filter feeding worm.
if in fact it's an anemone, it might be the cause of the zoas not opening, but i'm not convinced this is the issue here.
the zoas on the outskirts of that frag are not touched by the alleged anemone, and yet they are still not open.

some zoas are just more finicky than others too. it migfht be completely unrelated to the hitch creature.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

A feather duster will generally have arms that have fine little hairs, like feather (hence the name). They also look like little satellite dishes when they are smaller like yours (generally).

Aptaisa has similar arms but does not have the feather-like appearance (no hairs). They're more conical, long and tapered and they will contract when you get near them also. However, they contract differently. Feather dusters will 'suck' into their tube, Aptasia will pull back and contract but they have no tube, rather just a base/stalk.

Which one does it sound like?

 

[njphin]

From what Floyd desribed it sounds like a feather duster as it has the fine little hairs. I have dealt with Aptaisa in the past so it doesn't look like that. So its sounds like a feather duster, should I try to get it off some how? I'll see tonight if the zoas open up under the light.

 

[mr_X]

i don't think the duster is keeping them closed.
after all, those zoas had to grow from a single one around that duster. it didn't just suddenly decide to force itself through a mass of coral flesh in the center of those polyps.
i've purchased boxes of zoa colonies on multiple occasions. they actually come dry, wrapped in newspaper from indo.
anyway, some of them open right up, and others take a week to open. it's just how they are.