Gobstopper morphing?
- Thread starter MyLittleReef
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There’s a lot of debate on this subject. I thinks it’s possible corals can somehow transfer colors when they touch but many with more knowledge than me will say they can’t. I’ve seen a lot of examples from people but nobody ever proves it. I suspect that anyone that does know how would never open their mouth.
I had a pipe organ coral fall on a green Hollywood stunner chalice. The area that was in contact now has a green glow while the rest of the coral just remains white. I had a purple acan plug fall on top of a orange Florida ric and now it has some orange in it. In fact all the new heads it grew now how this light orange banding. Maybe the orange was always going to come out, I have no way to prove otherwise.
It seems to me if this is possible it surrounds the idea of not only the corals touching but they need to do a little damage to each other which maybe is how the colors leave one and go to the other.
I had a pipe organ coral fall on a green Hollywood stunner chalice. The area that was in contact now has a green glow while the rest of the coral just remains white. I had a purple acan plug fall on top of a orange Florida ric and now it has some orange in it. In fact all the new heads it grew now how this light orange banding. Maybe the orange was always going to come out, I have no way to prove otherwise.
It seems to me if this is possible it surrounds the idea of not only the corals touching but they need to do a little damage to each other which maybe is how the colors leave one and go to the other.
I have def seen people show this happen with zoas growing together. There was somebody who was cutting them in half and kinda splicing them together with some success. I’ve seen some people do that with mushrooms as well.
Are yours producing new polyps showing different colors or do you have some older polyps that are now taking on some new color?
Are yours producing new polyps showing different colors or do you have some older polyps that are now taking on some new color?
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MyLittleReef
Active Member
From what I can tell, it looks like it’s taking place more in the center of the colony of Gobstoppers rather than on the edge. When they are all closed up I see the little bright skirt zoas sparsely mixed between them and I don’t doubt some have been overtaken by the Gobs. Don’t purple & nuclear deaths do this sort of thing? Only thing is, the size difference is so great that the little bright skirts may get choked out if I don’t separate some on their own rock.
Its interesting how one coral can win out and sometimes they just play nice together. I saw a thread from a while back where the poster believed some of the wild jawbreaker shrooms were picking up the red green and purple colors from being in contact with zoas. That the wild shrooms were almost always on rock with zoas and would even grow right on top of the zoas. He believed some this altered the shroom giving it new colors that could also be transferred to any new baby shrooms.
I dunno but it’s interesting and keeps me searching and looking for what’s going on in people’s tanks.
I dunno but it’s interesting and keeps me searching and looking for what’s going on in people’s tanks.
Do you think that might be some pigment that fell off the other zoa and is just laying on the others lash? I have seen some of my corals release pigment when disturbed or brushed against something. You could try blowing that sunny D and see if the pink pigment comes off.
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MyLittleReef
Active Member
Pretty cool. See if you can keep an eye on these spots for a week or so and see if they stay pink. I’m fascinated by this kind of stuff and all too often these threads just end without answer. I’m curious if these are the start of morphs, time will tell.
Gloryofthereef
Community Member
Zooxanthellae are the organisms responsible for many of the colors we see in corals, I don't see why these organisms couldn't enter into a new coral, find a good environment, and sucessfully colonize the new coral... This is definitely something I'm going to start thinking about more carefully..... I have always wondered if name brand lineage starters had some kind of major hook-up with distributors where they got first dibs on EVERYTHING that came in, or if they somehow figured out a way to "add color" to "ugly" specimens.... I'm thinking about some of CB's lineages and maybe there is something to "in vivo" coral transfers...
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