Is this a Zoa or Palythzoa

[fletch’s reef]

I was told these were zoas when I bought them but I’m honestly unsure. Do I need to be worried if they are palys?

 

[commod0re]

They look like zoas to me

 

[Baldyreef]

my lfs has a ton of those definetly zoas

 

[kevgib67]

+1 zoas and welcome to R2R!

 

[fletch’s reef]

They look like zoas to me

Thank you!

 

[fletch’s reef]

+1 zoas and welcome to R2R!

Thank you!!

 

[fletch’s reef]

my lfs has a ton of those definetly zoas

Heck yeah. Thanks man

 

[Baldyreef]

how much did you get them for that's a really nice big chunk

 

[EnterName]

Both Zoanthus spp. and Palythoa spp. can carry Palytoxin so if that is what you are worried about then it doesn't make much of a difference.

Source 1:
"Two other zoanthid species, Zoanthus solanderi and Z. sociatus, are the major competitors of Palythoa for space in the reef. They grow in colonies close to those of Palythoa and contain also variable concentrations of PTX (Fig. 1). The toxin was also identified by HPLC in samples of both Palythoa and Zoanthus (Fig. 2)."
- Studies on the Origin and Distribution of Palytoxin in a Carribean Coral Reef (Gleibs et al. 1995)

More sources because the first one is paywalled:

Source 2:
"Colony-forming corals of the order Cnidaria, family: Zoanthidae, including species of Palythoa, Protopalythoa, Zoanthus and Parazoanthus are known to contain one of the most potent marine compounds, palytoxin (PTX), which has a complex polyketide structure (Moore and Scheuer, 1971; Moore, 1985; Shimizu, 1983; Gleibs et al., 1995; Gleibs and Mebs, 1999)."
- A case of palytoxin poisoning due to contact with zoanthid corals through a skin injury (Hoffmann et al. 2008)

Source 3:
"Many corals, like Zoanthid corals, also known as soft corals, are a very popular component of aquariums (home or public) due to their beauty and low maintenance. Species of Zoanthid corals, such as Palythoa and Zoanthus, can contain a highly toxic, potentially lethal compound known as palytoxin."
- Coral Toxicity (Dhakal et al. 2023)

And yes, this applies to aquaria as well, because some people claim they would lose their toxicity in tanks: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/14/2/33

 

[fletch’s reef]

how much did you get them for that's a really nice big chunk

$35!!! I have been going to the same shop for a year and get all my corals there and they had some zoas that have genuinely just been sitting there. Honestly feel like I got lucky!

 

[commod0re]

$35!!! I have been going to the same shop for a year and get all my corals there and they had some zoas that have genuinely just been sitting there. Honestly feel like I got lucky!

that's a great deal, nice one!

 

[vetteguy53081]

I was told these were zoas when I bought them but I’m honestly unsure. Do I need to be worried if they are palys?

Zoa for sure

 

[littlebigreef]

Looks like you have a combo of mohawks and pandoras. These are both noted growers that generally do well. It is best to keep them isolated and off the main rock work. These larger zoas are juicy and do have a higher tendency to squirt when worked with. So, just be aware when you work with them.

 

[fletch’s reef]

Looks like you have a combo of mohawks and pandoras. These are both noted growers that generally do well. It is best to keep them isolated and off the main rock work. These larger zoas are juicy and do have a higher tendency to squirt when worked with. So, just be aware when you work with them.

Awesome! Thank you I appreciate it

 

[BryanM]

Zoas, but there is a common feeling that the larger the zoa, the more likely it contains harmful palytoxins.