. Thanks y’all!
Wow thank you so much!! My first super informative zoa ID!! Are the blood shots more expensive? Are they all blood shots and not vamps in drag/sonic flares at all? The others seem to resemble the sonic flares it’s just the one polyp that really looks like the bloodshotSweet collection you've got going, and they look really healthy too! So that zoanthid is actually called VW Bloodshots (also starting to go around as Gonzo's Lost Boys). Vamps in Drag is basically another name for Sonic Flares. I believe Cherry Corals started making the Vamps in Drag the more popular name, but I could be wrong.
Online photos make them a bit similar, but VW Bloodshots have a pastel coloration and pink ring. The Vamps in Drag have a more bright silver body with a reddish ring.
Here's some photo comparisons of both morphs.
Vamps in Drag/ Sonic Flares:
VW Bloodshots:
That center polyp looking a bit different is completely normal of the morph. It may eventually look like the rest of the frag, or it might stay the same. Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Darwin
No worries! I love zoas and have been collecting them for a long time, just glad to be helpful. They're both around the same price, but I'd say the VW Bloodshots are harder to find than the Vamps in Drag. Be sure to say "VW" Bloodshots as the more commonly known Bloodshot is from Jason Fox, and is a sought after morph that looks like this (confusing, I know. I believe Vance (VW) thought they looked the same at the time).
Wow, this is awesome thanks a million! I did notice a color change after I upped my lighting (added another AI Prime HD) but the middle polyp just kept changing. Your explanation makes a ton of sense and you’re incredibly knowledgeable about zoas! Glad you’re here on R2R helping peopleNo worries! I love zoas and have been collecting them for a long time, just glad to be helpful. They're both around the same price, but I'd say the VW Bloodshots are harder to find than the Vamps in Drag. Be sure to say "VW" Bloodshots as the more commonly known Bloodshot is from Jason Fox, and is a sought after morph that looks like this (confusing, I know. I believe Vance (VW) thought they looked the same at the time).
The polyp in the center is most likely the same as the rest of the frag. You can confirm this by checking if all of the polyp tissues are connected. If so, then they're a part of the same colony and thus the same coral. Zoanthids will change their appearances based upon the lighting and flow you give them, some strains more so than others.
The VW Blooshots are a great case of this. Here's a photo of a few grown out frags I have when placed in lower light. They polyps get bigger, but the colors become a tad bit more muted. You can see the newer growths being more "concentrated" in colors because they're smaller and haven't morphed to the current lighting conditions I've given them. Sort of think of it like a plant. Older leaves will grow and change to the conditions of light and water given them, while smaller younger leaves will generally all start the same and then change overtime. Your middle polyp is probably one of the older polyps, so it's the polyp that's changed/ developed the most.
I originally grew these VW Bloodshots under Mars Aqua Lights (aka China Black Box LEDs). Here's a frag of one from such set up.
I switched over to Kessils some time ago, and this is what they look now:
So the kind of lighting you give them will effect how they turn out, but they are still all the same strain.
Cheers,
Darwin
