translocation of zooanthallae

Hi Guys
Here is something interesting... I know that corals can pickup different strains of zooanthallae and here is what happened in my tank. I have a small frag of thin branched staghorn acropora. Ive had this piece in my system for about 8 months and it is a nice blue color. I recently purchased some neon green birdnest and placed it about 1.5" away from the stag. In a months time the stag went from blue to metallic green. Do you think this could have been a translocation event of the stag picking up the zooanthallae strain from the birdsnest?

Roy

 

Lack of or to much of a change in lighting. is what you have going on..

 

No. Zooxanthellae is a brownish yellow color! The various vibrant colors are due to pigments and accessory pigments and iridiphores in Tridacna Clam mantles.
These pigments offer protection form UV light mainly, or to increase the amount of light, but this is normally a result of the growth and shape of the coral, ie. plate from deeper water and branching from shallower water depths.
It is probably a result of your Acropora finally adjusting to the light in your tank as oppossed to the light in the tank at the location where you bought the coral from!

 

hmm interesting... i have had the stag frag in there for a long time, and has always held its color. The reason i brought up the zoo info was that i was reading an article by dana riddle that stated that there are 3 different types of zooanthallae known so far and they reflect back certain wave lengths of light, so thats why i was wondering if that could have had an effect on the coral color. I know that most of the coral color comes from corals response to uv.
As for lighting it hasn't changed in 11 months, 250w de 14k halide over 24g tank. In a month im changing over to a aqualine buschk 20k
thanks guys

 

Coral has been in tank for 8 months you stated and in the world of corals thats not very long at all. And if you took procession of it 8 months ago and placed it in your tank You have no idea as to what lighting it was grown under.. I'd say it was under strong VHO actinic's Thats what many will do to sell them run a frag under 14 to 20 K and lots of Actinic VHO for 18 hrs per day to get them to color up like that.. Thats why we run ours under no spacial lighting so as not to color them up only to have them fade in 6 months in the customers tanks..

 

yes it has, mh bulbs change parameters daily.

actually there are 10

Zooxanthella - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Dont we all just loke the Wiki-god? As for the color change...I find it unlikely that it is all coincidence that right when you buy a new coral and place it near another one...the old one changes color. But hey thats just my crazy ideas XD

 

do you have pictures of your tank?