Zooxanthellae

Is Zooxanthellae the stuff that makes certain corals (palys for example) glow green under actinics? once they expel it, can they gain it back? because i think my palys lost all of theirs after salinity sky rocketed. this morning i noticed that green glow. i thought this was immposible? will they go all the way back to that bright green?

 

They rarely lose all of their zooxanthellae. Even if they did, they can be re-infected by the same zoox or sometimes a different clade of zoox.

 

how would they be reinfected? its the only coral i have in my tank? and does the Zoo. also affect the overall color of the coral? because at the lfs it was brown, but in my tank is pinkish.

 

It was brown at the LFS because of stress, it is assuming it's natural color in your tank. Re-infection occurs because the coral will absorb the zoox or attempt to eat and then incorporate it into its system.

 

so even if it lost alot of zoo. about 2 weeks ago, it can still gain it back? gosh i love the little suprises. thats a relief though, cuz i loved that green look. thanks

 

Corals regulate the amount of zoox they have based on many factors. Primarily it's based on Oxygen levels. However, it can be based on nutrient levels, temperature levels, salinity levels and so on. When the coral is first infected, the zooxanthellae (which is a dinoflagellate) lose their flagella. In other words, they lose the ability to swim. If a coral spits it out, it is subject to the flow in your tank. If it gets unlucky, it might end up in your skimmer. If it's lucky, it avoids filtration long enough to either bump back into a coral polyp or regrow it's flagella. In your case, since you only have one coral, it can't be reinfected by a different clade. However, if you had other corals in your tank, this is a definite possibility.

Zoox does have an impact on coloration on corals. Particularly on SPS corals where the tissue is only 1 cell thick. However, most of the coral coloration comes from Peridin, Highly Flourescent Pocilliporans, Chloraphyll, etc (probably spelled wrong). To understand this I would recommend this. Google Dana Riddle coral coloration

 

Excellent post!!!!

 

Thanks Corailline. I will try and remember to come back to this thread and explain better. Preparation for the contest is priority right now.

 

When you do can you touch on UV protection and the part in plays in coloration as well?

TIA