Colonial Anemones: How to Get the Most Color from Them for Your Aquarium

Anyone who has seen a full blown reef aquarium in person can appreciate the beauty, enjoyment, excitement as well as, in the back of their mind, the dedication and perseverance needed to recreate this small part of our reefs in the wild. It seems, at least through my observations, that Small polyped stony corals are still on top of the list as far as the color, style and textural diversity that avid aquarists wish to represent in the reef aquarium biotopes. This is truly a remarkable site to behold, however their is another participant in this playing field that is gaining by leaps and bounds. Not only are these animals easy to maintain for the most part, they are easy to frag and can be placed under various lighting schemes with consistent success. These are the zoanthidae family, otherwise known as sea mat, colonial polyps and polyps.

Zoanthids look like small sea anemones. They can occur as a single polyp or colony attached by a mat or coenechyme. Zoanthids are made up of a base or coenechyme that attaches itself to a hard substrate. The Base lead to the oral disk which consists of the mouth slit in the center of the disk and a skirt or tentacles that outlines the outer edge of the disk. These tentacles can be of varying lengths and number as well. This is where the excitement builds with Zoanthids, Palyzoas, Parazoanthid, Protopalythoa and Isauraus.

COLOR...vibrant color and lots of it! Many species of zoanthid are identified by their colors instead of their make up, in distinguishing them from other forms within the anthozoa class. Color combinations and contrasts, polyp size and designs instill a unique flair to these polyps. Like looking at a colorful bouquet of roses and carnations or pansies growing out on an open field in full bloom, these are a few depictions of what housing species of zoanthidae in an aquarium would be comparable to. Such a spectacle to see and witness after a period of time and the zoanthids have had a chance to grow, spread and fill in on live rock or pieces of equipment.

The name that is associated with a particular species of polyp is a broad one as their are numerous names that are linked to the same species of polyp based on their coloration and pattern mold. Even when it comes to a polyp that, say for instance, has a pink oral disk and tan to brownish skirts, their are a significant number of names given to these polyps. The other thing to mention is the fact that many species of polyp are so closely related, color wise that without taking a closer look under a microscope or using a macro lens on a camera, you really cannot identify what you have as far as colors alot of times. To take this one step further, lighting has a significant impact on the color of the polyps. The color of the bulb(kelvin) as well as the lux(intensity) can really alter the coloration perceived by the human eye from one locating to the next. To give an example of this, the color of the colony of polyps you wish to buy at the local pet shop could be totally different than what is portrayed by you in your aquarium if the lighting, water quality and placement is different from that of the pet shop you initially purchased the from.

The location where the polyps hailed from initially can also have a profound impact on the color of the polyps. Case and point, blue polyps that come from the Indo-Pacific will often be different from those that where collected from the Caribbean or Florida. I have a frag of blue zoanthids that are from Indonesia that is a very beautiful, deep and intense blue color. I have seen pictures of blue polyps that hail from the Caribbean without the deep blue color and are more of a powder or baby blue color. Now, whether this is just a trick of fate or has something to do with the water depth to which the polyps were living initially, maybe but the same holds true for many species of stony corals as well.

As for obtaining the best coloration possible from your polyps, it may take some experimenting and dedicated time to decide which condition best suits your polyps as well as you own eye appeal. Often, placing the polyps under intense light will bring about a different color than the same colony placed under subdued lighting lower in your aquarium. Also, some colors will be perceived differently under different spectrum light colors and intensity as well. Depending on the hue of the polyps, it may be best for you to try to capture the color that you like and focus on that color in the polyps. The alternate lighting, whether intense or low key, will not really effect the polyp colony health wise as these polyps are fairly undemanding and hearty anemones. These animals are not considered beginner corals for nothing! I can say one thing based on experience, most polyps will show amazing colors and glow under a whiter/bluer kelvin bulb than toward the red end of the spectrum. Take a look at the Armor of God zoanthids...loom at them under a 10000K bulb or less and then view the same polyp under 14000K, 20000K and actinic bulbs, what a vibrant and glowing representation of fire to excite the eyes.

You be the judge...colonial polyps can dramatically increase the beauty and color within your aquarium, and for those that are novice aquarists or don't have the intense halide lighting to house most species of Acropora and other light loving small Polyped Stony corals that are historically associated with vibrant colors, the zoanthidae polyps can provide this glamor, excitement and amazement and give them a run for the money.