Zoa order from http://www.planetzoa.com
- Thread starter DyM
- Start date
Oh well, live and learn. This was the first time I have ordered any corals on line. I normally like to see what I am purchasing and our local stores have such great stuff. I was just hoping to bring something new and cool to the area. Maybe it will color up. I will be acclimating it to higher light in the hopes of the colors coming out.
You need to ask them what they mean by quality and intensity. Do they have a section on their site that says what lights they raise these under?
Nevermind: I see on the last page that they say 20K radium. They will likely never look the same when not under MH... maybe better, maybe worse, but not the same.
Nevermind: I see on the last page that they say 20K radium. They will likely never look the same when not under MH... maybe better, maybe worse, but not the same.
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I know corals can morph under different lighting conditions. I just expected the coral to at least somewhat resemble what was shown on their site. I was surprised that there was no blue in the one I got. The coral didn't really have time to morph yet from what they would have grown it out to under 20k MH. What they sent me must have been under a shelf or something and hidden from the light. I just hope it will get some blues eventually. I would not have bought a Paly that looks like what I got. Nor would I have taken one for free for that matter. Oh well. We shall see what happens.
It is not just a morph thing. Your light plays two roles... first, it develops diatoms in the coral that use light at one spectrum and then spit it back out at a higher spectrum - these can shift over time. Second, those same diatoms reflect back light exactly how it was emitted from the coral - this is immediate. Even though the diatoms might still be there from before they were shipped, they can only reflect what light you have. If you don't have the same spectrum to get reflected, then the color will be different and oftentimes less. This is why full spectrum light sources look so much better to most people - I mean real full spectrum, not LED full spectrum that still have many, many spectrum holes.
Here is what I think happens in these case... which is hardly scientific. 20K radium, 14K phoenix and other MH bulbs produce generous amounts of actual UV (not violet that LED manufactures call UV), which is used by the diatoms below 400nm and spit back out just above where we can see it. This will provide color that no LED can match and just a few T5 bulbs since the input spectrum was below 400nm. This is why blue and purples pop so much more under MH... not fakeish reefbrite pop like the corals are living in Windex, but actual pop with the crisp white appearance.
...and then there is Photoshop. This seems taboo to talk about on the internet anymore and will get you banned from R2R, but even some of the vendors around here to WAY TOO FAR by altering their photos. Those photos look pretty greasy.
Here is what I think happens in these case... which is hardly scientific. 20K radium, 14K phoenix and other MH bulbs produce generous amounts of actual UV (not violet that LED manufactures call UV), which is used by the diatoms below 400nm and spit back out just above where we can see it. This will provide color that no LED can match and just a few T5 bulbs since the input spectrum was below 400nm. This is why blue and purples pop so much more under MH... not fakeish reefbrite pop like the corals are living in Windex, but actual pop with the crisp white appearance.
...and then there is Photoshop. This seems taboo to talk about on the internet anymore and will get you banned from R2R, but even some of the vendors around here to WAY TOO FAR by altering their photos. Those photos look pretty greasy.
Lastly, some corals, mostly depending on how deep they tended to be in the ocean, need to develop pigments/diatoms to reflect some of the yellow/red/green spectrum that some panels will put out in excess. They use it as "sunscreen." While this is happening, the coral can use it's energy to get this done and it will not look good - this can take months. Some corals never adjust, run out of energy and die.
It is possible that it will look better in a few months.
It is possible that it will look better in a few months.
Yes, I get frags from aquatic art mostly and have gotten some for Gonzo, aquamart, great white, and through trade with locals. I'm just glad I only ordered 1 polyp of one item so I only spent $40. Not a huge loss by any means. Who knows, maybe they will color up and be as awesome as I thought it would be. I will keep my purchases to items I see in person.
I received another response from Planet Zoa, at least they are being responsive.
Please keep me posted on this. Again, very sorry to fall short of your expectations on this morph. It is certainly more silver-blue than blue-blue, and in this case the pattern varies widely depending on the lighting. I admit this is a convenient excuse, but look at other examples around the net and you'll agree: http://s150.photobucket.com/user/Ze...vestock/BlueLagoonPaly20_zps4c8a5bb0.jpg.html, http://s675.photobucket.com/user/PolandSprings/media/Oceanic Tech Tank 90 Gallon/DSC_0142.jpg.html
The morph was originally named by Polandspring on R2R, and if it were named by me I would honestly leave blue out of the title as it is somewhat misleading. Due to this situation, I will be writing a disclaimer on product page of this morph. I have no intention of misrepresenting coral for sale, and spend more time than you would beleive on taking the most accurate possible coral photos. That being said, if the polyp still does not dazzle you after adjusting to your lighting, please let me know and I will happily provide you full credit for a replacement.
Please keep me posted on this. Again, very sorry to fall short of your expectations on this morph. It is certainly more silver-blue than blue-blue, and in this case the pattern varies widely depending on the lighting. I admit this is a convenient excuse, but look at other examples around the net and you'll agree: http://s150.photobucket.com/user/Ze...vestock/BlueLagoonPaly20_zps4c8a5bb0.jpg.html, http://s675.photobucket.com/user/PolandSprings/media/Oceanic Tech Tank 90 Gallon/DSC_0142.jpg.html
The morph was originally named by Polandspring on R2R, and if it were named by me I would honestly leave blue out of the title as it is somewhat misleading. Due to this situation, I will be writing a disclaimer on product page of this morph. I have no intention of misrepresenting coral for sale, and spend more time than you would beleive on taking the most accurate possible coral photos. That being said, if the polyp still does not dazzle you after adjusting to your lighting, please let me know and I will happily provide you full credit for a replacement.