ficklefins
Super Duper Moderator
PPE
-Where to start! The PPE color strain may be labeled as the catalyst for the naming trend, and the $$$$ per polyp sales. These "Zoanthus gigantus" first started with Blane Perun from www.farms-of-thesea.com in 2001. Here is more of the story from his website.
" I obtained this colony by chance in or around 2001. .. After about 1 year the specimen began coloring up and I sold off about 15 fragments for $25-$35 bucks each, ironically most of these people complained about the piece when they go it. The colony at that time still was not mature, not reaching it's fully beauty. The following year I sold propagation's for about $40 bucks and people were outraged. So I stopped but soon saw them selling on ebay for about $200."
http://www.farms-of-thesea.com/catalog/fund_drive.html
Blane continues on to describe how he turned his big money corals into a means to sponsor charities. His website describes a bit more about this topic. After reading it you get a great feeling about Blane as a retailer and a person, so make sure to check out the link above.
More background below.
Lighting:
- PPEs may be a more sensitive Zoanthus that prefers a lower location in the tank. Acclimation should be done under indirect light or in a more shaded area. Once your PPEs have adjusted to your tank conditions/lights it has been suggested that the best coloration comes from a low - low/medium placement.
Flow:
- Medium flow with a chaotic pattern preferred. Medium flow is enough to shake the skirts but not enough force the polyp to close. Trial and error may be needed, but it is always safer to start with a lower flow and add more.
Feeding:
- Some hobbiests have noticed a feeding behavior from these Zoanthus gigantus. Keep in mind that larger Zoanthus gigantus and Palythoas have shown food capturing responses. While this is a case by case basis it is not a must for this color strain.
Origins:
- The Caribbeans
Rarity:
- Still a rather rare color strain, the PPE has seen more trading recently and still demands a rather high dollar per polyp price.
ID Confusions:
As one of the most sought after zoas there are a lot of imposters and look a likes. The key to IDing PPEs is the clear and defined colors. There are only 2 colors in this strain. Bright green skirt, purple disc, and a distinctive green slit mouth. PPE's are Zoanthus gigantus (as are all people eaters that I know of). The white striping on the underside of the polyp along with the green slit mouth seem to be the indicators.
Other info:
It has been mentioned that another, or original, source of these Zoanthus may have been Bryan (Logical Reef). This is still being confirmed at this time.
The PPE not only started the IDing trend but it also set a label to the distinctive green slit mouth we now see in the hobby. Whenever another color combination with a green mouth is seen in the hobby it gets the "_PE" name added to it.
A lot of serious collectors want a "Certificate of Authenticity" for this color strain. With so many similar color patterns out there, the serious collector likes to know how a particular PPE frag descended from Blane's original colony. Keep in mind that some do not even consider new wild colonies to be true PPEs with conversations about authenticity getting real crazy.
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I'm sure this Spotlight will get more responses than the last, but if you have any information or pics for the following, then please post:
Mean Green
Eagle Eyes
-Where to start! The PPE color strain may be labeled as the catalyst for the naming trend, and the $$$$ per polyp sales. These "Zoanthus gigantus" first started with Blane Perun from www.farms-of-thesea.com in 2001. Here is more of the story from his website.
" I obtained this colony by chance in or around 2001. .. After about 1 year the specimen began coloring up and I sold off about 15 fragments for $25-$35 bucks each, ironically most of these people complained about the piece when they go it. The colony at that time still was not mature, not reaching it's fully beauty. The following year I sold propagation's for about $40 bucks and people were outraged. So I stopped but soon saw them selling on ebay for about $200."
http://www.farms-of-thesea.com/catalog/fund_drive.html
Blane continues on to describe how he turned his big money corals into a means to sponsor charities. His website describes a bit more about this topic. After reading it you get a great feeling about Blane as a retailer and a person, so make sure to check out the link above.
More background below.
Lighting:
- PPEs may be a more sensitive Zoanthus that prefers a lower location in the tank. Acclimation should be done under indirect light or in a more shaded area. Once your PPEs have adjusted to your tank conditions/lights it has been suggested that the best coloration comes from a low - low/medium placement.
Flow:
- Medium flow with a chaotic pattern preferred. Medium flow is enough to shake the skirts but not enough force the polyp to close. Trial and error may be needed, but it is always safer to start with a lower flow and add more.
Feeding:
- Some hobbiests have noticed a feeding behavior from these Zoanthus gigantus. Keep in mind that larger Zoanthus gigantus and Palythoas have shown food capturing responses. While this is a case by case basis it is not a must for this color strain.
Origins:
- The Caribbeans
Rarity:
- Still a rather rare color strain, the PPE has seen more trading recently and still demands a rather high dollar per polyp price.
ID Confusions:
As one of the most sought after zoas there are a lot of imposters and look a likes. The key to IDing PPEs is the clear and defined colors. There are only 2 colors in this strain. Bright green skirt, purple disc, and a distinctive green slit mouth. PPE's are Zoanthus gigantus (as are all people eaters that I know of). The white striping on the underside of the polyp along with the green slit mouth seem to be the indicators.
Other info:
It has been mentioned that another, or original, source of these Zoanthus may have been Bryan (Logical Reef). This is still being confirmed at this time.
The PPE not only started the IDing trend but it also set a label to the distinctive green slit mouth we now see in the hobby. Whenever another color combination with a green mouth is seen in the hobby it gets the "_PE" name added to it.
A lot of serious collectors want a "Certificate of Authenticity" for this color strain. With so many similar color patterns out there, the serious collector likes to know how a particular PPE frag descended from Blane's original colony. Keep in mind that some do not even consider new wild colonies to be true PPEs with conversations about authenticity getting real crazy.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm sure this Spotlight will get more responses than the last, but if you have any information or pics for the following, then please post:
Mean Green
Eagle Eyes
Last edited:
