Zoa Behavior

[ZzyzxRiver]

I’ve got a bunch of different types of zoas in my tank, but they each behave a little differently. For example, my mandarin oranges stay open around the clock, light or no light, whereas my Bambams close up shop and don’t reopen until the lights are back on. They are both under similar conditions and were acquired at the same time so why wouldn’t they both behave the same?

Follow up question: Are different zoa morphs all the same species, or are there several that they belong to? Is it commonly known which color morph belongs to which species?

 

[Timfish]

I don't know if there's any reliable way to determine zoa species just by color, and honestly I doubt there ever will be. One of the problems we have keeping corals is they are very plastic individuals. Not only are there species specific differences even with sibling species but there are genotype specific differences, differences based on "memory" or experiences of individual animals, differences based on different simbionts, differences in microbiomes between animals, and likely other differences based on factors we haven't discovered yet.

It's hypothetically "possible" (not likely IMO) you may have two different color forms of the same species and genotype. But just the fact they are producing different colors almost certainly guarentees they will react differently.