"jawbreaker" type discoma - zoas causing splotches?

[benny z]

lately i've seen a few colors of "jawbreaker" type discoma, mostly from vietnam, landing at some select wholesalers and retailers.

you have the traditional yellow with red/green splotching "jawbreaker", "game over", and "tie dye":

there are also these orange base variety that have green splotching:

and then you have red with purple splotching:

-----------------------------------------

*i hope everyone is ok with me using these photos - i found them via google and random browsing here on this forum, with the exception of my own photos of the red/purple variety.

-----------------------------------------

now - what i have been noticing on the wild-collected pieces, is that they are always surrounded by zoanthids. close enough that they are touching the zoas for sure. and, in the case of a red one i received, the base of the mushroom is actually growing over the zoas, and "sucking them up" into the base underneath where the splotching is occurring. it's just my observation, but it makes me wonder - are the zoas actually causing the splotching in these mushrooms? obviously we have seen baby jawbreakers being passed around, and they continue to grow with splotched colors. so, it must be in the DNA of the parent and being passed down.

anyone else suspect that the zoas are what have caused these unique color patterns in this mushroom type?

something to think about, anyway.

cheers!

 

[SloppyJ]

Great observation!

 

[MacKrell]

Following along good question!! I purchased the one jawbreaker from aquasd in their live sale. I noticed that it has a nice neon green spot on it, and there was a radioactive green paly next to. Hmmm... The weather has delayed shipping but once I get it I can post up some pics!!

 

[benny z]

Following along good question!! I purchased the one jawbreaker from aquasd in their live sale. I noticed that it has a nice neon green spot on it, and there was a radioactive green paly next to. Hmmm... The weather has delayed shipping but once I get it I can post up some pics!!

hah! we are in the same boat with waiting for these to ship from aqua sd due to the arctic freeze.

hopefully(!) next week(?!) i'll be able to get a good clear photo of all three coloration types side-by-side.

cheers!

 

[MacKrell]

Oh nice cheers! luv too see the pics!

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Hmm neat observation. Following!

 

[ritter6788]

It would be very cool if we would make those color grafts in our home aquariums. I'd bet most zoa keepers go to great lengths to keep mushrooms from touching or covering their zoanthids.

 

[benny z]

It would be very cool if we would make those color grafts in our home aquariums. I'd bet most zoa keepers go to great lengths to keep mushrooms from touching or covering their zoanthids.

yessir! you are thinking along the same lines i am.

further - i wonder if one were to take a scalpel to each of these base-colored discoma on the same tray, and keep them in close proximity while they are healing, if the different-color zooxanthellae might intertwine into each piece - creating an even more bizarre color morph.

hmmmmm...

 

[ritter6788]

yessir! you are thinking along the same lines i am.

further - i wonder if one were to take a scalpel to each of these base-colored discoma on the same tray, and keep them in close proximity while they are healing, if the different-color zooxanthellae might intertwine into each piece - creating an even more bizarre color morph.

hmmmmm...

There were (are?) rumors of rainbow chalices being maricultured from one multi-grafted chalice. Maybe this can be done if someone has the time, resources and patience.

 

[Maximus]

Are these as bright as the original Jawbreaker?

 

[benny z]

yes. they all have that hard-to-capture almost metallic look to them. the red ones i have currently are the brightest red in the tank.

 

[MoeManTheSnowMan]

I think they get these colors naturally. There are tons of these shrooms out there that have never had a z or p touch them & they still get the splotches of red & green.

What I wonder is if these shrooms can breed with one another. This is something that I have been thinking about for some time now.

I'll report back in a couple years once my experiment is done

 

[benny z]

there are a lot of babies out there from parents that have gotten the splotching, correct? i have seen a lot of these wild coming in with and without the splotching...otherwise the same. the splotched ones are almost always on rocks with zoas. am i wrong here? it would make sense that the babies from these wild splotched specimens maintain the coloration. no?

 

[MoeManTheSnowMan]

I am willing to bet that the babies from these wild mushrooms develope the splotches as well with out and z or p contact. I am thinking its in the genetics of the shrooms.

Look at the mystery tie dye shrooms. Most of them develops the splotches over time. And no two are the same.

Again, I'm willing to bet these wild ones develops splotches as well over time if they are anything like the tie dye shrooms.

 

[benny z]

Think the mariculture facilities have figured out they can produce them by placing them on zoa rocks for a while?

 

[MoeManTheSnowMan]

So, you going to try it?

If it does work PM me & don't tell anyone! Lol

 

[Hypnotize]

lately i've seen a few colors of "jawbreaker" type discoma, mostly from vietnam, landing at some select wholesalers and retailers.

you have the traditional yellow with red/green splotching "jawbreaker", "game over", and "tie dye":

there are also these orange base variety that have green splotching:

and then you have red with purple splotching:

-----------------------------------------

*i hope everyone is ok with me using these photos - i found them via google and random browsing here on this forum, with the exception of my own photos of the red/purple variety.

-----------------------------------------

now - what i have been noticing on the wild-collected pieces, is that they are always surrounded by zoanthids. close enough that they are touching the zoas for sure. and, in the case of a red one i received, the base of the mushroom is actually growing over the zoas, and "sucking them up" into the base underneath where the splotching is occurring. it's just my observation, but it makes me wonder - are the zoas actually causing the splotching in these mushrooms? obviously we have seen baby jawbreakers being passed around, and they continue to grow with splotched colors. so, it must be in the DNA of the parent and being passed down.

anyone else suspect that the zoas are what have caused these unique color patterns in this mushroom type?

something to think about, anyway.

cheers!

Thats not quit correct.

Mystic tie dye: (Pimples) yellow base or redorange base with red,green and sometimes some purple
True Jawbreaker: (No pimples) Only Yellow and red
Vietnam "Jawbreaker": (Pimples) Yellow,red and green
Jawbropper "was named by 1stopcorals" Is bright orange with green (yet no other color documented)
I couldn´t finde the name for the red with purple mushoom.

Greetz Corey

 

[shawy2510]

What would you say this one is?

 

[benny z]

Thats not quit correct.

Mystic tie dye: (Pimples) yellow base or redorange base with red,green and sometimes some purple
True Jawbreaker: (No pimples) Only Yellow and red
Vietnam "Jawbreaker": (Pimples) Yellow,red and green
Jawbropper "was named by 1stopcorals" Is bright orange with green (yet no other color documented)
I couldn´t finde the name for the red with purple mushoom.

Greetz Corey

with all due respect, i don't want to get caught up in the name game with these guys. imo they are all the same type of discoma from either tonga or vietnam (possibly other collection locations). the more recent ones are coming from vientam and we are seeing them in three distinct base colors which i will call yellow, orange, and red. i will agree that the yellow typically has red splotches, but may also have orange, green, and purple bits. i believe they all have "pimples", at least to some degree - possibly some more than others depending on age/size and other conditions.

i've seen a few different names now for the orange one w/ green. and i'm with you in not yet having seen a name for the red w/ purple.

like i said, don't want to get caught up in the naming, as that isn't what this thread is about. it's about how these mushrooms have possibly acquired the colored splotching we have come to adore. ...and about how we might experiment to produce even more bizarre color patterns.

cheers!

 

[benny z]

What would you say this one is?

yellow w/ red splotches.

"jawbreaker" is what i would call that one...