shared nutrients within a colony? or a free for all grab?

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#1
been wondering this, and had not come across the answer yet:

do the colonies all share the nutrients from each mouth / sweeper / etc, or are each mouth feeding their own?

stuff like zoas, do they share nutrients via the mat they spread on? or are they basically individual islands once a polyp is fully formed?

sps? do the individual polyps feed the main colony? or only the growth area they're in?
 
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#2
I've read the energy is shared amongst the colony but maybe someone can respond with a more biological explanation. :)
 
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#3
I don't know at all but I would think it's shared amongst the colony. If I poke one zoa, the whole colony responds.
 
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#4
that's a good point about the whole colony reacting when one polyp detects something.

i'm mostly interested in the answer because i'd like to know if a colony would grow faster than a frag cutting by the virtue of having more mouths gobbling up food?
 
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#5
Sps eats as a colony. LPS I believe is more individual although I could be wrong. Polyps I believe eat community style. IMO a colony will grow faster than a single polyp.
 
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#6
This is my observation with Acans (LPS) - i only start with 1 single Acans, i keep feeding it the Fauna Marin Pellets and it grew 4 babies. The babies are on the side so it can't take the pellets, i only feed the same single Parent and the baby is now bigger and some same size as the Parent so the food must be passed on. Just an observation...
 
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#7
This is my observation with Acans (LPS) - i only start with 1 single Acans, i keep feeding it the Fauna Marin Pellets and it grew 4 babies. The babies are on the side so it can't take the pellets, i only feed the same single Parent and the baby is now bigger and some same size as the Parent so the food must be passed on. Just an observation...
just playing the devil's advocate here:

the baby acan heads have sweepers too, and could be filter feeding without the benefit of the original head?
 
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#8
LPS is a bit different, Some prefer feeding colonies, and some like individual feeding. Zoa grow faster as a colonies due to multiple photosynthesis at the same time instead of individual. I think SPS is like Omar said. Also, Zoa can merge I believe from 2 different frag to change into a colony. Just my 0.2.
 
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#9
It's a great thought. IMO, zoa's do not share nutrients they are there own individual polyp not coin extend really to the rest of the colony in a way to share nutrients. SPS, are all connected to the "stick" so yea it's all feeding together. Just my thoughts!
 
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#10
It's a great thought. IMO, zoa's do not share nutrients they are there own individual polyp not coin extend really to the rest of the colony in a way to share nutrients. SPS, are all connected to the "stick" so yea it's all feeding together. Just my thoughts!
Polyps are a colonial coral shared by a mat so I wouldn't agree.
 
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#11
We should all remember that part of their feeding comes from the internal algae...so I think it's hard to tell with LPS as to whether they feed colony style or single.
 

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