Are these Purple Hornets?

[pinhead]

I have had these Zoas for a couple of years. Just a few polyps on a piece of live rock that never did much. After changing my lights to LEDs and transferring them to a frag plug, they have finally started to grow. Don't quite know where they came from - whether they were hitchhikers on the rock. or came from some trade (I do remember getting some African Hornets long ago).

Are they Purple Hornets?

They have purple faces, alternating purple and yellow fringe and a distinct yellow ring.

From what I can see, they are identical to the pictures here: http://www.coralpedia.com/articles005.php

I have no skills to take photos of Corals even with a good dSLR. This picture was taken with my phone. Pretty poor quality but it gives you an idea of what they look like. They only thing done to the image was a bit of cropping.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h22/pinhead1140/hornets3_zpse00c0ef6.jpg (http://s60.photobucket.com/user/pinhead1140/media/hornets3_zpse00c0ef6.jpg.html)

Are they the real deal?

[xoticlover]

Those are african blue hornets in my eyes!

[reefermadness]

Aferican purple hornets dont have the alternating skirts. Looks like the original to me..

[tony_3a]

These are my purple hornets. Yours look similar, maybe if you can get a little bit of a better picture we could tell better. Yours also look like LA lakers somewhat.
http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy246/tony_3a/PHornets.jpg (http://s796.photobucket.com/user/tony_3a/media/PHornets.jpg.html)

[pinhead]

What were the settings on your camera to get such a good photo?


These are my purple hornets. Yours look similar, maybe if you can get a little bit of a better picture we could tell better. Yours also look like LA lakers somewhat.
http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy246/tony_3a/PHornets.jpg (http://s796.photobucket.com/user/tony_3a/media/PHornets.jpg.html)

[tony_3a]

I have a galaxy s4 and use the app "Camera Zoom FX" it works pretty well. Just need to play with the zoom and focus.
http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy246/tony_3a/Anemone.jpg (http://s796.photobucket.com/user/tony_3a/media/Anemone.jpg.html)
http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy246/tony_3a/FruitLoopsbest.jpg (http://s796.photobucket.com/user/tony_3a/media/FruitLoopsbest.jpg.html)

[pinhead]

I've got a Pentax dSLR and it doesn't give me good photos in full auto. What shutter speeds, metering, ISO, aperture etc. will give me consistent results to take pictures of my Zoas? I can shoot in RAW and adjust things in Photoshop, but what I really need is some hints to get me headed in the right direction.

[Top-dogg]

I've got a Pentax dSLR and it doesn't give me good photos in full auto. What shutter speeds, metering, ISO, aperture etc. will give me consistent results to take pictures of my Zoas? I can shoot in RAW and adjust things in Photoshop, but what I really need is some hints to get me headed in the right direction.

Try to play with your exposure until you get the photo that you think is close to what it actually looks like. (manual mode)

[daniella3d]

They surely look like the real thing. They look like they have the alternating tentacle color, one tentacle purple, one yellow, etc...

with the african polypes all tentacles have the same color, start purple and end up yellow at the tip. The hornet don't have a mix of color in their tentacles and each tentacle have a single color, either blue or yellow.

That is the distinctive trait of the real purple hornets. I am glad to see they grew well for you under LED. Seem that it's probably the way to go with them then, because mine did not do well under T5HO and were growing slowly, then they were chewed up by amphipods :(

Can you tell me what LED you are using? also what strength?

[Scythanith]

These are the real colour combination. The OP's picture has a speckled fringe. Not Purple Hornets in my opinion... for what that's worth haahaa!

These are my purple hornets. Yours look similar, maybe if you can get a little bit of a better picture we could tell better. Yours also look like LA lakers somewhat.
http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy246/tony_3a/PHornets.jpg (http://s796.photobucket.com/user/tony_3a/media/PHornets.jpg.html)

[pinhead]

The fringe is alternating purple & yellow. Each filament is a solid colour. They are not speckled. I will see if I can get a better photo.

[reefermadness]

The fringe is alternating purple & yellow. Each filament is a solid colour. They are not speckled. I will see if I can get a better photo.The skirts are longer.....that means they are not real.

Just kidding....skirts can get short or long from tank to tank. Im in the "they are the original purple hornets" camp.

[daniella3d]

Don't bother, they are the real thing.

and once you have enough I want a frag :)


The fringe is alternating purple & yellow. Each filament is a solid colour. They are not speckled. I will see if I can get a better photo.