Goniopora Stokesi

[Wonder]

I got this gonio two months back after confirming with the owner that it is not a dyed coral.

Recently, there was speck of brown surfacing (refer to pic). Coral is place est. 11" away from light souce. Gonio remain very healthy.

The question i really wants to know is (i'm worry it is dyed )

1) Is there yellow gonio in the sea ?:idea:
2) If yes, any chance i can get back the original color ?

Note : the skeleton is white

Thanks
Jeff

Lighting 2 x 250watt + 6 x 39watt T5
No3 0.02 (salifert)
Po4 undetectable (salifert)
other parameter remain stable for sps tank

Feeding Cyclop-eeze, Oyster eggs and dry plankton

 

[LakeEd]

Wonder,
1st... WELCOME to Reef Frontiers!!!!

Now... as to your question:
I've never owned one of the Flowerpots (Goniopora's) because of the conditions that I read they come from in nature weren’t compatible with my desired tank setup... but in my experience, the "browning" you are seeing is usually a good thing... meaning the zooxanthellae in the cells of the animal are returning to it, possibly do to the better conditions in your tank.

I look forward to the input you will receive here from Anthony, so I may also learn along with you.

 

[jetaero]

The brown you are noticing is a build-up of zooxanthellae algae. I would say that that is an indicator of health. However, the coral does not look dyed, though the flourescent color is just the proteins of the coral, without having the zooxanthellae there.

-Josh-

 

[pitlife79]

I have two flower pots in my tank and one of them did the same thing to me. It started out being almost floresant yellow and now has brownish pigment throughout. It has grown significantly in that period also, so I would say that the above statements are accurate. I think it's getting healthier.

 

[Wonder]

Just to share with you how yellow the gonio was initially (Refer to Pic)

Thanks for all the input. I look farward to receive Anthony advise.

I have shifted my gonio away from the light temporary.

(original condition)
Note: Due to photo taking under T5, please minus 15% intensity

 

[John Kelly]

It looks very very similar to a stokesi, but I don't think it is. It definitely is in better health than it was previously. As the coral regains zooxanthellae, the tentacle and polyp coloration will shift from fluorescent green to clear-whitish and then to brown. Eventually, after the coral regains a good amount of brown, you will want to find a spot under your lighting where it maintains a good balance of both some green and some brown coloration. Too much green = too much light (original condition); too much brown = not enough light (will grow very slow and skeleton will be thin).

 

[Wonder]

It looks very very similar to a stokesi, but I don't think it is. It definitely is in better health than it was previously. As the coral regains zooxanthellae, the tentacle and polyp coloration will shift from fluorescent green to clear-whitish and then to brown. Eventually, after the coral regains a good amount of brown, you will want to find a spot under your lighting where it maintains a good balance of both some green and some brown coloration. Too much green = too much light (original condition); too much brown = not enough light (will grow very slow and skeleton will be thin).

Hi Kelly,
Thanks for the advise. I currently experience the opposite. Too much light causes the gonio to turn brown faster

What i really likes to learn is

1) Is there any yellow gonio is the sea. If not, how does such stunning color reach our shore. The color was real yellow under the sun when i first saw it not bright or lumi, just yellow. There was another pcs with blue center

 

[John Kelly]

Hi Kelly,
Thanks for the advise. I currently experience the opposite. Too much light causes the gonio to turn brown faster

Yours is NOT supposed to be completely yellow. Your Goni would have been more brown when it originally came out of the ocean; unless it was "bleached" (lacking zooxanthellae) to begin with. Zooxanthellae gives the coral a brown coloration and is necessary for the good health of the coral. Once it is in captivity and if it was brown to begin with, like it should have been, then placing it under too much light will cause the Goni to either become bright yellow all at once or over a period of months, depending upon the light source and the distance the coral is from it. Too much light will kill the zooxanthellae either quickly or slowly, which then leaves only the fluorescent pigment to be seen (yellow-green coloration). Too much light can also directly or indirectly cause the "holes" (dead polyp areas) that you see on top of your coral in your "original condition" photo.

So what is happening in your tank is that the coral is trying to return to it's healthy state, under the lighting it currently has, by turning brown and extending its polyps and tentacles. When you move it further away from the light, you are either slowing down the process or shading it to the point where it can't regain zooxanthellae. If you keep it in too much shade (practically dark), it will eventually lose the brown coloration, then lose the yellow coloration, then be completely clear-whitish color.

What i really likes to learn is

1) Is there any yellow gonio is the sea. If not, how does such stunning color reach our shore. The color was real yellow under the sun when i first saw it not bright or lumi, just yellow. There was another pcs with blue center

I have seen a few specimens of a greenish-yellow Goniopora species in captivity that appears to not have or need much zooxanthellae. It has larger and longer polyps like a stokesi, but I don't know what species it is and I don't know if it comes from the ocean that way. If your lucky enough to ever find one, they seem to do better in captivity than the common "Green" Goniopora species.

 

[Anthony Calfo]

This specimen is of a most unnatural color. The only place you will see yellow Gonios like this in the Indo-Pacific is in the dealers tanks... after they dyed them and before they ship them out.

Really... quite different from the bleached (natural) greens that have a yellow tone to their tentacles.

The brown flecks are remnant and/or recovering clusters of zooxanthellae... the more the better Let's welcome them on

Do try to feed this coral to speed its recovery... placement on the sandy bottom may help if you have bioturbators in the tank and especially if you are willing to sand stir around the coral weekly or more often.

Feeding tips from folks like John may be helpful too.

Do some keyword searches on this board and others... there are extensive discussions and images in the arvcived threads.

 

[Wonder]

Thanks for all the advise and will monitor the gonio health carefully.

I'll take it that the gonio is indeed dye since it is very dense yellow initially .

 

[John Kelly]

It is a natural coloration, minus the zooxanthellae. With the polyps retracted, the fluorescent proteins appear more concentrated. The contrast of the photo is way overintensifiying it.

 

[Wonder]

Just to update the color transformation after the Zooxanthellae has recover.
Here is the picture after two months.

Note : i do notice that some small areas of the gonio without receiving much light remain light yellow (cannot see from this picture)

Once again, i like to thanks everyone for the input as this is my very first time to see my gonio remain happy everyday . Thx thx..

 

[morgan]

my goni is a yellow green and has been in captivity for 3 years 1 year under my supervision i also have a nice red goni to

 

[John Kelly]

That's an excellent improvement. That's what it should look like.
Great job, very nice!