tat2z_21
tat2z_21
So I have a purple polyped gargonian and your traditional yellow gargonian. Well both of them seem to be losing there luster. They still polyp but the polyping areas are slowly disappearing.
Help my gargonians are melting away
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SeaMonster
Well-known member
I hear thats what they do. They have a 10% survival rate
Jan
Well-known member
that's what happened to my green one; it started about a week after I got it and two weeks later it was gone.
danno14
That's Dumas!
Jan-
Do you still have the piece I sent you home with?
D
Do you still have the piece I sent you home with?
D
Jan
Well-known member
Sorry, my bad...I misread gorgonian for goniopora. It was my goniopora that melted on me.
Dan, I do still have that purple piece you gave me. My only problem with it is that I can't keep it upright even if I glue it onto a rock. It always comes loose and ends up on the sandbed. It's still alive, though.
Dan, I do still have that purple piece you gave me. My only problem with it is that I can't keep it upright even if I glue it onto a rock. It always comes loose and ends up on the sandbed. It's still alive, though.
Sherman
Has Met Willis
Gorgonians are filter feeders, most aren't photosynthetic. I've had one about a year and a half, but I dose my tank very heavily with phytoplankton. For the first few months, it did exactly what they all do... slowly shrunk, day by day. When I started harvesting my own phytoplankton, I started dosing very heavily (probably at least 1/2 cup every day in 120g) because I had surplus. It's been an extremely slow process, but my purple whip gorgonian is now showing signs of growth! In addition to the phyto feeding, the gorgonian is in a higher flow, but laminar flow area. It's in a return channel back toward the powerheads, so it sees constant uni-directional flow so particulate food is sweeping over its polyps 24/7, and they can be the "net" they're intended to be.
burning2nd
Well-known member
"purple whip gorgonian"
i guess thats what i have...... i know some of them arent the best for reef tanks... the red ones with white pylops sux... my is purple with like a orange pylop...
i got it about 2 years ago. and it was a single stalk.... I wedged it on top of a rock. with lots of light a high flow (non laminar)
it blows around in all directions... it sheds about once a month for a week..... (i think its like a molt) cause it gets bigger after its closed up for a few days sheding its skin...
(mid last year?)
not the best shot a little blury....
was gonna take a pic right now.... (thats 2nd is from a few weeks ago)
but the lights just turned off... so its starting to close up.
I dont dose anything.
very high flow i might add.... i mean the hole stalk goes back and forth
i guess thats what i have...... i know some of them arent the best for reef tanks... the red ones with white pylops sux... my is purple with like a orange pylop...
i got it about 2 years ago. and it was a single stalk.... I wedged it on top of a rock. with lots of light a high flow (non laminar)
it blows around in all directions... it sheds about once a month for a week..... (i think its like a molt) cause it gets bigger after its closed up for a few days sheding its skin...
(mid last year?)
not the best shot a little blury....
was gonna take a pic right now.... (thats 2nd is from a few weeks ago)
but the lights just turned off... so its starting to close up.
I dont dose anything.
very high flow i might add.... i mean the hole stalk goes back and forth
Last edited:
Sherman
Has Met Willis
Very impressive, John! That actually looks very different than my purple whip. Mine has flat "blade" stalks, not round. Here's a photo example found at peteducation.com
tat2z_21
tat2z_21
Sweet I have moved the gargonians to a higher flow area and we will see what happens
http://s167.photobucket.com/albums/u127/tat2z_21/?action=view¤t=DSC01522.jpg
http://s167.photobucket.com/albums/u127/tat2z_21/?action=view¤t=DSC01522.jpg
tat2z_21
tat2z_21
<a href="http://s167.photobucket.com/albums/u127/tat2z_21/?action=view¤t=DSC01546.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u127/tat2z_21/DSC01546.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
tat2z_21
tat2z_21
still can't figure that whole photobucket.com out
burning2nd
Well-known member
looks like you tried to emblem a video?
my Gory blows about in the wind... some times to the left others to the right... and so on and so on....
but like i said it does do this shed thing every once and a while.... where it looks like its gonna die...
it looses its outters skin and gets bigger. when i see the skin kinda hangin on blowing in the wind.... i help it out by movieng the tunze at it for a few seconds.... blowing the stuff off..
GOOD luck
my Gory blows about in the wind... some times to the left others to the right... and so on and so on....
but like i said it does do this shed thing every once and a while.... where it looks like its gonna die...
it looses its outters skin and gets bigger. when i see the skin kinda hangin on blowing in the wind.... i help it out by movieng the tunze at it for a few seconds.... blowing the stuff off..
GOOD luck
What are you feeding, how frequently and how much?
I don't have this kind, but judging from the size of polyps, it could take small particles of Cyclop Eeze, ZoPlan, and HachFry and Fauna Marin specialized food. Or you may try fine blend of grocery seafood, flakes, phytoplankton, food additives (Melev's or Blundell's homemade food recipe, only fine blended), GARF flake food recipe for gorgonians, or mcox33 flake food recipe for fine filter feeders, only I don't remember on what page it is.
I have Swiftia with similar sized polyps and Elisella/Leptogorgia(?) with even smaller polyps, they are taking a variety of small food. Some dosing device may help with several times a day feedings.
HTH
I don't have this kind, but judging from the size of polyps, it could take small particles of Cyclop Eeze, ZoPlan, and HachFry and Fauna Marin specialized food. Or you may try fine blend of grocery seafood, flakes, phytoplankton, food additives (Melev's or Blundell's homemade food recipe, only fine blended), GARF flake food recipe for gorgonians, or mcox33 flake food recipe for fine filter feeders, only I don't remember on what page it is.
I have Swiftia with similar sized polyps and Elisella/Leptogorgia(?) with even smaller polyps, they are taking a variety of small food. Some dosing device may help with several times a day feedings.
HTH
burning2nd
Well-known member
i dont feed it anything.... it lives off light and flow.
Take a look at this gorgonian, if it looks like yours, you may search web by this name and found more about its requirements. If anything will need translation (German to English for this page), Google has Language tools, copy-paste text and choose language.
I forgot to tell about Photobucket: on the Photobucket page with your photo copy the content of the window "IMG for forums" or something like that, and right click-> Paste into the Reply to thread window here, at Reef Frontiers. Do not use any buttons above this window for Photobucket images. Click Preview button - you should see your gorgonian's photo.
Special food, mentioned on the ID page, is Fauna Marin brand, high end specialized set of components for making mixes for the particular filter feeders. It is available in US. I'm not using it yet, but you can find all information you need by search on Fauna Marin gorgonian recipe.
Non-photosynthetic gorgonians can be fed by different foods, variety, but it should be blended to fit the mouth of individual polyp.
Flakes, dried plankton (zoo and phyto, but mostly zoo), soaked in Reef Plus (amino acids and vitamins) or Selcon (also food additive) or whatever you have, for hours (store in refrigerator), then new saltwater is added and all blended in blender.
Let it set for some time, until liquid and sediment separate. Use either of them, but discard too big pieces (you can use plastic strainer for this). Store this in refrigerator and feed coral few to several times a day.
Homemade coral food will work too, but variety is always better.
Other ready made food is: Cyclop eeze (I'm using dried), ZoPlan, Golden pearls 200-600 micron range (yellow finger gorgonian may take 600-800 micron food), any fry food (a little too small ~50 micron, but will work as an addition to main menu). Decapsulated brine shrimp eggs were insufficient by themselves for me, only with addition of other food.
Other food from LFS:
Frozen: Cyclops (could be too big for the purple gorgorgonian), baby brine, rotifers (expensive, but guaranteed fit), Reef Plankton (orange cubes).
As you see, you have a lot of options.
Now, feeding process:
if nobody is at home in the middle of the day, you may feed first time after waking up, second time before you go out to work or study, 3rd time when return to home, 4th time a couple of hours later, last time feed before going to sleep. It's only sounds difficult, just a matter of habit.
Density of food in water column should be quite high: polyps should be able to catch the food, and look like this (red finger gorgonian, just like your yellow, unless you have Menella):
Filtration:
If you have a good skimmer, nothing changes, it should be capable to handle this increasing of feeding. If not, consider skimmer or at least micron sock, changed daily. Some people are good with refugiums, but it didn't worked for me. Nitrates could be handled by sufficient amount of LR and water changes, and phosphates - by phosphate remover (any).
All is quite straightforward, with a lot of options.
As was said, good flow is necessary, but branches shouldn't spring in the flow, slightly bent polyps are acceptable.
Good luck!
I forgot to tell about Photobucket: on the Photobucket page with your photo copy the content of the window "IMG for forums" or something like that, and right click-> Paste into the Reply to thread window here, at Reef Frontiers. Do not use any buttons above this window for Photobucket images. Click Preview button - you should see your gorgonian's photo.
Special food, mentioned on the ID page, is Fauna Marin brand, high end specialized set of components for making mixes for the particular filter feeders. It is available in US. I'm not using it yet, but you can find all information you need by search on Fauna Marin gorgonian recipe.
Non-photosynthetic gorgonians can be fed by different foods, variety, but it should be blended to fit the mouth of individual polyp.
Flakes, dried plankton (zoo and phyto, but mostly zoo), soaked in Reef Plus (amino acids and vitamins) or Selcon (also food additive) or whatever you have, for hours (store in refrigerator), then new saltwater is added and all blended in blender.
Let it set for some time, until liquid and sediment separate. Use either of them, but discard too big pieces (you can use plastic strainer for this). Store this in refrigerator and feed coral few to several times a day.
Homemade coral food will work too, but variety is always better.
Other ready made food is: Cyclop eeze (I'm using dried), ZoPlan, Golden pearls 200-600 micron range (yellow finger gorgonian may take 600-800 micron food), any fry food (a little too small ~50 micron, but will work as an addition to main menu). Decapsulated brine shrimp eggs were insufficient by themselves for me, only with addition of other food.
Other food from LFS:
Frozen: Cyclops (could be too big for the purple gorgorgonian), baby brine, rotifers (expensive, but guaranteed fit), Reef Plankton (orange cubes).
As you see, you have a lot of options.
Now, feeding process:
if nobody is at home in the middle of the day, you may feed first time after waking up, second time before you go out to work or study, 3rd time when return to home, 4th time a couple of hours later, last time feed before going to sleep. It's only sounds difficult, just a matter of habit.
Density of food in water column should be quite high: polyps should be able to catch the food, and look like this (red finger gorgonian, just like your yellow, unless you have Menella):
Filtration:
If you have a good skimmer, nothing changes, it should be capable to handle this increasing of feeding. If not, consider skimmer or at least micron sock, changed daily. Some people are good with refugiums, but it didn't worked for me. Nitrates could be handled by sufficient amount of LR and water changes, and phosphates - by phosphate remover (any).
All is quite straightforward, with a lot of options.
As was said, good flow is necessary, but branches shouldn't spring in the flow, slightly bent polyps are acceptable.
Good luck!
burning2nd
Well-known member
those two red and white polyp are non photosynthetic, and will not do well in a reef.
i was told so, and i found out on my own....
just my two cent,
i was told so, and i found out on my own....
just my two cent,
tat2z_21
tat2z_21
WOW, that is alot of valuable information. I appreciate it all. I recently just lost a borgeous purplt polyped gargonian and I was pretty sad. I watched it wither away for a while in hopes that would spring back to life. I thank you for all of your time and energy put into giving me this info.
OldFishMan
Well-known member
Hello;
The following information agrees with all of my reading:
Wikipedia:
"Some gorgonians contain algae, or zooxanthellae. This symbiotically relationship assists in giving the gorgonian nutrition via photosynthesis. Gorgonians possessing zooxanthellae are usually characterized by brownish polyps. Those without zooxanthellae usually have more brightly colored polyps. Lacking this additional nutrion, they are more dependent on the nutrition they derive from filter feeding.
Gorgonians are found primarily in shallow waters, though some have been found at depths of several thousand feet.[1][2] The size, shape, and appearance of the gorgonians are highly correlated with their location. The more fan-shaped and flexible gorgonians tend to populate shallower areas with strong currents, while the taller, thinner, and stiffer gorgonians can be found in deeper, calmer waters.[1]"
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Here is a link to a good page for information and feeding:
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/coralcare/a/aa022103.htm
I cannot find the link I wanted. I will keep looking as i have it saved.
The article I read stated he raised only azooxanthellae coral and fed them 24-hours a day. He dripped in a mixture of Phytoplankton and Zooplankton. His lighting was minimal for a reef tank.
I feed my Gorgonians every other day and once a week at night. I keep a medium flow of water across them to keep off Algae.
I hope this helps someone!
Enjoy!
OFM
The following information agrees with all of my reading:
Wikipedia:
"Some gorgonians contain algae, or zooxanthellae. This symbiotically relationship assists in giving the gorgonian nutrition via photosynthesis. Gorgonians possessing zooxanthellae are usually characterized by brownish polyps. Those without zooxanthellae usually have more brightly colored polyps. Lacking this additional nutrion, they are more dependent on the nutrition they derive from filter feeding.
Gorgonians are found primarily in shallow waters, though some have been found at depths of several thousand feet.[1][2] The size, shape, and appearance of the gorgonians are highly correlated with their location. The more fan-shaped and flexible gorgonians tend to populate shallower areas with strong currents, while the taller, thinner, and stiffer gorgonians can be found in deeper, calmer waters.[1]"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a link to a good page for information and feeding:
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/coralcare/a/aa022103.htm
I cannot find the link I wanted. I will keep looking as i have it saved.
The article I read stated he raised only azooxanthellae coral and fed them 24-hours a day. He dripped in a mixture of Phytoplankton and Zooplankton. His lighting was minimal for a reef tank.
I feed my Gorgonians every other day and once a week at night. I keep a medium flow of water across them to keep off Algae.
I hope this helps someone!
Enjoy!
OFM
May hr this the link, you were looking for: Stottlemire. Also Danny Dame, jacksock, lower temperatures, but the same principle Karl Guba, joanxavier. Translation can be made by search engines' language tools.
Illustrations to the kinds of gorgonians that were mentioned, can be seen here. Purple frilly gorgonian Pseudopterogorgia is photosynthetic, many of others (with not tan brown polyps), have to be fed.
The dense fan shaped, that I know or read about, required particularly high flow, comparing to sparsely branched. Anthogorgia is most difficult, next - leaf shaped, 1 layer only red sea fan (no picture here), and Muricella plectana. Comparing to red and yellow diodogorgia, swiftia, leptogorgia and guaiagorgia. I had (Anthogorgia )/have them, except the red fan.
Illustrations to the kinds of gorgonians that were mentioned, can be seen here. Purple frilly gorgonian Pseudopterogorgia is photosynthetic, many of others (with not tan brown polyps), have to be fed.
The dense fan shaped, that I know or read about, required particularly high flow, comparing to sparsely branched. Anthogorgia is most difficult, next - leaf shaped, 1 layer only red sea fan (no picture here), and Muricella plectana. Comparing to red and yellow diodogorgia, swiftia, leptogorgia and guaiagorgia. I had (Anthogorgia )/have them, except the red fan.
