HH Goniopora palmensis coming back?

[Maxx]

Thats a possiility re: the reefs being nutrient rich....but I suspect that its more to do with where that species of coral is located and the nutirents available there. You're not gonna find a Goni on a reef crest. The surging waves would most likely tear the felsh off the coral. But in a calmer lagoon where you have less movement and more time for nutrients to accumulate, etc....

Regardless, you're doing a great job and I'm envious. I'm going to have to set up an LPS tank here soon...

Nick

 

[John Kelly]

if this goni is comming around using a skimmerless system w/a constant NO3 5-10, then this is the key or really a great case of dumb luck.

IMO, the only thing that nitrate may be helping with is feeding the zooxanthellae and therefore potentially increasing the rate of zooxanthellae repopulation. If the nitrate reading was below a readable amount the coral would still repopulate zoox, but it may take a little longer.

Why would you call this a "case of dumb luck"?

 

[4251cpd]

Why would you call this a "case of dumb luck"?

Because I'm a newbie to this hobby and when I read up on corals in Borneman's book I would skip over any coral that stated difficult. Here I accidently end up w/one and your advise plus an article here and there and presto. I tell someone who has been doing reefs for years and they look at me like my hair is on fire. So that is why I state things that way. I certainly hope that people can learn that all things can be possible.

 

[4251cpd]

IMO, the only thing that nitrate may be helping with is feeding the zooxanthellae and therefore potentially increasing the rate of zooxanthellae repopulation. If the nitrate reading was below a readable amount the coral would still repopulate zoox, but it may take a little longer.

Why would you call this a "case of dumb luck"?

With the "higher" readings of nitrate I am going to assume that is being caused by the break down of DOM. There is a nice article in the coral library that you have to look in the soft coral section by E. Borneman about the goni's. He cites Shmiek(sp) that goni's absorb a lot of their nutrition via DOM and tiny plankton. I made a jump in logic there that is why I stated it that way. The stalks at full extension are about a 1/2 inch in length now. The zoox would help the coloring but the growth is what I was amazed at. I just laugh when I see the colony start to dance, because they move in all directions kind of reminded me of my prom.

 

[liveforphysics]

I found this in that great article written by the guy who grows and frags goniopora.

"Gut contents of some Goniopora have been a roughly even mix of phytoplankton and zooplankton (Toonen, 1999; Borneman, 2001). This might explain why systems with refugiums, deep sand beds and little skimming seem to reportedly allow higher survival rates of these corals. Refugiums and sand beds produce many kinds of zooplankton, larvae and eggs, and skimming removes them."


Let me take a wild guess and say that you arent useing a skimmer? I have a feeling thats a big part of the sucess.

 

[steve-s]

Actually the phyto was the result of zooplankton being consumed, not actively feeding on phyto. As with fish, coral eat the whole animal which is step we as hobbyist don't look for. A majority of aninmals gain nutrition from both meat and veg. Some eat one or both purposefully while others incidentally...

Gonipora Success?!.... Rob Toonen
The Successful Aquarium Culture of Goniopora Species... By Justin Credabel

Cheers
Steve

 

[4251cpd]

Let me take a wild guess and say that you arent useing a skimmer? I have a feeling thats a big part of the sucess.

Ding, ding, ding....we have a winner. I'm using a small fuge set up and feed the fish everyday. I have a good amount of cleaners, detritus and algae. Stirring the sandbed twice a week. The goni and ric get target feedings twice a week and are actually eating. I hope that this will help us understand this particular coral's needs and others will have success w/the flowerpot.

 

[4251cpd]

Actually the phyto was the result of zooplankton being consumed, not actively feeding on phyto. As with fish, coral eat the whole animal which is step we as hobbyist don't look for. A majority of aninmals gain nutrition from both meat and veg. Some eat one or both purposefully while others incidentally...

Gonipora Success?!.... Rob Toonen
The Successful Aquarium Culture of Goniopora Species... By Justin Credabel

Cheers
Steve

Thanks Steve for the info. I noticed my pod's coming back once I started to add phyto once a week. They are back to being all over the glass. Good snack for the fish and great for the goni. Any other suggestions would really be appreciated. Thanks, Mike.

 

[John Kelly]

May I suggest this....

Before you start repeating the past, mostly unsuccessful, husbandry methods in your experiment and eventually turning your 12g nano into a "Dirty Water" sump, that you hook up a small skimmer and run some carbon; while continuing to feed every other day (every third day) a combination of mashed cyclo, rotifers and oyster eggs. .....and do small regular water changes too.

John

 

[4251cpd]

May I suggest this....

Before you start repeating the past, mostly unsuccessful, husbandry methods in your experiment and eventually turning your 12g nano into a "Dirty Water" sump, that you hook up a small skimmer and run some carbon; while continuing to feed every other day (every third day) a combination of mashed cyclo, rotifers and oyster eggs. .....and do small regular water changes too.

John

Absolutely, just ordered a small skimmer will run two nights a week. I'm doing every other day water changes of 48 oz's, day after the coral feed. I run carbon 24/7 along w/purigen and chempure. Once a week a polyfilter goes in for 48 hrs. Running a sponge that gets swapped out daily to get cleaned and dried and put a new one in. I think my husbandry so far has been intensive and so far, so good.

 

[wave98]

I'm following with interest here. The tank has been described as somewhat nutrient rich, but Phosphate has not been mentioned. Is "nutrient rich" Nitrate only, or is Phosphate also in "important" component ? Can you "strip" P with a reactor, or other, and still recieve the nutrient rich Nitrate condition for this kind of animal, but still avoid the calcification inhibition that P represents for other corals ?

Thanks > Barry

 

[4251cpd]

I'm following with interest here. The tank has been described as somewhat nutrient rich, but Phosphate has not been mentioned. Is "nutrient rich" Nitrate only, or is Phosphate also in "important" component ? Can you "strip" P with a reactor, or other, and still recieve the nutrient rich Nitrate condition for this kind of animal, but still avoid the calcification inhibition that P represents for other corals ?

Thanks > Barry

Barry, great call on the phosphates. I just tested my tank after I saw this and it showing 0. I'm not using any type of phosphate removal system, other then macro in the fuge. As what was stated by folks w/a lot more experience in reef keeping and goni's in particular (J. Kelly) that zooanthelle are benefitting from the NO3. After reading several articles notably by JC, R. Shmiek(sp) and Borneman, I'm beginning to form a uneducated conclusion. The goni comes from a somewhat stagnant, turbid area of a reef. Unlike other parts of the reef, this area is somewhat "dirty". It's not the greatest of coral eaters and not all of it's nutrition is derived from active eating. Call them opurtunistic feeders. Because of turbidity we may infer that not all of it's nutrition is gained from photosynthesis. Medium to lower lighting seems to be preferred. At least w/my colony. I was exposing half the colony to natural sunlight for about four hours a day, and I noticed slight bleaching in the exposed half. As seen in the attached pix. So I believe this coral has a three pronged attack w/a lot of it's requirments met by DOM, kind of like we believe xenia feeds. Thanks for spending some time and reading my rant.

 

[4251cpd]

Update: more pics.

One is a few months back, the second is two days ago:

 

[Maxx]

Wow, looks good Mike! Really making a comeback!

Do the polyps have blue tips or am I just imagining things?

Nick

 

[4251cpd]

Wow, looks good Mike! Really making a comeback!

Do the polyps have blue tips or am I just imagining things?

Nick

Depends on the lighting, I think they are more pearl.

 

[4251cpd]

Update

Tissue growth and a sister colony is starting to take hold(excuse the bubble algae, am about to take a corrective measure):

 

[spy_i]

eureka!!

great thread men...

 

[John Kelly]

How is your goni doing?