Any luck with Goniopora stutchburyi / burgosi? (Encrusting Goniopora)

[Myka]

I have never noticed encrusting Gonipora before, and after reading about it online it seems as though it is much easier to care for than the typical longer polyped Goniopora that is very difficult to care for long term. I am wondering how successful people have been with long term care of encrusting Goniopora stutchburyi and/or Goniopora burgosi?

[christyf5]

I just got a piece of this about a month ago. The guy at the LFS was so sure it was flowerpot but I didn't believe him. Eventually I looked it up and sure enough it was. Anyway, the frag of it that I got is about 2"x2" and took about 2.5 weeks to fully "expand", previous to that the polyps were firmly entrenched in the coral and were unwilling to come out. As well the tissue surrounding the polyps was a bit pale. Currently it looks pretty happy, polyps are fully expanded (as expanded as it gets I suppose) and its fully colored up.

Well this isn't exactly long term experience but thought I'd chime in anyways

[corpusse]

It's only been a few months but I bought a rather large colony that has since become a HUGE colony. There was some die off when I purchased it but new flesh has encrusted over where the die off was. I moved it to less light and was a bit worried but it still expands huge every day. My Cardinal loves it and sticks by it most of the day since the clowns have the rbta.



IMO it does well in my tank because of frequent feedings, target fed with cyclopeeze and other small foods once or twice a week but also I never rinse any of my frozen foods so a lot of the juices flow towards this side of the tank and the goni grabs that on its own.

[RuGlu6]

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/nftt/index.php
i had red gonioporah for 2+ years now and it was sold to me as such from j&l.
i feed all sorts of small particle food,but oyster eggs is always favorite.
last 6 month though a switched to fauna marine food (ultra seafan and ultra Min f) because of longer shelf life.
My red goni, doing very well, it popped out two babies on top of mother colony, i did not think much about two small balls until the started to separate from mother colony.
Mine is not attached and because i use wavebox, it only encrusted its own rock so much, that it sits on its own tissue.

[christyf5]

Wow, mine looks nothing like that. The polyps are extended maybe 0.5 mm. I don't know, maybe mine isn't what I think you guys are talking about.

[Myka]

Christy, yours sounds like what I am talking about, corpusse's photo is not Goniopora stutchburyi, however it is VERY nice!! Goniopora stutchburyi has small polyps usually only 1-2mm widem, and the stalks are often so short they are sometimes mistaken for Porites. Upon closer look it may be Goniopora burgosi I am referring to...the two seem very similar, and little information on identification seems to be available. Do you have a pic of yours Christy?

Goniopora stutchburyi:


Goniopora burgosi:

[christyf5]

Here is a pic of mine:



I totally agree, I was thinking it was more like a pagoda coral or something at the store. They have one in their display tank which has been in there awhile and is just starting to encrust. It looks slightly different than mine, almost like the polyps are a bit more widely spaced apart which gives it the appearance of being a "mini pagoda" or turbinaria or something. I haven't mounted mine as it was rather pale looking and I was waiting for it to fully color up under my lighting before I start moving it up the water column

Wow that is a terrible photo, but you get the idea

[Myka]

Ah yes, yours is what I'm talking about! I think I will just go ahead and buy this one I found. It is a similar color to yours. After researching, I am wondering if they are supposed to be red instead of pinkish.

[chandigz]

I have a piece of that same stuff. The polyps extend to about 1/2 an inch. I have had it several months now seems to be doing good. I have found that it likes medium light and flow. It tends to go pale in brighter light.

[naesco]

Originally Posted by Myka

I have never noticed encrusting Gonipora before, and after reading about it online it seems as though it is much easier to care for than the typical longer polyped Goniopora that is very difficult to care for long term. I am wondering how successful people have been with long term care of encrusting Goniopora stutchburyi and/or Goniopora burgosi?

I have one. At the time I purchased it, it looked like 'pin-cushion' polyps as it was not extended.
Had I known it was a goniopora I would not have bought it as it is impossible to keep long term.
I studied up on gonis as much as I could and found that it needed massive amounts of phytoplankton and other tiny foods.
It is surviving and even growing but I target feed it 2-3 times a day.
They say even with the best of care they will only last months and go downhill very slowly.
I would not consider one if I were you.