Tell me about gorgonian coral

[skabooya]

I LOVE gorgs and I have kept a few of them before calpura took over my tank and killed everything. I was never truly successful until I found in one place that lighting for gorgs had to be high like SPS lighting. Well I increased the lighting over my 28 gal from 2 36" 2x39watt T5HO to 4x39watt T5HO and they did so much better I mean WOW what a change.
High flow so they can shed when need be and feed them a nice dusty food like coral frenzy and reef roids.

[Coralgurl]

RSM-seeing yours got me thinking about them again, and with radions too! Plus seeing them in a seahorse tank, they are simply awesome. Ive never been successful with sps, but I think going with the non photosynthetic ones would be ok.

Thanks for the replies!

[Delphinus]

IME/IMO nonphotosynthetic gorgs are far more difficult to keep alive than photosynthetic ones. Most of the time they wither and eventually disappear.

Generally speaking feeding them just once or twice a day is not sufficient for long-term success because they really need to feed continuously. The most successful setups I have seen that did well with these involved a drip type autofeeder that is on 24/7. If you're really into gearing out then it can be a fun project but if what you're after is an easy coral you don't need to worry about then what you really want to focus on are the photosynthetic gorgs. Light and flow and a good solid base (glue them to a heavy rock) and really they'll just take care of the rest.

The other problem with feeding the non-PS ones is nutrient control/management.

The best way to tell the two apart is the colour of the polyps. Zooxanthellae is typically brown; so if the polyps are brown the coral is very likely photosynthetic. Brightly coloured polyps, or pure white polyps, are those without zooxanthellae will require feeding and what they feed on will vary from species to species (and is generally related to the size of food they're after).

[Coralgurl]

Thanks Tony, I read the same thing about feeding, and it is the pretty ones that need more care and attention. I will stay away from those simply because I am a simple reefer and not at the point that I'm looking for a challenge.... RSM's is stunning even though color wise it's beige, they seem to add a different look to a tank. After seeing a few photos with gorgs in them and being something I haven't tried, will likely give it a go!

[RSM]

Originally Posted by Coralgurl

RSM-seeing yours got me thinking about them again, and with radions too! Plus seeing them in a seahorse tank, they are simply awesome. Ive never been successful with sps, but I think going with the non photosynthetic ones would be ok.

Thanks for the replies!

Ya I really like them swaying with the current. I may frag a few pieces soon. I will let you know

[denny_C]

if you do want to try a nps gorg start with the menella sp. its a beautiful nps gorg that does not require daily feedings or target for that matter.

any of the eco gorgs are fairly easy to keep with good water quality and decent flow.

im up to 12 gorgs!!!

some of my eco's and the menella ive had for a lonnnnnnng time lol



menella sp.










corky finger:



purple eco gorg(purple plume??)





blade gorg:




blueberry( do not attempt)







corkscrew( not that easy)