Goniopora polyps opening without stalk extension

djryan2000 · Feb 1, 2021

I’ve seen a couple similar threads without much for an answer. I’ve had my goniopora for a little over a month now snd the polyps open but don’t extend. The coral does seem to respond to feeding with coral food. Here is a pic

i asked my LFS and they said try moving it and giving it a week which I’ve done twice with no success. It opens like this again ~an hour after moving it. Any ideas?

Dkmoo · Feb 1, 2021

Did they open like that internet LFS too or did they open up more?

Gonis unfortunately are very hard to figure out. From what I've read, different species prefer different flow and lighting that range from high to low so it really is just trial and error. They are also so sensitive and temperamental that they take a long time to really "get happy" even if the flow/lighting fits their need. Id probably give it 1 month in each spot before moving them.

On top of that, some species are just short tentacles naturally.

Like mine, for ex, even in the LFS i don't remember it opening up that much but I thought was just it being stressed. i bought it anyway because of the unique color. In my tank I probably spent 4 months trying to get it to extend more but it never opened more than this. However its color maintained, it was healthy, great feeding response, and it started encrusting so I left it alone. Its been a year already and it's happy as ever despite never opening more than this. In the same picture you can also clearly seen the one on the left expanding a lot more (its technically an aveo) and the right one is doing a lot worse, despite all three in the exact same flow and lighting condition.

vetteguy53081 · Feb 1, 2021

Are you sure they arent short stem version ?

These are short polyp version:

Mark Gray · Feb 1, 2021

I have a small brite red on, mine loves flow and nitrate, it opens fully when I dose it. Good luck

djryan2000 · Feb 1, 2021

Dkmoo said:
Did they open like that internet LFS too or did they open up more?

Gonis unfortunately are very hard to figure out. From what I've read, different species prefer different flow and lighting that range from high to low so it really is just trial and error. They are also so sensitive and temperamental that they take a long time to really "get happy" even if the flow/lighting fits their need. Id probably give it 1 month in each spot before moving them.

On top of that, some species are just short tentacles naturally.

Like mine, for ex, even in the LFS i don't remember it opening up that much but I thought was just it being stressed. i bought it anyway because of the unique color. In my tank I probably spent 4 months trying to get it to extend more but it never opened more than this. However its color maintained, it was healthy, great feeding response, and it started encrusting so I left it alone. Its been a year already and it's happy as ever despite never opening more than this. In the same picture you can also clearly seen the one on the left expanding a lot more (its technically an aveo) and the right one is doing a lot worse, despite all three in the exact same flow and lighting condition.

I believe they were extended at the LFS.

DothanReefer · Feb 1, 2021

Dkmoo said:
Did they open like that internet LFS too or did they open up more?

Gonis unfortunately are very hard to figure out. From what I've read, different species prefer different flow and lighting that range from high to low so it really is just trial and error. They are also so sensitive and temperamental that they take a long time to really "get happy" even if the flow/lighting fits their need. Id probably give it 1 month in each spot before moving them.

On top of that, some species are just short tentacles naturally.

Like mine, for ex, even in the LFS i don't remember it opening up that much but I thought was just it being stressed. i bought it anyway because of the unique color. In my tank I probably spent 4 months trying to get it to extend more but it never opened more than this. However its color maintained, it was healthy, great feeding response, and it started encrusting so I left it alone. Its been a year already and it's happy as ever despite never opening more than this. In the same picture you can also clearly seen the one on the left expanding a lot more (its technically an aveo) and the right one is doing a lot worse, despite all three in the exact same flow and lighting condition.

Your middle one here looks a lot like the TCK Oddball Goni. See pic below:

Dkmoo · Feb 1, 2021

DothanReefer said:
Your middle one here looks a lot like the TCK Oddball Goni. See pic below:

Ooo ty! I had no luck id it before this. Diff Color but definitely has that "1 off color tentacle per polyp" trait that this one does

djryan2000 · Feb 2, 2021

Dkmoo said:
Ooo ty! I had no luck id it before this. Diff Color but definitely has that "1 off color tentacle per polyp" trait that this one does

That’s what mine look like too! Do only the stalkless grow like that?

Mark Gray · Feb 8, 2021

Here's how mine likes flow

Sigmund · Feb 8, 2021

Assuming not a short tentacle Goni, then generally the three factors that affect polyp extension are water quality, light, flow. If water quality is good, put in a lower light / flow area and see if it opens up more.