Gorgonian growing question

jeffrey750750 · Jul 11, 2020

My gorgonian is doing g great, excellent growth. It's about a year old and its grown about 4 times the size. Question, is there anything I can can do about how its growing? It's not growing straight up, its turning back down. Its attached to mammoth size rock and it encrusted

Ron Reefman · Jul 12, 2020

Just suggestions. Cut back the parts you are unhappy with and/or wrap something around it to hold it more upright. Personally, I think it looks fine.

jeffrey750750 · Jul 14, 2020

Well today it decided to rest on my favorite toadstool. Polyps on both pieces retracted, I freaked. I tried trying it back with plastic wire ties, no good. I cut off the branch and decided to frag it on a new piece of rubble. I drilled a hole in a rubble piece then razor bladed the flesh end of the gorgonian. Filled with superglue gel and plopped it in.
Wish me luck

Ron Reefman · Jul 15, 2020

Good luck.

Smarkow · Jul 15, 2020

I think that should work. Do you have a wavemaker? My gorgs and those I’ve seen on youtube with nice growth patterns all seem to have that sway type flow pattern in common.

Let us know how it goes

sp1187 · Jul 15, 2020

they go with the flow.
01/2019

7/2020
the two middle back arms fused together.

inland_reef · Oct 20, 2020

jeffrey750750 said:
Well today it decided to rest on my favorite toadstool. Polyps on both pieces retracted, I freaked. I tried trying it back with plastic wire ties, no good. I cut off the branch and decided to frag it on a new piece of rubble. I drilled a hole in a rubble piece then razor bladed the flesh end of the gorgonian. Filled with superglue gel and plopped it in.
Wish me luck

good thing you moved it. I had a toadstool melt the flesh off a gorgonian from touching

You can see where the flesh receded. As for those types of gorgonians, the corky ones get top heavy and sort of fall over. They then create a sort of base with their branches before growing upward again. If you have faster flow you can place it up there to keep it more upright otherwise snip the drooping part and glue down another gorgonian in another section of your tank!