Gorgonian ID please.

[rostalee]

Gorgonian ID

I ordered 4 photosynthetic Gorgonian. They are a bit hard to come by here (Australia). The top one looks pretty sad…..is it salvageable? Are they all photosynthetic? I want to make sure I put them in the right place in the tank. These are my first corals I’m planing a seahorse tank.

 

[davidcalgary29]

Gorgonian ID

I ordered 4 photosynthetic Gorgonian. They are a bit hard to come by here (Australia). The top one looks pretty sad…..is it salvageable? Are they all photosynthetic? I want to make sure I put them in the right place in the tank. These are my first corals I’m planing a seahorse tank.

They probably are all photosynthetic, although it's difficult to tell without polyp extension. NPS gorgonians are extremely difficult to keep and are best left to expert aquarists. I am not one of those people.

I can't identify the individual species here, but whip gorgs tend to be easier to keep than sea fans. Your tank is also quite young, so it may be difficult to create an environment for them at this stage in which they'll thrive on a long-term basis. You have, nonetheless, got them in your tank, so you'll have to try your best to provide the best environment for them. Nutritional requirements vary with species, and there is an abundance of contadictory advice available on this point. Do they benefit from frequent feedings of phytoplankton? Plankton? Microfauna? Most "evidence" is apocryphal and not helpful. My colony seems to get along just fine without supplemental feeding, even though I do dose phytoplankton about once a week.

I wouldn't panic if your gorgonians fail to thrive; most species simply do not do well in the home aquarium. The only species I can recommend -- both because it is widely available in cultivated frags and because it is nearly bomb-proof -- is Grube's gorgonian. It can grow like a weed in optimal conditions and deserves a place in every reef tank.

 

[rostalee]

Australia seems tricky to find gorgs at all. Im going to try my best with this lot and head back to more basic softies if they fail. But you’re right in that every page I look up gives different advice around feeding, lighting, flow.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I woulda done macro algae 1st.
Let me see if I can find a cpl sites selling them and I'll post the hyperlinks here
D

 

[TokenReefer]

Pretty nice lookin pieces!

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Sea Fans: Sea Fan Corals

Sea Fans are similar to corals, but they anchor themselves to mud or sand instead of attaching to hard substrates

www.liveaquaria.com

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

live-plants.com

Gulf Coast Ecosystems (GCE), founded in 2003, is a trusted source for live marine macroalgae, gorgonians, sponges and invertebrates. From our Florida Keys and Tampa Bay stations, we hand-collect and culture high-quality specimens for hobbyists, reef tanks, public aquariums, universities, and...

www.live-plants.com

 

[rostalee]

Thanks!

 

[davidcalgary29]

You might want to contact this company, as it's Australian, and it will be considerably easier to buy products from them instead of from overseas. Sadly, it looks like they're out of almost all species of macroalgae.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I was just posting for identification not for purchasing
D

 

[Alexopora]

Ensure you have a nice strong but waving flow. My gorgonians love a good flow. What you want to see is them waving constantly and not just be hit by flow coming from one side. Also do not that occasionally your gorgonians will retract their polyps for a couple of days before shedding a coat and showing PE again.