Ideas? Goni Not Extending Polyps for 1 Month

[TessGlo]

I've had the yellow Goni pictured below for 6 months, purchased it from Pacific East Aquaculture. First 3 months it did well placed on the sand with moderate flow. I slowly moved it up onto the rockwork just a few inches and it still did well. Then about a month ago the polys just stopped coming out. It's polyps are still in but it's still alive, to my surprise. I've tried moving it back to where it was, moving it to more/less light and flow, all very slowly giving it time to settle into each new place, but no change.

My tank has stable parameters (Cal 490, Alk 7.8, Mg 1400, Phos .04-.02, Nitrate 0-3) and many other thriving corals, it's under T5 lights and I feed indo pacific sea farms powered coral food, aminos, and phyto. I have another Goni in the tank that is doing well, but I realize they are not all created equal.

I don't know what else to try, is there anything I can try to make it happy? I recall reading something about a particular trace element they favor but can't find it now and I'm not sure I would mess with something I can't measure anyway.

 

[reeferfoxx]

How large is the system? What is your fish stock list including inverts? My first thought is a nutrient limitation. NO3 0-3 isn't much imo. Do you see a feeding response with the pumps off?

 

[Jason mack]

[ I recall reading something about a particular trace element they favor but can't find it]
I think it Will be strontium or potassium.. not sure which .. I have heard that the yellows are not the easiest too keep .. or that they never seem to do well in aquariums ... I cant say why ... !

 

[KrisReef]

I wonder if it wants to be in a lower light (cave) environment?

Looking around, it seems that 6 months is the time when goni's that are nutritionally deprived start to fail. Ref here:
http://www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen20.html

I took a look at your coral food, seems like it should work. There is Goniopower that might help. I would not move it to lower light, but increase target feeding. The lack of nutrition causes the reduced photosynthesis apparently.

Hth.

 

[TessGlo]

How large is the system? What is your fish stock list including inverts? My first thought is a nutrient limitation. NO3 0-3 isn't much imo. Do you see a feeding response with the pumps off?

It's in a 90 gal tank (115 total water volume), choc tang, potters wrasse, divided lepoard wrasse, ruby head fairy wrasse, midus blenny, 3 black bar and 2 blue chromis, orange spot goby, 1 resplendent anthia, trocus snails and hermits. Tank just turned 1 year. It used to give me a feeding response, but not now, nothing. I lowered No3 is a bit because I'm dealing with some horrid stringy dinos, but it was doing this when my No3 was steady at about 5-6.

[ I recall reading something about a particular trace element they favor but can't find it]
I think it Will be strontium or potassium.. not sure which .. I have heard that the yellows are not the easiest too keep .. or that they never seem to do well in aquariums ... I cant say why ... !

Glad to hear yellow can just be challenging.... now I know

I wonder if it wants to be in a lower light (cave) environment?

I might give this a try, I don't have much to loose at this point.

Thanks all !

 

[Jason mack]

I would also check potassium and strontium In your tank .. as these two elements have been proved to have an effect on corals ...

 

[reeferfoxx]

I lowered No3 is a bit because I'm dealing with some horrid stringy dinos, but it was doing this when my No3 was steady at about 5-6.

Stringy Dino's are a sign of toxins being put into the water column. Weekly change outs of GAC would benefit here. Also stringy Dino's are a sign that they are nutrient deprived. This is a way for them to trap organisms for nutrients. The most likely culprit here is a nutrient deficiency. I've seen phosphates reduce from 0.04 to 0.00 over night due to dinos. I think your issue with dinos shouldn't be put aside as they are tank destroyers.

 

[TessGlo]

dinos shouldn't be put aside as they are tank destroyers

I'm doing what worked last time to get rid of them and they do have me very concerned, but I can't find the time to read that GIANT thread about dinos, to see if I should do something different, I was told that I needed to lower my nutrients to get rid of them. What type of toxins are dinos feeding off of? I run GAC and changed it right before the dinos started their party about a week ago. Maybe I should skip the water change this week?

 

[reeferfoxx]

I'm doing what worked last time to get rid of them and they do have me very concerned, but I can't find the time to read that GIANT thread about dinos, to see if I should do something different, I was told that I needed to lower my nutrients to get rid of them. What type of toxins are dinos feeding off of? I run GAC and changed it right before the dinos started their party about a week ago. Maybe I should skip the water change this week?

Dinos aren't feeding off of toxins. They are producing toxins. It's one of their arsenals to obtain nutrients. Reducing nutrients to eliminate dinos isn't the answer. Reducing nutrients eliminates everything including coral. If you feed your fish, they survive. The nutrients provided for the fish and then released from the fish keep the dinoflagellate competition in favor of dinos. Your goal is to shift nutrient competition to other organisms, micro fauna/flora,bacteria, and coral.

All the information you need is provided in the first post of this thread. This method works, worked for me, and has worked for others. Increased nutrient buffet increases dino competitors and suppresses dino growth.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dinoflagellates-–-are-you-tired-of-battling-altogether.293318/

 

[rkpetersen]

I've also had gonis close up for weeks at a time, only to then fully recover. Determining the causative factor is difficult. However I'm reasonably sure that at least in my case it has involved either too high light intensity (esp white light) or the addition of activated carbon (removing some crucial element) to the system.