Is my gorgonia dying or shedding?

[Bolen2]

Hey guys and gals, I received a purple gorgonian from LiveAquaria yesterday and I’m not sure if it’s dying or shedding. I’ve never had them before but I’ve researched quite a bit before getting it but I’m still not sure if this is normal. It hasn’t opened up at all since I acclimated and placed it in the aquarium. It looks like it has little strings of mucus coming off of it. I can’t tell if it’s shedding or in early stages of disintegration.
Aquarium is a 55 with a 20 gallon sump, salinity is 1.026, lighting is medium, flow is indirect high flow. Thanks for any help.

 

[7thpagano]

It is shedding .

 

[Bolen2]

It is shedding .

The one area that has me believing this is disintegration is this circled area here. It looks like it’s starting to lose some fleshy bits but again I’m not 100% certain.

 

[Bolen2]

Here’s another update. I definitely think this is dying and starting to disintegrate.

 

[Tankkeepers]

Are you running carbon? Gorgonias can't handel the toxins from shroom and zoas etc if u had one of those die it'll try and take the gorgonian with it

Water change might save it it did mine

Bummer

And ya it's definitely dying and or dead

 

[Tankkeepers]

Onow I'm late but hope u saved it

 

[Rmckoy]

Have you seen any polyps yet ?
Have you tried feeding it ?

it is most likely nps which needs nutrients

 

[Tankkeepers]

Deleted

 

[Wasabiroot]

Nps means non-photosynthetic. What are YOU talking about?

 

[Wasabiroot]

Also: what are your other relevant parameters besides salinity? If your phosphates are at 12 trillion and alk at 40, that also might affect it...

 

[Tankkeepers]

Nps means non-photosynthetic. What are YOU talking about?

Ahhh I read your post wrong for some reason my brain went to no polyp stony I was like whattttt my bad lol

you might be correct but most purple gorgonians are photosynthetic if they also have brown polyps

But even then only partially and will Still need feed just less then a regular gorgonian

 

[Wasabiroot]

Ahhh I read your post wrong for some reason my brain went to no polyp stony I was like whattttt my bad lol

you might be correct but most purple gorgonians are photosynthetic if they also have brown polyps

Yes, I think this one is photosynthetic. It's hard to say conclusively without knowing what species it is. In my experience gorgonians tend to clamp up like this when they are unhappy with something. My bet is a water chemistry or acclimation (might be wild ) issue. On the bright side, they are very hardy. Any dead tissue can be removed and eventually it should open up.

 

[Tankkeepers]

Mine is 2 years old and was 80 percent larger recently but I killed a ricordia that was getting to close to my tubs stella and I didn't see it was stuck on the gorgonian rather then getting sucked up I missed it and melted most of the gorgonian saved it before I lost all of it tho

 

[Tankkeepers]

Yes, I think this one is photosynthetic. It's hard to say conclusively without knowing what species it is. In my experience gorgonians tend to clamp up like this when they are unhappy with something. My bet is a water chemistry or acclimation (might be wild ) issue. On the bright side, they are very hardy. Any dead tissue can be removed and eventually it should open up.

100 percent correct

They are extremely hard to identify as being a photosynthetic one as a few look almost the same same color growth with very little difrence but one is and one is not

So without knowing for sure the mother was or exactly what species I is its really just a educated guess

 

[Bolen2]

Since my last post the coral unfortunately died. I am running carbon in my system but I have not had other corals dying just this one. I removed it since it was getting completely destroyed. I have since purchased another and it is in beautiful health so far.

 

[Tankkeepers]

Since my last post the coral unfortunately died. I am running carbon in my system but I have not had other corals dying just this one. I removed it since it was getting completely destroyed. I have since purchased another and it is in beautiful health so far.

Gorgonians are very sensitive to the toxins soft coral produce so ya gotta have carbon IME with a gorgonian

 

[Tankkeepers]

Hope this one lasts you a lifetime then some

 

[sixty_reefer]

Since my last post the coral unfortunately died. I am running carbon in my system but I have not had other corals dying just this one. I removed it since it was getting completely destroyed. I have since purchased another and it is in beautiful health so far.

Unless you are going to try to feed it, the clock is ticking. The only gorgonians that do well in aquaria are brown and pink, everything else will require some sort of feeding. Unfortunately the feeding for this corals is still unknown

 

[Tankkeepers]

Unless you are going to try to feed it, the clock is ticking. The only gorgonians that do well in aquaria are brown and pink, everything else will require some sort of feeding. Unfortunately the feeding for this corals is still unknown

If you mean polyp IDK if you mean tissue not true at all

And if you do mean polyp which one has pi k one that does well? I WANT ONE

 

[sixty_reefer]

If you mean polyp IDK if you mean tissue not true at all

And if you do mean polyp which one has pi k one that does well? I WANT ONE

I mean all colourful gorgonians ( Non photosynthetic ) will eventually starve