Picked up a gorgonian today.

stanleo · Dec 22, 2019

I got a 30$ gift certificate at the work secret Santa and it was enough to buy thins gorgonian but I'm not sure what kind it is. I wanted something that was a little harder to keep and I have been wanting one of these. I have some questions about placement. It's floating right now.

I think they need high flow and low light so I was thinking of putting in the sand in front of the arch. Can they go in sand or do I need to attach to a rock?

That area gets high indirect and intermittent flow.

Also, when should I feed it? I read that the polyps (this one had a white polyp open) only open at night. Is that when I should feed? Or if I feed it in the morning along with the rest of the corals and tank will it open during the day for me? What's the best food to feed it? I have phytoplankton on hand. TIA

This is a terrible pic but its at the store. Its a little smaller than my hand. The orange one in the front.

LiveWire · Dec 22, 2019

This should help you out!

stanleo · Dec 22, 2019

Thank you that was helpful. I put it in and it looks great there. I hope it does well. It is getting the flow I think it needs. Still would like an ID on the specific kind if anyone has any idea.

PapaDragon · Dec 22, 2019

Yellow Finger Gorgonian

Good luck. Those guys require regular feeding and usually starve.

stanleo · Dec 22, 2019

PapaDragon said:
Yellow Finger Gorgonian

Good luck. Those guys require regular feeding and usually starve.

Thank you. I was thinking that's what it was but hoping I was wrong. I think I will try feeding it every other day with phytoplankton.

Scorpius · Dec 22, 2019

Look for photosynthetic gorgonians. I love em and have several different kinds that have weathered most everything I've thrown at them including a tank crash.

PapaDragon · Dec 22, 2019

Just a word of caution. I’ve never had any luck with non-photosynthetic creatures except fish

. I’m obviously no expert, but even when I tried feeding them on a schedule it has never worked out well. My theory is in the ocean they have access to food whenever they are ready for it and I was trying to get them on my schedule. Maybe a doser adding phyto several times a day would work?

Paul B · Dec 22, 2019

I am sorry but that yellow gorg won't last long in your tank. It will starve in probably a couple of months no matter what you do or what you feed.
Your tank looks very clean and that gorg needs to feed all day. You will never be able to keep up with what it needs which is a shame as I like those yellow gorgs and have had many of them. Only the brown ones live. I have some probably 15 years but the red, yellow and white ones will not make it as they are not photosynthetic.

That yellow one has tiny polyps and needs food constantly, not every other day or every day or ever every hour, but constantly.

But good luck anyway and I hope you prove me wrong.

Uncle99 · Dec 22, 2019

That gorg is a non-photosynthetic type, requires regular feedings.

Bbfishb81 · Dec 22, 2019

You dont want to bury any flesh in the sand. It can start killing the coral off from the bottom up. That's how I lost my first one. Lots of food is the biggest thing for those guys.

Thaxxx · Dec 22, 2019

Did you ask, or did your LFS tell you the requirements for it?
Before you decided to get it.
I wish stores would stop carrying stuff like this.

stanleo · Dec 23, 2019

Yeah I messed up. I broke my rule. I went in fully intending to get a small zoa frag because I researched that. I asked the guy all the questions and he said I would have to feed a couple times a week with marine snow and phytoplankton. Well I will give a shot anyway since I am committed now. Sucks too cause it opened up beautifully in a couple hours.

I am going to take a small rock out of my fuge and attach the gorg to it. I will make some food and feed a few times a day, small amounts and keep an eye on my nutrient levels. See how it goes. Crushed up coral and fish pellets mixed with phytoplankton and release it in the current.

I did look it up quick when I was in the store and did read that you only have to feed a few times a week so I was hoping to get some success stories on here but it's not looking too good.

Bbfishb81 · Dec 23, 2019

I have a few non-photosynthetic gorgonian and have for almost a year now. Also have a distichoporia for over a year. Going good so far. Feed a few different things. Reef roids, phyto, marine snow and reef bugs. I switch it up and only feed my corals once or twice a week. Wishing you the best of luck.

Uncle99 · Dec 23, 2019

I did the exact same thing with the exact same coral.
I have the photosynthetic ones now they are more than 2 years old now, feed them nothing.

raketemensch · Dec 23, 2019

Paul B said:
Your tank looks very clean and that gorg needs to feed all day. You will never be able to keep up with what it needs which is a shame as I like those yellow gorgs and have had many of them. Only the brown ones live. I have some probably 15 years but the red, yellow and white ones will not make it as they are not photosynthetic.

That yellow one has tiny polyps and needs food constantly, not every other day or every day or ever every hour, but constantly.

But good luck anyway and I hope you prove me wrong.

Out of curiosity -- have people had more mature tanks with more live bacteria and a more developed/complex ecosystem that could keep these things alive, or is it purely the lack of photosynthesis?

stanleo · Dec 24, 2019

Bbfishb81 said:
I have a few non-photosynthetic gorgonian and have for almost a year now. Also have a distichoporia for over a year. Going good so far. Feed a few different things. Reef roids, phyto, marine snow and reef bugs. I switch it up and only feed my corals once or twice a week. Wishing you the best of luck.

The polyps have only been opening at night. I get off work around 11-12 every night so I think I will feed it at this time. Do you think that would work? Just get a variety and hope for the best? I fed it phytoplankton last night night and I am going to get marine snow and reefroids today if the store is open.

Paul B · Dec 24, 2019

raketemensch said:
Out of curiosity -- have people had more mature tanks with more live bacteria and a more developed/complex ecosystem that could keep these things alive, or is it purely the lack of photosynthesis?

No. I have a very mature tank and that coral will last a few months, maybe a year as I have tried a number of times.

Then need constant food, not just occasionally and that won't work in a tank where you don't want to make it polluted.

But good luck and I hope it lives forever.

stanleo · Dec 24, 2019

Paul B said:
No. I have a very mature tank and that coral will last a few months, maybe a year as I have tried a number of times.

Then need constant food, not just occasionally and that won't work in a tank where you don't want to make it polluted.

But good luck and I hope it lives forever.

Yeah I'm under no illusions that it probably won't last long. But I am going to try. I got reef chili and reef roids today and will try a varied diet fed at night when I get home from work. That and hoping that some of the particulate that always floats around my water is something nutritious coming from my fuge.

I did also pick up a photo synthetic gorg today as well that I am loving the look of. That and a coco worm cause I figured what the heck, if I'm feeding that gorg everyday might as well try one of those as well.

SueAndHerZoo · Dec 24, 2019

Since I've just set up my seahorse tank (but no ponies yet) I'm hoping I can be the exception to the poor success rate. I bought two gorgs a few days ago: one yellow and one red. They have had their polyps open and in full bloom non-stop. It's probably because I have garden eels in the tank that I am trying to train to eat so I am putting all kinds of small food in there several times a day...... the eels aren't coming out of their shells much yet but the gorgs are enjoying the food fest!
Sue