Scared to keep Gorgonians but I want them! Help!

Clarinuto · Jul 3, 2020

Hi Friends, a couple years ago I added a gorgonian to my tank and all of my lps closed up and looked absolutely awful. I quickly realized it was the gorg and returned it to the store. Now 2 years later I want to have gorgonians in my tank, but I’m afraid of it happening again. Was the gorg I had just particularly lethal or are all gorgs going to do this? Do you have to run carbon to keep them in a mixed tank? (I don’t currently run carbon at all) Is there a particular type or types of gorg that would be fine in my mixed reef? What are they?

Thank you!

New&no clue · Jul 3, 2020

I have one in each of my tanks. I’ve never had a problem with LPS in either. Both are the photosynthetic type. I do run carbon in both my tanks at all times because softies can be mean.

Clarinuto · Jul 3, 2020

New&no clue said:
I have one in each of my tanks. I’ve never had a problem with LPS in either. Both are the photosynthetic type. I do run carbon in both my tanks at all times because softies can be mean.

How often do you change your carbon?

DeniseAndy · Jul 3, 2020

I had kept gorgs for years. They will kill lps happily if they are certain species. One thing you want to get is active carbon filtration 24/7. Then, the ones I have found that are least of an issue and grow nicely are the grube's gorg (Pinnigorgia flava) and the Eunicea spp. is pretty decent. Try these first.
I began keeping gorgs and eventually had all gorgs and leathers as everything else would die.

ThePurple12 · Jul 3, 2020

Wow, I had no idea gorgonians did that! What LPS do you have? My Psuedopterogorgia is fine with my candy cane and hammer.

Clarinuto · Jul 3, 2020

ThePurple12 said:
Wow, I had no idea gorgonians did that! What LPS do you have? My Psuedopterogorgia is fine with my candy cane and hammer.

I have torches, frogspawns, hammers, a Duncan, a lobo, goniopora, an elegance, bubbles, cristata, and a few others. LPS are my absolutely favorite so if it’s them versus anyone else, the other guy gets the boot

Clarinuto · Jul 3, 2020

DeniseAndy said:
I had kept gorgs for years. They will kill lps happily if they are certain species. One thing you want to get is active carbon filtration 24/7. Then, the ones I have found that are least of an issue and grow nicely are the grube's gorg (Pinnigorgia flava) and the Eunicea spp. is pretty decent. Try these first.
I began keeping gorgs and eventually had all gorgs and leathers as everything else would die.

Thank you. This is super helpful. I do have carbon and a reactor, I just never use it because I’ve been lucky to not have issues. Maybe I’ll consider setting one up and trying the Grube’s Gorg!