Gorgonian???

[trey the salt]

I saw them sold on this website, what are they?? They are listed in the Inverts section and not Corals. Can anybody give me any and all info you have on them, I am interested in them.

 

[porthosandjazz]

I had two a red and a yellow. Only one is living. They are difficult to keep. Corraline algae keeps building up on mine. I have to hand massage them to get the corraline off. They act like corals in that they have these white polyps that come out. Also, you are supposedly supposed to keep them in an area of high flow (probably to keep algae from growing on them and suffocating them), but they send them over on such small rocks, I can't put them in high flow. I tried to glue them, tried to rubber band them. They have just given me a difficult time all around. What else can I tell you? And this is all only from my own experience.

 

[perfectdark]

There are a few different types of gorgonians.. deep sea gorgonians have sparse polyups on their branches and the photosynthetic ones have a ton more. Some species are non photosynthetic and some are photosynthetic (IMO these are eaiser to keep) Both are filter feeders the non photosynhetic species is much more difficult imo. The no light species require alot of nutrients and sometimes more than you can supply it as they are usually found in areas of coral reefs where there are up wellings of a lot of currents and a constant supply of food. Aiming a powerhead at them is benificial IMO for a number of different reasons. One is as explained above to keep any build up from accumulating on it. This will cause necrosis in the affected area and should be brushed clean if found. Especially cyano, if that lands on the specimine it can be very hazardous. The second reason for having a ph blow on it is to force your water column past the coral, offering more food more frequently. The photosynthetic specimine IMO are more hardy as they will also benifit from the lights when the nutrients in the water cant fullfill it like they should. I usually put mine on a piece of LR away from all other obstructions as anything it comes in contact with will get necroses in the area that its touching. Hope this helps. Purple tree, purple brush, and red sea fan gorgonians are a few that are photosynthetic.

 

[smartorl]

I have two purple sea fan gorgonians and they started out small and have grown very quickly. They are very easy to maintain, they filter feed and are really pretty to look at. I know some people think they are "cheesy" but I like them alot.

 

[maelv]

Originally Posted by smartorl
I have two purple sea fan gorgonians and they started out small and have grown very quickly. They are very easy to maintain, they filter feed and are really pretty to look at. I know some people think they are "cheesy" but I like them alot.
I had an orange one, and that thing grew like a weed, I had "fragged" it several times to pass along....even though, I guess it isn't a coral..LOL...
Either way, I like them also....