Deep Sea Yellow Gorgonian

[dmitry]

Would people advise a recent hobbyist to get a Deep Sea Yellow Gorgonian? It's quite beautiful and I'm not building a reef-tank. Supposedly they're hardy and are easy to take care of. Would anyone argue otherwise? I'm going to have in my tank two Oscellaris Clowns, a Bangaii Cardinal, a Royal Gramma, and a Six Line Wrasse. Plus the usual assortment of snails and hermits. And possibly a Sea Urchin. Any thoughts, suggestions, warnings? I do have good water movement and moderate lighting. :happy:

 

[texasex]

I do not have one, but have heard they are a lot of work. You absolutely cannot let algae grow on them (they will die), and they do not like a lot of light, but prefer a more "cave like" atmosphere. You have to hand feed them everyday when the polyps are opened. And they will not tolerate poor water quality.

 

[shoreliner11]

As texas said they are a bit of work. Because they are completely aposymbiotic(no zooxanthellae) they do not feed off light at all. I would advise against one but if you were looking for a gorgonian to get look for one where the polyps are either tan/brown/brownish yellow or a gray color because generally these gorgonians are photosynthetic so it makes them a bit easier. Over all the diodogorgia sp.(probably nodulifera) of gorgonian you are talk about has a very bad servivability in aquariums. If you are interested in gorgonians take a look at garf.org. They've done some research on feeding gorgonians crushed flake food and have had pretty good success with it. Good luck
Aaron

 

[dmitry]

The more I read the more it seems that this gorgonian isn't easy to take care of at all! In spite of the response I got from the web-site that's selling it. I've calculated my lighting and it's actually pretty low (1.5 watts per gallon). I'm not sure there's much I can add to my tank from the coral family. I'd love something for variety and color...but helas!

 

[kcobain111]

I have one if it's the one off this site i've had it for a month and i don't do anything for it. It's doing great. It looks great. and i love it. I just keep it out of the main flow and at the bottom of my tank and he seems to be doing great. here he is if i can post.....

 

[texasex]

kcobain111, make sure that you feed it! It maybe doing fine now, but if there isn't enough particles floating in your tank (and there probably isn't), it is slowly dying. It takes a while, and by the time you notice, it can be too late!

 

[fishfanny79]

I'm glad this post is here...I was just going to ask about these. My issue is, I ALREADY bought it from this site and it arrived today. It is already in my tank but I wasn't sure quite where to put it. Do I bury the bottom in the sand? How do I put it in a spot where there's hardly any light? Maybe I can swing something...
And last but not least, how the heck do you feed it??

 

[dmitry]

From what I read you can just attach the Gorgonian to a piece of rock with underwater epoxy. Make sure there is good water flow going through it to help keep algae away. As far as feeding...I'm not sure. Can you just dump something in the water and let it catch it? The stuff for filter-feeding organisms? :notsure:

 

[shoreliner11]

Kcobain, It looks to be doing great but in actuality its slowly starving to death. If its polyps are out doesn't make it healthy. Without feeding it directly the odds of it surviving more than a couple months are slim to none. Not trying to flame but these gorgonians are tough to keep by the most dedicated aquarists who feed often.

 

[dburr]

Yup, yup ,yup, feed 2 or 3 times a week. I HAD 2, got them from Garf for free because I bought other stuuf and they slowly died. I was a newbie then and I feed them twice a week.
I would mix crushed flake food with DT's or other liquid food and spot feed them with a turkey baster.
(From what I read you can just attach the Gorgonian to a piece of rock with underwater epoxy. Make sure there is good water flow going through it to help keep algae away)
How do you post a quote anyway????
To attach them, you need to strip away the flesh at the bottom. Underneth is a hard stem. I use wire strippers, they work perfect. I also use superglue to fill a hole in a rock and stick in the coral. Don't let the SG or epoxy to touch the flesh, it will burn it. Stick the coral/rock in tank water(in a bowl)to cure the glue immediatly. Put back in tank.
HTH

 

[fishcake]

I just got one and it seems to be doing ok >>>For now

 

[dmitry]

Spot-feeding them a few times a week isn't such a bother. (Though I've never spot-fed anything. How do you spot feed a coral? Where do you stick the turkey baster??) Anyway, personally I'm not turned off of Gorgonians, though I am a bit nervous...!

 

[shoreliner11]

IMO I would look to get a different gorgonian. Many people say that this gorgonian needs to be fed every couple days. In my experience it needs to be fed everyday. I would urge you to try a different gorgonian if you are set on getting a gorgonian. Try and get one thats partly photosynthetic. If you have good success with that one then maybe try to get yellow gorgonian. Good luck
Aaron

 

[dmitry]

Any specific suggestions?? :notsure:

 

[shoreliner11]

Here are a couple suggestions, do a search for them on google and you should get some good pics. Purple ribbon gorgonian, Muriceopsis flavida, or maybe Briareum Asbestinium. They are not as bright as none photosynthetic ones but they're easier to care for. Good luck
Aaron

 

[dmitry]

Thanks! I'm just curious why gorgonians would be so sensitive to algae? Don't other corals run the same risks or do they just have self-defensive mechanisms against algae? And what if one does have high lighting in a tank - how do you protect the gorgonian?

 

[shoreliner11]

Some have more problems with algae coverage than others. The yellow gorgonian you were originally talking about is one that does have algae problems. Alot of this can be because of lack of flow but I suspect that because this sp. of gorgonian comes from deep water it may not have evolved a mechanism of guarding itself against it. Many gorgonians shed their skin from time to time to get rid of excess waste as well as getting rid of algae. The gorgonians I mentioned in my last post shouldn't have a major problem with algae given good flow.
Aaron