Goniopora/Flowerpot whats up?

blennybabe

Member
I added a Goniopora or flowerpot coral about a week ago. I never intended to get one until I was certain that I could handle one. But it came into work and was opening up in the shipping bag. it was fully open an hour after it was in our sale tank. I have never seen a healthier coral especially a flowerpot. The others always take a week or more to adjust. Hopefully this is what mine is doing. The third day i had it, it propigated. I was thrilled. this means that i am doing something rght of at least got lucky. (probably the latter since i just got it...) Anyway, i took it home the day after it got to the store. all water levels are zero. I havent run a skimmer since it was set up about 9 months ago, but added one the same day as the coral (prism that doesnt pull much out. I guess my system is pretty clean??) well everything was going well for the first couple of days. it extended beautifully and i was thrilled. the lil clone i had to move from where it fell because it was at the entrance to my convict blenny's lair. (you can see his head in the picture.) it put it behind a small rock on the substrate yesterday. the power head is aimed at it, but since the rock is there it gets current to either side of the rock.
OK i guess i should get to the porblem... for the past two or three days the large goniopora wont extend normally. it bloats up and i cant see the skeleton but the polyps arent extended. the clone extends, but not the original. it is getting plenty of light but not too much. scattered light from two 175 MH with 12000k blubs. it is sheltered from the direct flow of the power heads but it still gets current on different sides. I gave it a little more current last night and that seemed to help, 2 hours later the polyps were about 1/3 out. I have never seen this before and i havent read about it either. when i knew that i was going to get this coral is did lots of reading and troubleshooting so to speak. nothing like this came up. I would really appreciate any info. let me know if there is any other information i can get to help better answer the question.
 

blennybabe

Member
here is a pic of the clone coral its about the size of a quarter. the original is about the size of a tennis ball.
 

fishfreek

Active Member
Mine does the same thing once in a great while when the system is out of whack. It's telling you that it isn't happy. What are your alk, clacium, pH & nitrate readings? I suggest doing a regular water change. Do you skim at all?
 

blennybabe

Member
Ph is 8.2 and nitrate is 0. I just did a 10 gallon water change (its a 75 gallon tank) my calcium test doesnt work and ill go test me alk. Thanks for your help. The little one looks amazing.
 

blennybabe

Member
I just went to look at the tank and now the coral looks better. not all the way extended, but definately more so than earlier
 
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