Gonipora (flower pot coral)

[ophiura]

Originally Posted by John Kelly
Credit needs to be given where credit is due.

And I agree that the names of the authors need to be provided for proper citation purposes. Unfortunately, rules do not allow posting to the actual site (other message boards), etc due to issues with sponsorship by stores, etc.
So I would ask matty0h_52 to provide the NAMES of the people who have done this study. But unfortunately I can not allow the links.
Thanks, John, for coming over and providing some more background. I am sure we would appreciate more information on the studies from those "in the know" in person

 

[joncat24]

not trying to start or fuel any debates but..I purchased a flower pot approx 3 weeks ago and put in my tank that is about 3 months mature...I am feeding marine snow and cyclopeeze and this coral is absolutly beautiful. I love it so much that I bought another one just a week ago. they both are doing well so far. I dont know yet what a few more months will bring but so far they seem to be doing better than anything else in my tank. I have a harder time with my yellow polyps than anything else. just my 2 pennies worth..but if I can keep it alive then anyone can...by the way I am running 260 watt p/c on a 72 gallon bowfront so it seems to me that the lighting requirements are pretty low for these corals but I do have ALOT of flow

 

[matty0h_52]

Well i guess i hit a soft spot with some people. so im sorry here is the refrences at the Bottom of the page (Im assumeing these are the people that all the info was taken from it)I just thought i would inform some people not create a problem SORY
References:

[hr]
Borneman, E. H. 2001. Aquarium Corals: Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History. Microcosm/TFH, Neptune City. 464pp.
Borneman, E.H. 1997. A Death In the Family? The Mystery of Goniopora, Aquarium Net magazine
Toonen, Rob. 1999. Goniopora success?! Reefkeepers email list, December 1999.
Toonen, Rob (2001) Goniopora: Why do success rates with this coral remain so low? Freshwater and Marine Aquarium (FAMA) Magazine, Vol. 24, No. 6, pp. 142-158.
Sprung, Julian. 2002. Captive husbandry of Goniopora spp. with remarks about the similar genus Alveopora, Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine, December 2002.
Veron, J.E.N. 2000. Corals of the World. Australian Institute for Marine Science, Townsville. 3 Volumes.

 

[ophiura]

That's a good list, thanks for grabbing it. All that is really necessary is the names of the authors of the article posted here. Like "I found this article on dust bunny's written by Bob Smith"

 

[matty0h_52]

Originally Posted by fishamajig
that is an article from reefkeeping magazine for this month, it is featured on another message board, good article, but i think i am going to stay away for now.

i didnt find a reason expecially if someone allready did....but oh well

 

[fishamajig]

thank you

 

[john kelly]

Originally Posted by matty0h_52
got ya....it would be nice to be abale to raise the servival rate for these beutiful corals without haveing to dedicate a tank just for them (cause of the over feeding thats nessesary)
There is no overfeeding necessary....just proper target feeding. Once again, I'm sorry for the confusion; please forgive

 

[john kelly]

Originally Posted by ophiura
And I agree that the names of the authors need to be provided for proper citation purposes. Unfortunately, rules do not allow posting to the actual site (other message boards), etc due to issues with sponsorship by stores, etc.
So I would ask matty0h_52 to provide the NAMES of the people who have done this study. But unfortunately I can not allow the links.
Thanks, John, for coming over and providing some more background. I am sure we would appreciate more information on the studies from those "in the know" in person

oops! Gosh I'm obviously a newb here

Glad to be here though

 

[john kelly]

Originally Posted by matty0h_52
Well i guess i hit a soft spot with some people. so im sorry here is the refrences at the Bottom of the page (Im assumeing these are the people that all the info was taken from it)I just thought i would inform some people not create a problem SORY
My gripe that I posted above is because I felt there were a few people who had been left off of that reference list by the the author. There's no way to prove it though.........
You said "let me know what everyone thinks.." and I let you know what I thought! LOL

 

[ophiura]

Ah, I see what you are saying

Anyway, though, it is a good practice, even if we can't post the links, to say who wrote an article. So that is just what we look out for in these cases to ensure that credit is given on this end at least. Now, if the authors of the article didn't give credit that was due, well.....

....that's science! LOL.

 

[justinc]

Hi guys,
Yes, Goniopora are definitly not for beginners. They eat quite a bit, proper system set-up and maintanence are a must. IF you have mastered SPS than you might be successful with Goniopora, given you provide the correct parameters.
Many people are doing quite well with Goniopora but the reasons for those successes are becoming more aparent as more and more people keep these thing long term.
In 1999 Rob Toonen wrote a piece about how everyone should get over their ideas about GOniopora not doing well because an unknown disease or soft coral toxicity, but that they were indeed starving to death. People who had been doing well with them had systems geared towards plankton production, such as little or no skimming, refugiums, deep sand beds, phytoplankton dosing... So the ones that were surviving were getting enough food.
John Kelly, Reefartist on --, and Jen and Kerry from NJ, are also active on the internet and have a lot of other great info about there successes with direct feeding. This guy in the Netherlands was using Lobster Eggs. The idea that we can use the internet and communicate these ideas across the globe is astounding.
Please don't try Goniopora if you can't provide its needs. If you want to give it a try the information is out there.

 

[mudplayerx]

Flowerpots die because people don't spot feed them tiny pieces of meaty food.
It takes me about an hour and a half to spot feed my two and they DO EAT MEATY FOOD! You have to cut it into slivers about 1mm thick or less. It hurts your back to hunch over feeding them that long, and it is frustrating when the tiny pieces keep floating out of your fingers.
I think people don't spot feed flowerpots because they don't want to take the ridiculous amount of time necessary to do it....thus the community has labled them "doomed to failure.
I know I'm going to get hassled because of the above statement, but I have researched this personally, and have pics documenting my finds. The flowerpots take the food, they injest the food, and also regurgitate the maroon-colored bile similar to what anemones regurgitate after feasting.
I do dose phyto, but I firmly believe the meaty foods make up the bulk of my flowerpots' diets.
ps- the flowerpots at my local college were never spot fed meaty foods and all have perished. I still have mine, and they have actually grown (a very little bit)

 

[justinc]

That's the Gist of it FOOD,FOOD, FOOO

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by mudplayerx
Flowerpots die because people don't spot feed them tiny pieces of meaty food.
It takes me about an hour and a half to spot feed my two and the DO EAT MEATY FOOD! You have to cut it into slivers about 1mm thick or less...
I really respect your diligence Mud.
What and how do you prepare your foods Mud? I ask because part of that article that really stood out to me was when it mentioned the response to blood and eggs.
I'm not sure how I feel about this article.. on the one hand I think "Great.. sounds like aquarists are making some great strides in eventually captive raising these beautiful corals". The other part of me thinks "Great... how many died in the research, and how many more are going to die now that everyone thinks they can just turn off their skimmers and dump some frozen food in the water to take care of them."
Guess we'll have to see.

 

[mudplayerx]

Recently I have been using squid meat and squid guts to feed the flowerpots. I take a pair of scissors and cut pieces so small that it is more like shaving the meat. The pieces are small enough to fit inside this "O."
The squid sticks to your fingers and actually aids in feeding because it doesn't float away as much in the current. I kind of pinch the tiny piece and touch it to the tentacles. When it sticks you have to kind of shake it loose from your finger.
Another method I use when I simply don't have time to do the above is use the guts. Squid guts are very squishy and watery. I knead them like dough and make them into a sort of boogery mess which I just drape onto a part of the flowerpot. The tentacles then kind of form a "cup" around the guts and take turns feeding.
Below is a pic of a flowerpot tentacle injesting a piece of squid meat. "A" is the tentacle constricting to force the meat down to the center. "B" is the actual meat.

 

[1journeyman]

That is AWESOME!
Thanks for the information. Someday i hope I'll be accomplished and competent enough to raise them.
I wonder if something like a coffee grinder could shave frozen bits of seafood small enough?

 

[matty0h_52]

thats awsome ive never seen anything like it. and i was amazed the first time i saw my cats eye (dohnut corl) eating