Red Gorgonian

[birds fan]

Just received a Red Gorgonian. Just curious what your feeding it? I'm using Kent's liquid photoplankton, spot basting. Should that work?
Not the best picture but it's a nice specimen.
Thanks

 

[bessycerka]

at the store in north Jersey we used to feed live baby brine shrimp to Gorgos, it was easy cause we always had it on hand for special customers. We hatch them here at home for the baby Bettas and keep them in the fridge to make them stay alive for about a week.

 

[perfectdark]

Brine shimp wont give them the nutritional value they will need long term. Zoo plank, cyclops and mysis are better choices. While phyto isnt bad it is also not as benificial as the aformentioned. Gorgonians are capable of handling a larger micron of food, phyto is a bit small. Keep a nice low to moderate flow directed at it so it doesnt acumulate build up or algea. As they are not photosynthetic they are suseptable to algea growth. And try to keep it from touching your LR as that will be a place where algea can grow and or suffocate the areas that are touching the LR. This could start necrosis which can spread very quickly and damage the coral.

 

[rykna]

I feed mine DT. They loved that. Alaina has my corky now.

 

[birds fan]

Originally Posted by Rykna
I feed mine DT. They loved that. Alaine has my corky now.
What is DT?

 

[perfectdark]

DT is a manufacturer of planktonic food stuffs. Either Phyto, or Live Phyto or Natural Reef Diet which has a lot more in it than plankton.
As far as Gorgonians are concerned I stand behind my original statment while phyto wont hurt it and it will readily accept it as a food source, it doesnt benifit the coral like the other types would.

 

[swalchemist]

Best of luck, most aposymbyotic gorgonians like this one, require extreme water flow and a high nutrient rich tank to survive. I suggest looking into making your own food for it using Cyclopeeze as a base ingredient.

 

[ameno]

i bought one a couple weeks ago, it took a week to open up the way like the pic of yours looks, but by last weekend it was closed up again and has not opened up much since, it doesn't look good, I understand they like low light and high flow, I've moved mine several times to try and find a place it likes but it still does not seem happy, I know one site that sells them claims it to be a difficult coral to keep.
Good luck with yours hope it does well, they are neat looking.

 

[perfectdark]

Some of the photosynthetic species of Gorgonans are much hardier and easier to keep. I have a purple brush gorg and its awesome, not a high light requirement but it does need some. So supplemental feeding although is required just not as often and I get the benifit of the light.

 

[swalchemist]

Purple Brush and sea blade are the best along with split pore sea rod (all photosynthetic)

 

[birds fan]

Originally Posted by SWAlchemist
Best of luck, most aposymbyotic gorgonians like this one, require extreme water flow and a high nutrient rich tank to survive. I suggest looking into making your own food for it using Cyclopeeze as a base ingredient.
How would you define a "nutrient rich tank"?

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by Birds Fan
How would you define a "nutrient rich tank"?
Lots of food offered frequently...Most likley more than your tank can keep up with without constant water changes and heavy skimming

 

[nemofreak]

can it survive under standard fluorescent light?

 

[perfectdark]

The red one here? Absolutly is completly non-photosynthetic. But there is a difficulty factor as stated above.
I love my purple brush gorg. it gets benifit from the light and IMO makes it 10 times eaiser to keep and its a hardier coral.