Sick Gorgonian

[meowzer]

I received a red gorgonian that was not a very good specimen (NOT from Swf.com) Anyway, it has some dead spots. I recall from a previous post that someone said that if the dead spot was in the middle of a branch to cut it off before and (of course) after the bad spot. Do I have to cut the bad piece off if it is at the top too???
I am trying to do this slowly so I don't shock the gorgonian...hopefully I can save it.

 

[alexmir]

this thread might get more reviews in the LPS coral section. ALso, red finger gorgonians are non-photosynthetis, and if it is beginning to die, i would say there is absolutely no chance that it will survive. They have to be fed appropriate food a couple times a day to live long term.
Sorry, but i say that theres no chance that it will make it.

 

[meowzer]

OK, I moved the thread thanks. But what is the differencde between a red or a yellow gorgonian? My yellows are fine.

 

[alexmir]

how long have you had the yellow gorg.? I am pretty sure that the yellow finger gorg. is non-photosynthetic also. And if you are not feeding it, and it is the species i am thinking of, it will die pretty soon.

 

[meowzer]

A couple of months. I do feed them zooplex, marine snow, and invertabrate target food...semms to be doing good. I just got a bad specimen with the red one, that's why I am having problems.

 

[mr_x]

i aquired a purple feather gorgonian a while ago and alot of it died. i just left it as it was and some parts of it started to flourish. now i have gaps where the dead skeleton remains. i would cut away the dead tissue, cutting on the dead tissue and not on the live parts, leaving a small piece of the dead tissue in which to glue to, and grow it on in separate colonies. otherwise, it will always have those ugly spots here and there.
btw, i don't feed mine anything, and they seem to do well simply from the fish poop and residuals in the water column.

 

[meowzer]

THX, I will continue to do that Mr. X...The pieces I have cut off, small as they may be, seem to be doing well so far. I am doing this gradually so as not to shock the gorg, and it seems to be working...time will tell though.