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FAQs about Poritid Coral Feeding/Nutrition
Related Articles: Poritid Corals,
Related FAQs: Poritids 1, Poritids
2, Poritids
3, Poritid Identification,
Poritid Behavior,
Poritid Compatibility,
Poritid Selection,
Poritid Systems,
Poritid Health,
Poritid Reproduction/Propagation,
Stony/True Coral,
Coral System Set-Up, Coral
System Lighting, Stony Coral
Identification, Stony Coral Selection, Coral
Placement, Foods/Feeding/Nutrition,
Disease/Health, Propagation,
Growing Reef Corals, Stony
Coral Behavior,
Got to make sure each polyp is individually fed...
Yikes!
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Goniopora gut contents
1/8/08
Dear Bob,
I came up with your name through Googling Goniopora. I would like to know how
long ingested zooplankton stays in Goniopora’s gut after feeding.
<Mmm, depending... on hunger, temperature, the type of food... a few days...
2,3,4>
If you know the answer, could you please let me know?
Thanks,
Sofia
<Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/poritidfdgfaqs.htm
Bob Fenner>
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Re: Condylactis passiflora, intra species
contention?, and now Goniopora ID, feeding, sys. 7/13/07
Thanks very much for your enlightening response ;-)
Have actually spent literally years reading WetWebMedia FAQs and articles, was
merely struggling a bit with this one, in any case have re-tackled the
Alkalinity/Hardness/Ca issue and think I'm pretty much across the concepts (if
I'm not , then I suspect I never will be). Have tested my water (PH 8.2,
Salinity 1.025, Nitrates >60ppm, no
Nitrites or Ammonia, Temp 24C, Ca 340ppm, dKH 12.5), and doesn't seem too bad.
Regarding the possible Condy contention below , should I move one of them out if
I can get the chance ( if they come out of the holes they have burrowed into
to)?
<Yes, I would>
Confession Time: The background here is that a not so "funny thing happened the
other day", Bear in mind , I haven't devoted a lot of time to the hobby over the
last year, and my memory isn't so good, as a result I have made a rather
disastrous mistake:
I was in the LFS to buy a Sarcophyton I have had my eye on for a few weeks, and
while I was there they had a beautiful large Goniopora (WAIT!, WAIT! please,
stay with me.....just a bit longer) and they only wanted $55 AUD for it . I said
to the "Expert" in charge of their marine section "Isn't that the one that has
the really dismal survival rate in captivity?", ." Oh no, says Expert, these are
quite easy and this one has been doing really well " .
<Mmm, not so... this Genus IS the most used historically... but also has the
survival value adverb you suggest>
I wander the shop some more with my two year old son distracting me heavily
thinking "....or is that the other one beginning with" Go", gogi..,
gopi..something...?, and suddenly remember "That's it! Gorgonian!, the Sea fan,
it must be that one that I was thinking of that I decided never to own.
<Mmm, well, some of those/these hexacorals are not aquarium-hardy at all
either...>
Bought said victim, took home
looked at notes/bookmarks again , placed head in hands and came to realisation
that am probably developing Alzheimer's.
<I can't seem to remember...>
After sobbing a bit decided to do right thing and return it for a credit note,
but ....LFS won't take it back, and don't have any friends that do Marine.
I feel like such an idiot! I only didn't mention this before because it's so
embarrassing, Now I am stuck with it, and desperately don't want to be
responsible for killing it, it is a beautifully healthy specimen. Have spent a
full week of hours per day researching ways to keep it alive (hampered by the
fact that I can't decide if it is a stokesi, columna or lobata (Even though I
majored in Animal Ecology at Uni 17 years ago ...
<See my cursory review of "The World Trade in Coral" posted on WWM... species,
even higher tax. ID's of Scleractinia are not easy>
like I said, my brain appears to have fallen out). It is Hemispherical Colony on
a single coned shaped column (looks like they skeleton has basically grown out
and up in a circular fashion), Polyps are long and brown with green tipped
tentacles (attached pictures, - the leather is has now been moved away from the
Goni and I will keep a close eye on the Condy's although they don't seem
inclined to move again, clown hasn't approached it) What do you think it might
be?
<Am looking... Columns too long for the first... tentacles not shaped like the
second... I make this out to be the most common aquarium species, G. stokesi>
Now if you are still reading , here's my questions : I have a bag of Seachem
Oolitic Aragonite , that I bought for several reasons , one because my Nitrates
keep creeping too fast (about 20-40ppm per week in 100 litre tank)
<The high/er NO3 is actually of use, advised for this genus...>
to be explained by my tiny stock (two small/medium fish) and stingy feeding
rates and frequent (weekly) water changes, that I suspect that the 3 year old
crushed shell substrate may be harbouring to much bound organic matter (even
though I vacuum it vigorously) so I want to replace it.
<I would NOT do this... but possibly add to...>
Two because I was originally thinking to use it to help stabilise Alkalinity and
add Ca , and Three because I am hoping/Praying I can foster some microfauna to
help feed the Goni (do these 3 arguments sound plausible?).
<Is, though a much larger system, and really a separate, tied-in refugium with
DSB, lighting... is STRONGLY advised>
Given that the water parameters above don't seem too bad for Ca and KH
considering that I have never measured or attempted to alter either in 3 years ,
should I leave the Aragonite out in case it messes with the balance? (no.. I
can't fit a refugium to this tank (wife/children etc) ).
<I would leave in for the very organic component you mention...>
In terms of Feeding it , I am attempting a mix of Hikari rotifer, baby shrimp
and algae glass scraping, and recently purchased some frozen blocks of
Spirulina, octopus, mussel, and shrimp mush to try as well (having trouble
getting Cyclop-eeze, do you think the freeze dried would be ok or should I only
go for the frozen if I can get it?).
<All are suitable if small enough to fit into individual polyps... I would
develop a routine of "covering" the colony temporarily, immersing the polyps
with food... while having mechanical filtration suspended during these
minutes... to assure each are fed...>
If I can impose on your patience just a little longer... some Goni questions
that I have read conflicting arguments on :
1. Do they tolerate nitrate well or not, have read conflicting assertions, I am
guessing my typical reading of around 40ppm may still be a bit high for it?
<This genus lives in quite "polluted" waters... including VERY high NO3
concentration>
2. Are baby shrimp small enough/suitable for it? (these look about the same size
as a rotifer), should I try and culture some green water (phytoplankton) maybe?
<Mmm, don't eat phytoplankton to any appreciable degree... meaty food items need
to be "mouth size"... or smaller>
3. Is it abnormal for it to close into a swollen ball for about 4 hours after
the lights go out, it only seems to look really happy during the day ( have read
they should be out day and night), it is only under 2 x 18W at the moment and
seems quite happy and I am about to add 75W 6500K for it, do you think it might
actually not like the brighter light ( it WAS under Halides in the shop)
<Not atypical behavior in both cases>
4. The LFS was feeding it JBL Koralle Fluid and claims it loves it, all the
stock I can find on Melbourne shelves is out of date by a least 6 months!, most
of the Red sea and Seachem alternatives I can find here all list about
0.0003mg/g of copper in them,
<Not to worry re this preservative trace>
(except for Red Sea Coral Trace that I can't get any specs on at all and Marine
trace that just says the elements but no concentrations) and I am worried this
may accumulate and hurt my feather dusters and corals, even though it isn't
much, do you think Seachem Reef Trace(0.0003mg/g Cu) or Reef Plus(0.001Mg.g Cu)
might be a good product for my Goni even with the copper?
<Yes... no worries. Some small amount of copper is actually necessary... a
"micro-nutrient">
I have to keep this guy alive in this tank for around 10 months somehow until I
can get my new 5 foot reef system up and running (house being built at the
moment) with refugium, Thalassia etc.
<I'd move it last...>
I will keep researching , but would appreciate any pearls of wisdom you could
impart (besides " Research before you buy" and."... keep reading" already know
those ones ;-) )
Cheers,
Rama
<Heeee! BobF> |
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Living Overseas And Searching For Good
“Non-Refrigerated” Coral Foods – 06/28/07
I have somewhat run into a problem with feeding the coral.
<<Oh? What genera/species?>>
I am currently living in S. Korea, and quality items are few and far between.
<<I see>>
This being my first SW set-up outside the US, I've had to order equipment from
the States.
<<Lucky we have the Internet these days, eh?…wish it had been around during “my”
overseas tours>>
I have been reading on your site continuously with no avail.
<<Okay>>
My question for you: Is there any dry coral food that is actually good?
<<There is…and I will elaborate shortly>>
All the reviews from everyone make dry invert/coral food a bad idea.
<<Opinions differ>>
Since I cannot get shipped "live" items, makes this even more difficult. So my
choices are finding a quality dry food, un-refrigerated liquid (which from what
I read is a bottle of crap),
<<For the most part, yes, I agree>>
or trying to find something on the Korean market (fingers crossed). Currently
all I have now is a few small feather dusters on the LR, and a medium size piece
of Alveopora (Branch) Coral (along with two small clowns). What suggestions for
food do you have, and what path should I take?
<<Well John, there are a few manufactured products I think can be useful/will
fit your criteria and I will go over these in a moment. But what you need here
is an in-line plankton-generating refugium. This would be your best and most
economic source of “coral food”…along with the other benefits such a system
provides (lots of info re to be found here and among the links in blue:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/refugium.htm). There are several refugium
methodologies you could employ, but I think a reverse-daylight vegetable
refugium with DSB would work just dandy here. As for dry/non-refrigerated
packaged products… I like and use Polyp Lab Reef-Roids. This is a “fine dry
powder” product that seems to illicit good feeding responses in my SPS dominated
reef system. You can find this product here (http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=783&osCsid=b5a1cb93cf978ad7d489575f88b0d8f1)…the
owner of the site (Scott) is a friend of mine, you can tell him I referred you
if you like. For corals AND fishes requiring larger food items, the saltwater
variety of Sweetwater Zooplankton is a good choice. This is a very good
vacuum-packed “wet” product that does not require refrigeration until opened. A
third item that will benefit both fishes and corals is freeze-dried Cyclop-Eeze.
The use of these products in unison should give you pretty good
“coverage”…especially if you employ the refugium as well. And if you should ever
find yourself with animals that need/require Phytoplankton, the ESV spray-dried
product would suit your circumstance>>
Thanks!
John
<<Ah, one last thought…I have found that placing a few “shrimp pellets” in some
tank water and waiting a few minutes to let them crumble/dissolve also provides
some nourishment/may fill another niche in the reef food chain. Good luck with
your search. Eric Russell>>
Flower pot coral
Dear Crew,
<cheers, my friend>
I have a 80 gallon traditional with 90 lbs of Fiji LR., 1 inch crushed
coral
<please be careful with coarse gravel at this depth... can be dangerous in
time if neglected. Finer sand would be better and deeper here (over 3" if
you want denitrification), or any sand at 1/2 or less would be safer. At 1"
coarse, you should siphon or stir a couple times monthly. Be faithful and employ
very strong water flow in the tank too>
Lighting is P.C. at 4 watts per gallon(12 Hrs). Filtration is a Fluval
304 and bio-wheel (300 gph). (2) power heads Water
temp fluctuates between 79-80 degrees. nitrite/nitrates 0.0 ph
8.4 salinity 1.022-23. Current occupants (1) large yellow
tang, (1) Coral beauty (1) red lipped Blenny. Various cleaner and
peppermint shrimp, coral banded, etc 40-50 hermits (blue and red) 25 Astrea snails... Phew, sorry to bore you with that but I was afraid leaving anything
out would provide to many variables for you to accurately answer my question.
<Very good and all fine...>
My flower pot (Goniopora lobata ) ( the green one not the purple) is mid level
with medium to light flow.
<this species (G. stokesii) is a free-living coral and really must be kept on
a fine sand bottom. Most will die if kept on rock>
It has been in my tank for 6 months. It has recently only
"deployed" the tentacles on the upper half of the "dome"
never fully deploying as it used to.
<alas... yours is right on time for a starving Goniopora...typical>
I am feeding Phytoplex 3 times a week (1 Tablespoon). Do you know
what it could be?
<the polyp cycles on/near hard rock haven't helped... but your animal is
simply starving. Most studies say that bottled phyto is not even remotely small
enough for phyto feeders such as this Gonio. And that is assuming that you whisk
every portion fed in an electric blender before feeding to reduce particle size.
Product also needs to be less than 6 months old (with a born on date... not a
bogus expiration date). The bottled phyto also needs to be bought and kept refrigerated
the entire time. Most people fail o the electric blender part. Phyto straight
from a bottle without this protocol is about as useless as a rotting hamburger
in the tank. Both will grow copepods and neither will keep your Gonio alive. My
best advice is to get this coral into a macro dense fie sand refugium. They can
fare very well here. I had a colony of almost a dozen of these Gonios in such a
display for about 5 years and they produced buds for many years on a monthly
basis. I used seagrasses for natural plankton and epiphytic material>
I'll send a 61 kb photo so you don't have to use your imagination :) I
love your site! Thank you. Steve
<best regards, Anthony Calfo> |
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Flower Pot Coral II
Dear Crew,
As you remember, I wrote concerning my G. Stokesii (thanks for the correction). I
wrote Kent and awaited a response. The response is in and I value your opinion
as much and possibly more (your helping the amateurs, he is selling a product).
Please do not take offense to my quotation of expert as I am unfamiliar with
your staffs qualifications.
<No problem. If you are interested, there is a page on the crew, who we are,
what we look like, what we do, etc. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/wwmcrew.htm>
I simply didn't want some smug response from them saying "who this guy, we
are the pro's"
<No, I am the Pro, Steven Pro to be exact. :)>
You seem to overqualified to say the least and I am interested in your response.
By the way, they asked If I am skimming. I said yes 4 hours per day venturi
style. Effective today I have 3 inches of aragonite live sand and the stokesii
are on the bottom. Thanks Steve-
HERE IS THE OFFICIAL RESPONSE FROM KENT
Hello,
Thanks very much for your inquiry; I'll do my best to try and clear up some
confusion. Goniopora, in general, has a poor track record for survival in
captivity, and the reasons for this aren't very clear to even the most
experienced hobbyists and professionals in the industry. There are many factors,
however, that are often observed and/or theorized to have an influence on the
survival rate. Certainly, water temperature, nitrogenous waste concentrations,
light characteristics, water flow, dissolved oxygen concentration, nutrient
input, and presence of toxins excreted by nearby corals and other cnidarians
play roles in the relative survival rate of Goniopora. I will, at this point,
say that I am not aware that any specific studies have been performed on
"bottled phytoplankton" and the size of the species included as they
pertain to the feeding habits of Goniopora. Our product, Phytoplex, contains
three species of phytoplankton in a size range of 2-15 microns, and our
ChromaPlex contains two species with a size range of 5-25 microns. The
recognized lower limit on size of phytoplankton as noted by Marine Biologists
and Oceanographers is 2 microns; therefore I find it difficult to believe that
Goniopora, which feed not only on phytoplankton (all 2 microns and larger), but
also on zooplankton (also 2 microns and larger) are not able to feed on
organisms present in our products. In other words, the insinuation or claim that
the phytoplankton in Phytoplex are too large for Goniopora doesn't hold water.
Corals and other organisms that feed on the smallest classes of plankton, femto-
and picoplankton, at 0.02-0.2 microns and 0.2-2.0 microns, respectively, often
use a visible mucous to aid in the capture of such small particles; Goniopora do
not display that characteristic. Note that the femtoplankton class is composed
wholly of virioplankton (virus'), and picoplankton is composed of
bacterioplankton. Again, I believe that an individual would be hard-pressed to
locate a study performed on Goniopora citing their feeding schemes, but perhaps
I'm just not reading enough these days. Now, allow me to say that if the coral
isn't getting the amount of nutrients it needs (i.e. the coral is simply not
capturing enough of the plankton to meet its nutritional requirements) in order
to survive and thrive, that's another matter, more easily solved. You didn't
mention that you have a protein skimmer on this aquarium, did you omit that
information or is the tank skimmer-less?
Kindest regards,
Cris Brightwell
Marine Scientist
Kent Marine, Inc.
www.kentmarine.com
<While I know of no studies involving Phytoplankton and Goniopora, Dr. Rob
Toonen did perform a study on bottled Phytoplankton products. You should be able
to easily find this on the net. The basics are what Anthony gave you in the last
email. To be useful, it must be fresh, refrigerated, and whisked to ensure
proper particle size. While their live Phytoplankton is probably of the sizes he
quoted, Dr. Toonen's study showed that all of these products have a tendency to
clump, making them worthless. They must be used up in less than six months, refrigerated
the entire time (wholesale, retail, and your home), and need to be blended for a
few minutes to minimize clumping. Do read the article for yourself, though.
-Steven Pro>
The Scoop on Poop- corals feeding directly on nitrogenous matter
I was recently researching things over on RC and found this:
http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/archive/84/2002/11/1/99557
for the abstract: An aquarist has found that Goniopora greedily devour tang
fecal matter as well as goo left on an algae clip from a piece of Nori. he's
going to experiment with target feeding it waste from his skimmer (disgusting,
but given what he's observed so far...), just a drop or two. Given how
notoriously difficult these corals are to keep, I thought someone out there
might be able to use this info. PF
<Michael, thank you my friend... once again you have demonstrated that you
really know your Sh*t. Best regards, Anthony>
Goniopora coral
Anthony, Thank you so much for responding. I can't believe you respond to so
many people! I hope it all comes back to you.
<its a labor of love, my friend>
What is your book called, and where can I buy it?
<My last book is called "Book of Coral Propagation" (can get direct
from readingtrees.com, Amazon.com or here on wetwebmedia.com by following link
on the home page for our new book "Reef Invertebrates" (BOCP1
box is on the same order form)>
I'm going to do everything possible to save and keep my Goniopora.
<that is awesome to hear! It truly is a beautiful coral. Do consider keeping
it in a colony in a Seagrass refugium or dedicated display. That will work best
IMO>
I am >monitoring my water quality constantly, and it all seems perfect. My
concern now if feeding it. Can you please just inform me what I should get, and
how to make sure it is being fed.
<as mentioned in the last message, there is little or not organismal feeding.
No catch up to be played with this coral. They need deep sand beds and refugiums
that are old and mature>
Also all the supplements that will help him?
<none are known to work although the bottled phyto folks would like you to
believe otherwise. If anything, try the bottled phyto or better yet, start your
own live phyto reactor and 24/7 drip>
If you lived near Boston I would have taken the Goniopora to you to save it.:-)
<dude... I was just in Boston 3 weeks ago giving a lecture for the Boston
Reefers Club meeting at a U. Mass hall. Do seek support/advice from local
reefers in the club. Attend their meetings too... a great club with some sweet
tanks :)! See their forum here:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=869e765f2b7a6c35acbc35c11092eb1c&forumid=116 >
Thanks! Martin PS: I can offer you website development if you ever need a favor
back.
<thanks kindly. Be chatting soon. Anthony>
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