Re: Orange Tree Gorgonian vs. Algae (?)
Do you believe it would be best for me to immediately remove the
Gorgonian from the nanocube, or should I give it time and possible a
chance to rejuvenate?
<AdamC is out, so I'm responding in his stead. I would move this Gorgonian only if you have better circumstances for it elsewhere... larger, more stable, with more plankton... otherwise it is likely doomed... Do pay close attention to water quality...>
I hate to just throw away $30 like this but I
suppose it is my fault for not looking further into it.
<Yes, if you're asking>
  I do have a
xenia that was given to me as a Christmas present, I was told it was a
Pulsing Xenia, but I am not so sure it is.  Please view the attached
picture.
<Umm, please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/xeniidarts.htm
and the Related FAQs (linked, in blue, at top)... Xeniids pulse or not... depending...>
Also, can you recommend any corals that would do well in a
12 gal. Nanocube?  I was considering Colony polyps and maybe Green
Grape Caulerpa or some other macroalgae.  Any suggestions welcome.
Thanks again!
<... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/smmarsysstkgfaqs.htm
and on to... the areas on WWM re coral selection... Bob Fenner>

Re: Orange Tree Gorgonian vs. Algae(?)
Ok sorry, one last question, I hate to abuse all of your time.  
<No worries. Not possible>
Thanks
for helping me get things on the right track.  In regards to the
Gorgonia, I do have a 44 gal. Pent. tank which has been established
for one year now.  There is 'low' lighting conditions in this tank, it
only runs with two  18", 15watt bulbs (50% 6000K & 50% Actinic 03
Blue).  Right now the tank is running with a Penguin powerhead that
pushes 145gph, and I've got roughly 30-40lbs of LR with some good
spots of Coralline going.  Would it be better to move the Gorgonian to
this tank?
<Yes... on two basic important counts... one, that it may help it to recover (move underwater, not in the air... in a bag...), and that if it does continue to slide, die, it will have vastly more water to do so in>
Also, on a completely different note, I'm considering
bolstering my lighting system on my 44gal corner pentagon.  The hood
that came with the tank is pretty crummy and only has room for two
light fixtures with 18'' bulbs.  I was considering buying a glass
canopy for this tank so I could have more flexibility in lighting and
not have it so that it only fits two rectangles 3.75''W x 18.5''L.  If
I were to get this glass hood, and put a new PC lighting system on top
would I leave space between the glass hood and the lights, or just
press the light system flush with the hood and leave no space between?
<The latter is much better. Bob Fenner>
Thank you very, very much for all your help on these matters.
Sincerely,
David H.

Gorgonian ID Key, Stocking Query
Dear crew!
We are dealing with the animal husbandry and we've a lot of problems.
Recently we purchased two unidentified gorgon Arians . The first one forms a bushy
red colony with white polyps & thorn-like cups,25 cm tall. The second
one is a tree-like brown colony with blue
polyps 15 cm. tall. We assume that they are Muriceopsis flavida &
Eunicea succinea, but we are far from to be sure. Could you send an
identification key?
<Mmm, no. Don't have. There are some in-print reference works (e.g. Alderslade et al.), but no such on-line source as far as I'm aware>
Both they were in the quarantine about 2 month. Now they
are melting, Their polyps are closed, & in the second
species the tips of branches are shrinking. May this be a melting
consequence?
<Yes... I proscribe the keeping of just a few species for the trade, for sale... these are described, listed on WetWebMedia.com>
Could you also inform us about the hydrochemistry, in
particular, Ca, Sr, Mg and the with the other Cnidaria.
<Posted on WWM>
P. s. What do your think about the following livestock: 1 Euphyllia glabrescens (diameter (d)=10 cm), 1 Sinularia sp. (25 cm
tall), 3 specimens of Alcyonium sp.(50 cm tall), 1 Galaxea sp. (d=5 cm.),
1 sphaeric colony of Goniopora (d=15 cm),
<Am not a fan of the aquarium use of this genus>
1 colony of Cladiella sp. (25
cm. tall), 4 specimens of Sarcophyton sp.(2x20, 15 & 10 cm),2
specimens of Lobophyton sp. (25 & 20 cm tall)& 2 colonies of
the gorgon Arians mentioned in 250 gal aquarium (assuming that all the other factors are normal one)?
<Could, can be done, given space between all. Bob Fenner>
Best regards,
Interzoo.

Feeding gorgonians and filter feeders
Hello I have just added to my 155 gal tank some finger corals, gorgonians,
mushrooms, some featherdusters, I have a plate coral, and some other
anemones. All these are from the Atlantic side of panama in central America.
I also have a Atlantic blue tang and 3 snappers. I added this in the past
weekend. My polyps 2 of them don't seem to be very well. What should I be
feeding them I was reading in your book that they filter feed and have to
few days a week give them food. Should I buy those bottles they sell at the
stores I think I saw one from Kent marine called Micro vert that feeds
inverts its liquid style. And zooplankton what should I do?
<< I think all types of plankton foods like that are very beneficial to corals.  Live plankton better than bottled plankton, but all plankton is good.  Also, lots of light. >>
Thank you much
<<  Blundell  >>

Gorgonian and mushroom problem 8/10/04 Hi all, I am having a problem with the gorgonian.  Over a short time, like maybe a couple days, I have noticed some decay of on of the branches and it seems to be spreading. It started with sloughing of the skin and then progressed. Images of this progression are attached for you to see. I don't know what caused it or how to stop it from spreading except to cut off the infected branch. We are also thinking of doing a water change. <I would suggest cutting off the affected branch and discarding it. Water changes never hurt.> I have seen the emerald green crab on its branches at night and wonder if it's snacked on one. Please advise.  <Very unlikely.  I suspect the crab was just exploring.  There are much more accessible and tasty things to eat in your tank.> The tank specs are 45gal, 50lbs LR, aragonite fine grained sand, salinity 1.024, pH 8.2, ammonia 0, nitrate/nitrite 0, ca 400ppm, 82F. Bioload is mostly corals: gorgonian, green star polyp, cutting of brown star polyp, anthelia-type coral Adam says is really Clavularia with mushroom anemone, candy cane, zoanthid cluster, mushroom cluster, single mushroom, and a small coral the LFS said was the poisonous p. toxica. The only fish is a green spotted false mandarin (s. picturatus) and looking into setting up a pod refugium for him as well. A peppermint shrimp (feed him shrimp pellets occasionally as concerned he might be eating the mandarin's pods, although I saw him catch and eat a big amphipod in broad daylight!) An emerald crab and a dark purple crab that stowed away in the LR. So not that much, just 8 corals, 1 fish, 2 crabs, 1 shrimp, and a bunch of Turbos. <I am not a fan of crabs in general, but I would look toward the purple one with particular suspicion.> Regarding the mushroom, it's foot seems to be stretched from the left. I thought they divide down the center to reproduce, but could this also be some form of reproduction or just trying to get a better grip?  Thanks for your advise, Daphne <The mushroom could be stretching out to bud off a daughter, could be creeping along the rock, etc, but it looks fine.  Do keep an eye out for daughters to sprout up!  Best Regards.  AdamC>

Interzoo Odessa - water quality params 7/31/04
Dear Anthony Calfo! This message repeats that was sent in 19 of July, and, perhaps was missed.
<my apologues... it does seem so. I was out of town that weekend too for a rip/lecture in KY state>
We were glad to read your answer. Let us represent ourselves. We work in aquarium husbandry in Odessa, Ukraine, and our staff
includes experienced hydrobiologists. Not all literature in English is available here, and e-mail ordering is too unsure.
<sorry to hear of the limited mail-order access>
So, an on-line ID key would be preferable. Could you recommend us any web-site?
<yes... http://www.coralrealm.com/ may be a good start>
By the way, the livestock is supplied by international wholesalers and is licensed. Nevertheless, frequently it comes without exact identification.
<this is sadly the standard>
Our preliminary ID of at least one gorgonian species was wrong. It is Calycigorgia sp. instead of Eunicea succinea, the
other species (Muriceopsis flavida (?)) still on question. Nevertheless, we had success with both them, including their
active growth in our aquarium.
<growth spurts are not uncommon with these animals... but they still suffer from attrition in less than a year or two for most aquarists. Very rare to get azooxanthellate species to survive one year in aquaria let alone two>
The other deal, is our client. We have described his livestock. Sorry for misunderstanding, but we meant the species' compatibility, not their specific needs, assuming that they are satisfied completely. As we understand, the whole population seems you normal and not troublesome. In any case, thank you for your help! Let us ask you some additional question:
- What are the basic hydrochemical requirements of gorgonians, in particular, regarding Ca, Sr, Mg, I?
<there is variation on reefs around the world as to what is "natural" levels for such parameters... but most tropical reef cnidarians will tolerate a standardized water quality. Calcium can be supplemented to a range of 350-435 ppm (avoid excess/higher levels)... and Mg should be about tripe whatever your Calcium is (around 1000-1200 ppm is fine). Iodine and Strontium can be replaced perhaps with regular weekly water exchanges (20% or more of tank water)>
- Could a melting of a given gorgonian cause shrinking of the branches' tips & prolonged closing of the polyps?
<yes... and it can be contagious to other healthy corals in the system>
- On separate locations of some Calycigorgia branches the brown film is appeared, and the branches in those places became
thinner. Is it just melting or some abnormal process (infection)?
<it sounds like the aquarium does not have adequate water flow (20X turnover or more is needed) and some diatom algae has grown onto the branches and is smothering them>
- What's your opinion about the following parameters: [PO4---], [NO3-], [NH4+] - all them - 0 ppm;
<a small amount of nitrates is needed to feed most cnidarians... 5-10 ppm is fine>
[Ca++] = 400 - 420 ppm;
<very good>
pH = 8,1 - 8,2,
<too low... especially if this is a daytime reading (it gets lower at night). Target 8.4-8.6 for stability>
KH = 9o, S. G. =1,023, t = 82o F
<very good>
P. s. sorry for our English. Best regards, Interzoo, Odessa.                      
<no worries at all... your English is quite good :) I wish you the very best of luck, my friend. Anthony>

Are Non Living Red sea Fans Aquarium safe? 4/28/04
Hello: I recently purchased some Red sea fans (non living, decorative) to use in my aquarium.  I was told by another person that these cannot be used in the aquarium because they will fall apart. I was also told that the Red portion of the Sea fan was the animal. Are these non living sea fans aquarium safe? Thank you
<it depends... if the tissue has been stripped away and the gorgonian (woody) stem has simply been dyed or painted... then it may be safe. If there is still dried red tissue on it... then there will be some rotting. If the sea fan was packaged wrapped in plastic, then I suspect it was/is safe. Anthony>

Flower Anemone Baby 2/25/04
Cheers Crew, One again, the website is great and the information has brought peaceful sleep to me more than once,
<ahhh... good to hear!>
but I've got two quick questions.  In my large reef tank I recently brought in (post quarantine) a purple sea whip and golden sea rod.  
<hmmm... I'm content with the purple whip, but wonder/suspect the golden rod is azooxanthellate (night feeder) and as such, doomed most likely to starve to death in the next 6 months or so>
Mounted them w/epoxy to small rocks to get above the sand, all polyps are out and healthy.  My question is I have an upstream refugium and a 6" DSB, is there any thing else that my benefit them food wise other than the occasional Artemia wash and the chopped krill/seafood mix I feed to the larger corals?  
<occasional feedings of phyto like DTs brand phytoplankton>
Also, just noticed a baby flower anemone--e. crucifier (@3/4" dia.), while feeding my colony of these anemones, is there anything to do for it besides let it live and grow.  
<target feeding will help tremendously>
It is attached just below the far edge of the mother's disk.  It was quite an amazing site to find, I guess I must be doing something right for the tank, best wishes to all, Joe Bales
<kindly, Anthony>

Identification gorgonian 1/10/04 Hello to you WWM Crew :) At first I want to say sorry for my English; it's not my native language :). <Hello Petra!  No apologies necessary, your English is outstanding!> Pease can you help me to identify my gorgonian? I've looked all around the internet but I can't seem to find what species it is.  It has a bumpy white base, grows treelike and has small light orange polyps which come out at night. <Hmm...  Looks like Swiftia sp., but Swiftia is generally all bright red/orange.  Perhaps this is an odd morph or bleached.> (I hope they will come out in the light at sometime :)) <They may.  "teasing" it with food additions during the day may help in this regard.> I am feeding it with phytoplankton 3 times a week. At some of the tips the black skeleton is visible :(. Should I remove these parts or will the living tissue come back? <Since you are feeding phytoplankton, I guess you know that this gorgonian is not photosynthetic.  The problem is, phytoplankton may be an appropriate food, but it may not be.  These animals are very specific in the size and type of prey they will accept, and meeting those requirements is very hard to do.  You may want to try some other food sources (rotifers, baby brine shrimp, etc.), but unfortunately I suspect that it will continue to recede until it dies.  You can remove the exposed skeleton with a sharp scissors, and it may get re-covered by tissue, but probably not.> Well I hope I haven't asked to much questions at once, but your website has been very helpful so far. <Please ask all the questions you want, that is why we are here!  Best regards!  Adam> Hoping to hear from you soon, greetings, Petra

Grey Sea Rod 1/4/04
I am finding out that I keep returning to your site for more and more info.  
<great to hear... please tell friends about us too>
I just purchased a Grey Sea Rod and a few others and had them shipped in.  When I got the box the Grey sea Rod bag had busted and the only thing keeping it wet was paper towel.  
<Hmmm... actually, moist packing (wet paper towels/newsprint but no water) is common and appropriate for many gorgonians. In fact, the mortality of some species during extended transit if shipped submerged can be quite high>
I immediately floated it and began unwrapping it in my tank.  Most of the coral had disappeared and only the hard center left but there was about 2 - 3 inches left at the bottom so I began to frag which I have never done.  
<my yes... does sound like it shipped badly for water reason; there's no living tissue at all when you get down to the woody gorgonin stem>
Some of the tips of the coral I glued into slate and placed in a grow tank.  Will my mother colony make it through or is it doomed to die?  
<I cannot say without a pic at least my friend. Gorgonians are resilient though>
It looks pretty bad,  some of the polyps have opened but most are gone.  On my frags the are splotchy with some polyps remaining but the purple soft part falling away and revealing the hard core.  I have put calcium and Iodide in the water to try to help the healing process.  Any advice would be helpful.  I am knew to the hobby and need all the help I can get.  Also do you have any advice on re-attaching a piece of Red Ball sponge to rock.  At this time I have it's old base touching a rock and resting on top of another for support. Thanks, Jerry
<At this point, my friend, the best advice I can give you is to please research animals thoroughly before buying them. The two choices mentioned here (Gorgonians and Red Ball sponge) are two of the absolute worst candidates for survival in any aquarium, and not to be recommended to beginners under any circumstance. Frankly, I will be very surprised to hear that the red ball sponge lives to see even 6 months in the aquarium. And if you meant other gorgonians with the grey sea rod above... I fear that you have taken some aposymbiotic species (Red, orange or yellow), which have an equally dismal track record in aquaria. Please do consider Eric Borneman's "Aquarium Corals" for a very good read and pic reference... or my "Book of Coral Propagation" for the fundamentals of reef keeping (first half of Volume one lays this all out... about 200 of 450 pages)... and of course, Bob Fenner's CMA for outstanding comprehensive marine keeping info. Best of luck, Anthony Calfo>

Seahorse Compatibility
Hello
I've got 90g cube tank, and I want to put in only seahorses and gorgonians. Will they live together?
Best regards, Darek
<Well, Darek- it is certainly possible to put these animals together. The seahorses will probably hitch on to the gorgonians at some point, which may irritate them, so do keep an eye on things. I'd also make sure that the gorgonians that you are contemplating keeping are species with a good track record in captivity. Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>

Gorgonian Grub
Hello Scott,
<Hi there!>
I brought some Liquid Life BioPlankton today from my L.F.S. and I started with one pump for my 45 gallon tank!!!  
I've read in some web pages that I should pump every other day, what do you think? It does not say in the bottle.
<I'd tend to agree with that advice; although I'd make sure that you're keeping up the water quality in this tank. Do monitor the water chemistry, to assure that everything is up to par. You certainly don't want to pollute the water. Also, you may want to check on the net regarding specific applications for this product. Liquid Life, USA's owner, Ed Ramirez, is a nice guy who will be able to give you some good pointers on its use. Bon Apetit! Regards, Scott F.>

Goin' For A Gorgonian!
Good afternoon Scott,
<Hi there!>
I hope you had a great turkey day!!!
<Typical...Ate w-a-a-y to much...!>
Well Scott a got a question for you. I just brought  a yellow gorgonian!!
<Sounds nice!>
And I was wondering, I have a bottle of Selcon its that good feed for my gorgonian, or should I buy some Reef plus instead and feed once a week???
Thank you
<Well, if you're referring to one of the Diodogorgia species (like D. nodulifera, which is frequently called the "Yellow Gorgonian" in the hobby, then feeding is very important. You really want to use plankton-like foods to feed these animals. Selcon is a great enrichment for many foods, but it is not really a substitute "food", in my opinion. I'd utilize a preparation like Liquid Life's "BioPlankton", or Frozen Cyclop-Eeze. They do require a pretty high level of care, or they will typically waste away in captivity. Do a little research on the 'net to verify the species that you have, and then give the animal a lot of attention, and you may experience some success...Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>

Encrusting gorgonian care - 11/24/03
Hi, I've had a small frag of encrusting gorgonian (sp?) in my tank for about 2 months. I cannot tell for sure if it is growing or not. <Depending on light and condition of the tank, could be a very fast grower but I have noticed mine growing slower these days. What a pain though. This stuff can move rapidly when very happy. Watch carefully. Will cover everything in its path and in some case will even irritate or sting SPS once it touches> The polyps usually open for the entire photoperiod. <Sounds OK to me> I have it on the top of my rockwork, where it receives current from two opposing power heads, and occasional turbulence from a small HOB filter. <Sounds like one of my setups. Indirect current right?> The guy at the LFS didn't really tell me anything about it's care ( no surprise huh?), <Well, no surprise but there are plenty of books, sites, and forum help out there to be educated that one shouldn’t even have to ask about it when buying. (Except for the water parameters of the source tank)> And I know it was my responsibility to know the care of an animal before I purchased it. <That’s right!!!> When I search on the internet, all I seem to find is information on regular branch gorg.s. <Don’t get me started. I see many hits when I use my favorite search engine. C’mon now.> I do weekly water changes, because I'm not too comfortable dosing anything just yet. <I wouldn’t dose anything you don’t test for. Save the money.> I have been feeding DT's in the tank as another source told me that would be good for it. <Not so sure. I have never directly fed mine> Do you have the proper name of this creature? <Well, do searches for it on the internet as there are few variances of encrusting forms of gorgonian. Some of these so called encrusting forms could even be misidentified. Check our page: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/seafans.htm> at least that way my searches could possibly be more fruitful. I really want my gorg to thrive, and I hope you, or someone else could help me. <High lighting and various strong flows seem to help them thrive in my experience. No need to feed phyto.> It seems as if not too many people on the boards have these things. <'Cause they are a menace when they get loose!!! ~Paul>

Azooxanthellate gorgonian... another statistic 10/22/03 Greetings from Denver, Anthony, I don't know what's wrong with this gorgonian. Last month, it looked great (see pic), after moving to the new system, it looks terrible, with stringy algae like stuff. It saddens me to watch it die, is there anything I can do to save it? Looking forward to seeing you in Denver next month! Thanks, Stormbringer <not much to say mate. They all "look good" for some weeks... even a few months after import. And almost all of these non-photosynthetic gorgonians are dead within 6 months of collection. They should not have been collected, offered, or purchased IMO. It died like every one I've every seen has... attrition and giving up the fight to encroaching algae. We do not know or cannot provide what they eat (nanoplankton and smaller in some cases). Bottles phyto foods with at least some species (this one I believe) are a joke. Yikes... sorry to be so grim, but it is what it is. The red, orange and yellow sea fans are well-deserving of their reputation in captivity. My advice is to never buy another unless you can set up a species tank for it. On a better note... I am very eager to see you and meet the Denver gang next month! Sure to be a great time. Anthony>

Blue polyp gorgonian (Azooxanthellate species) 10/20/03
I have a blue polyp gorgonian (Acalycigorgia sp.). I have been feeding the same food that I my Tubastrea. Its Cyclop-Eeze and it seems to be really helping my animals.
<it is a fine food>
I was feeding Selcon soaked Mysis until about 2 months ago when
I heard of Cyclop-Eeze.
<the Selcon is tremendously nutritious... please resume>
I do not have a refugium. I do know that a refugium
will greatly increase the health of my gorgonian.
<more than you know, my friend>
Hopefully soon I will be using
one. My question is will this gorgonian have a problem if it is lifted out of the water?
<why bother... do play it safe and bag and move under water if it needs to be moved>
It has grown a couple of inches in height and when I do a water
change it is getting too close to being exposed to air? Can this gorgonian tolerate air or will it die if exposed?
<Hmmm... I'm not completely certain. I suspect it will be fine. But is may be a good excuse to propagate it (cut off the growing tip and superglue into a hole in another rock). Best regards, Anthony>

Blue polyp gorgonian care 10/21/03
Hi Anthony,
<cheers, my friend>
Thanks for answering my questions about my blue polyp gorgonian (
Acalycigorgia ). I do have a couple of remaining questions if you would be so kind.
<my/our pleasure>
Would the Selcon soaked Mysis be a better food than the Cyclop-Eeze? Would you alternate?
<Selcon is a very good supplement all ways around (fishes, corals, anemones, etc) - please continue to use here. But as nutritious as mysids are for many animals, I suspect they are way too large for gorgonian polyps here. Better for larger polyped animals and many fishes. Continue with Cyclop-Eeze>
When I frag it can I use any old superglue that I get at the hardware store, or is there a marine type of superglue?
<DIY superglue is fine... just be sure to use the thick gel for ease of application>
When I add the refugium on this tank, will there still be a need for a plankton reactor?
<that depends on the style of fuge you set up and how strict you are about keeping it safe from plankton predators (no shrimps, crabs, fishes, corals, etc in it)>
Will the zooplankton population in the fuge, and my daily feedings
be enough for this gorgonian to thrive?
<quite possibly... install as large a refugium as possible: 20-40% the display size of you can>
Thanks again for your help. There are a countless number of fish and corals that are still living because of WWM. Peace
<and peace to you in kind :) Anthony>