Keeping Gorgonians

[socal surfer]

I was interesed in keeping gorgonians so i was wondering how many of you out there are keeping the sucessfully? If it is a photosynthetic gorgorian is it hard to keep? Basically im just interested in care requirements on gorgonians. The ones they have at the lfs are called rasberry gorgonians, they are bark blue with white/pink polyps and they are branched a lot. Any one have any ides on what kind these could be or have good gorgonian id sites?


TIA

[Mrs Smith]

In my experience, it's really going to depend on the gorg. Photosynthetic gorgs are relatively easy to keep, as long as algae doesn't build up on them. Non-p are a lot harder, and require regular feeding.

As a very general rule, if the polyp color is tan, it's probably photosynthetic. If the polyps are white or colored (like Dendronepthea sp. corals, for example) they are more likely to be non-p. I'd be wary of the LFS's classification - they are often wrong. I bought a "photosynthetic" gorg with white polyps. IT started to go south at about 3 months, I started feeding it regularly, and now the polyps are tan (like they probably were before the LFS got it.) Weird.

Good luck - they're beautiful, but the unfortunate prettiness rule applies: the more beautiful the piece, the harder it is to keep.

Just my 2c,
Danielle

[fishinchick]

I have had this Purple Bush Gorgonian <murileceopsis flavida>
I have always read that the larger the polyp the more dependent on food it is.
This purple bush has tiny lavendarish polyps. I have had it now for 2 years and its doing fairly well.
I love mine. When I get a bigger tank running I fully intend on getting more.
Heres a pic of it on the right ......

[socal surfer]

Thanks, when u do have to feed gorgonians what do u feed them? Dts and blender mush and stuff? Nce pic btw.

[fishinchick]

whatever zooplankton floats in the water in my tank. I have tons of mysid shrimp, copepods, amphipods etc in my refugium. I have got to the point where I dont really need to feed the tank real often anymore because of it. I feed the anemone, bubble corals etc but I dont feed anything directly to the gorgonian. It never seemed to appreciate it when I did.

[tdwyatt]

Originally posted by socal surfer
I was interesed in keeping gorgonians so ... .... Any one have any ides on what kind these could be or have good gorgonian id sites?

Rob (Toonen) wrote a nice article for Advanced Aquarist

[galleon]

Tom points you to an excellent article. On a further note, several Muricea spp. gorgonians are available to hobbyists. I have found this genus to be by far the most hardy of those available for the trade. They rely heavily on zooxanthellae symbionts, but still should be target fed small arthropods (copepods, amphipods, isopods, finely chopped mysids, cyclop-eeze, etc) on a weekly basis. Muricea laxa is probably the most commonly seen species: http://usuarios.lycos.es/worldreef/muricea3x2.jpg

Chris

[socal surfer]

Thanks for the info everyone im gonna read that article right now, hopefully the next time the lfs gets a gorgonian in ill have the money to buy it.