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  #1  
Old 11/22/2007, 03:50 PM
bpoore89 bpoore89 is offline
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How to frag a Gorgonian

I have a Red Gorgonian thats been in my 55 now for a while and is doing great. I wanted to frag a small piece of it off and put it in my nano tank. How would I go about doing this? Just cut a branch off and super glue?
  #2  
Old 11/23/2007, 04:34 PM
nauticac4 nauticac4 is offline
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Basically cut a branch off near where it branches. Scrape away a very small portion of the flesh at the bottom and then super glue into a small hole in a rock and ur done. Do a search on
www.reefkeeping.com and there is a more in depth how to with pictures.
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  #3  
Old 11/23/2007, 04:41 PM
bpoore89 bpoore89 is offline
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Thanks a ton!
  #4  
Old 11/27/2007, 07:44 AM
dendro982 dendro982 is offline
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2 days later:



The same Diodogorgia, but yellow morph:


Doable
  #5  
Old 11/27/2007, 03:30 PM
bpoore89 bpoore89 is offline
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Thats exactly what I was looking for. The pictures help a ton
  #6  
Old 11/28/2007, 09:23 AM
dendro982 dendro982 is offline
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Beware, that:
- the thick skin is not peelable, you will have to cut it off in pieces;
- the core is only slightly harder, than the skin, but differs by color;
- the core breaks easily during not so gently cleaning, will it be siphoning of the tank, or cleaning the gorgonian in the stream of powerhead.
The gorgonians with a wiry skeleton hold better. But re-fragging was done without problems.

Good luck!
  #7  
Old 11/29/2007, 08:05 AM
Danny07204 Danny07204 is offline
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I heard that they don't last long in home aquarium. Are they hardy?
  #8  
Old 11/29/2007, 10:05 AM
dendro982 dendro982 is offline
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I think, that they MAY not survive in the tank, that is fed twice a week 1-2 pellets
What is worse, more feeding may affect water quality, if the tank is not able to process the larger bioload.

I would recommend to have a skimmer, even small (like Tunze Nano DOC) for a small tanks, cheap (like Lee's large CC skimmer ($20), if you can handle it), or original, like gravity fed Wayne's skimmer.

Some people have unskimmed tanks, able to handle bioload:
Aquabucket's post, but this was impossible in my tanks, and they lived on massive water changes.

Hardy or not:
They have particular requirements to flow and feeding, just like mushrooms, LPS or sps have. Note, that I have the red one a little more, than year - it's too early to say, how it will be in a longer term.

I would feed them at least 3 times daily (morning, evening, night), food - a pinch of zooplankton, maximal size - Cyclop-eeze. Golden pearls, rotifers, baby brine, ZoPlan, Ron's food, Reef-roids should work too. Small particles of the mysis, left after the second wash.

If your tank will be able to process such input of organics - you should be fine. Larger amount of LR, refugium or DSB in a bucket will help with nitrates, phosphate removing media - with phosphates.

Flow should be relatively strong, reflected from the glass or farther from powerhead, up to starting to bend polyps. Too low - bacterial film will settle on the branches.

Which one of gorgonians:

- observable perfection of transparent polyps on the red body - Diodogorgia nodulifera, red finger gotgonian:
(the tall one)
Some are tall, some - wide and fluffy, take a look around - they are slightly different:
(wide and fluffy, long tentacles)

- cheerful, almost fluorescent, tangerine orange - Swiftia kofoidi (or S. exerta, with red polyps):

all the same, only smaller food.
The same swiftia closed, right from LFS:


Summary:
Filtration and source of the small food (zooplankton). And they are tall - you will need space for them.
 

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