Sea Fans

[Stottlemire]

Reef Artist,

Your purple gorgonian with white polyps looks like its tips are dying back. I have a lot of non photo gogonians, they need constant triming. That gorgonian feeds almost primaraly on phyto plankton. I feed by a drip sytem 100mls Shellfish Diet from Reeds daily, my gorgonians are now a year old,with plenty of picture documentation.

[ReefArtist]

Hello Stottlemire,
Yes, I have not been as attentive as I should be. I'm getting their new home ready (They'll get moved this week). I'm also doing a drip with phyto. I have lots of photos but I must say not a lot of growth in that year on some +/- 1 inch isn't very good but I guess for some it normal. What type are you keeping if you don't mind me asking? Also is your drip system on a timer? I'm trying to come up with something with the ACIII. I haven't really found their feeding pattern. Any information on this would be appreciated.

[reptilemanmark]

Those look Great. I`ve had this one for about 6 months. What type is it I believe its a photo type?

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/...230smaller.JPG

[ReefArtist]

I'm not very good at IDing but it looks very healthy. It appears that is has larger polyps and I've found they are much easier to care for (JMO). Maybe someone else can chime in on the ID and maybe some of mine. I know some of them but others I'm just guessing.

Very nice coral - six months and looking beautiful!

[Stottlemire]

Reef Artist,

I see there are a couple of links mentioned about my tank that
you may have seen. Dendro982 has it in a post in this thread, he has it titled Chuck, also Kreeger1 has it under twilight reefs. the system is now one year old. Most of the animals are all one year in captivity. There are a few that are not. I drip feed 100mls of Shellfish Diet,and 100mls of Roto Feast daily, all are from Reeds Mariculture. None of the animals are target fed exept the basket star fish.

Chuck Stottlemire

[reptilemanmark]

Originally posted by ReefArtist
I'm not very good at IDing but it looks very healthy. It appears that is has larger polyps and I've found they are much easier to care for (JMO). Maybe someone else can chime in on the ID and maybe some of mine. I know some of them but others I'm just guessing.

Very nice coral - six months and looking beautiful!

Thanks I purchased from a guy that was taking his tank down. He had for a couple of years. Its about 12" I`ve fragged it too. The fraggs are doing well but have not really grown much?
Thanks

[dendro982]

Kreeger1 and Stottlemire:

Can you post information about keeping non-photosynthetic gorgonians and their visual identification in another thread too: Non-photosynthetic gorgonians - ID and particular care ? Or make a separate own thread?

I was asking the non-photosynthetic corals and filter feeder invertebrates keepers to meet in one place (thread) - to share experience and findings, ask the questions. Like the New Dendronephthya study group or ASM skimmers club do. I'm not trying to make a club, just find some answers in one place

By species, or all non-photosynthetics in the same thread. If this is not a good idea - I'll stop bother people. So - any input on this idea?

The other threads were: Scleronephthya - how to?, Christmas tree worms, about chili corals, sun (no problems here) and possibility to keep tube anemone in the tanks with NPS corals.

Thank you.

[Kreeger1]

THis is what Im doing as of right now, I will be changing soon to a 24 hour drip set up. I just got the frig to keep the food cold for the drip system

I feed 2 or 3 times per day Shellfish diet. probably 40-50 ml total per day
I also feed everyday a home mix of blended oysters/mussels. blended for 5 minutes on high so its tiny tiny liquid matter. guessing less then 300 micron. I also added these items non ground up to the mix then froze it 1 bag 12 oz brine shrimp, 1 7 oz bag baby brine, 7oz of nutramar uva(which is prawn eggs) and 8 oz of P.E. Mysis shrimp. Mixed them all up and froze
Every other day I do 2 cubes of mysis shrimp when the sun corals are out and open.

The key to these creatures is flow and lots of it. The rumor I'm going off of is that a piece of mysis shrimp will travel 7 inches in one second. So thats what Im trying to duplicate in the tank. I would prefer to have a pulsing motion in the tank so the corals rock back and forth. SO Im planning on adding a few tunze 6200 pumps to the tank. The flow is coming from one direction though, another key factor IMO. No chaotic patterns, just nice laminar flow (pulsed)

I will be adding a few larger tangs to the tank soon so I will be feeding nori sheets which I belive will be a bonus for the corals too. good old green fish poop

Trying to think of anything I missed?
ask on I guess
Erik

[dendro982]

Thank you for the input!
While I'm working in simpler mode (no freezing dosator), the usage of this blended seafood adds variety to the NPS corals diet.

What filtration and flow (tank volume per hour) you have?
My plain overflow box leaves a lot of particles in the tank, unfiltered.

Another thing - do you have shrimp in high flow tank? I have one blood shrimp in personal tank, but afraid move it to the bottom flow tank, 25x turnover.

And do you know, by any chance, who is who between orange and yellow sun corals - who is coccinea, who - faulknerii, who - aurea and so on. Any differences in care?
I have usual what I think could be T. faulknerii (most common), it much more resistant to the varying conditions, then the (possibly, guessing here by name) T. aurea - lemon yellow, high skeleton.

[Kreeger1]

big fan of that sea fan

Not sure the flow in the tank, its above average. probably 7000 gph with power heads and 1000 or so in the return.

My skimmer is undersized for my tank volume 400 plus gals. I use a asm g4x and its doing fine for now.

Don't know the different classes of sun corals to well, sorry

[dendro982]

Thank you, Kreeger1!
I just trying to figure out, what am I doing wrong with filtration (apart that the tanks are much smaller and undrilled , but the principle should be the same).
Two tanks, 20 and 90g, total turnover 25 and 20x per hr, return pump - 7x and 5x - your is similar: 22x total and 3x (calculated for 360g). Oversized skimmers on both. for 90g - ASM G3.

Still have a lot unremoved detritus.

May be direction of flow? Can you give a hint, where powerheads are pointed, for keeping particles afloat.

Sorry for distraction from the main topic of the thread, folks. But efficient filtration is important for the non-photosynthetic tanks too.

Nice red gorgonian! Is it prone for catching algae or detritus, or is always clean, as swiftia?

[Kreeger1]

That scerlo seems to be growing well for me. its now open 5-6 plus hours a during the day and probably all throughout the night/complete dark time so thats a good sign imo

I've yet to see the red gorgonian with algae on it, not sure if its the flow I give it or not? It's pretty high up in the tank under a 250 mh for 4 hours a day so it could get algae if the tank parameters went bad.
When the tank has a nitrate spike, that coral won't open so Its a good teller when I need to do a water change or something too

Erik

[maroun.c]

Had to step out and read all the great info on this thread before I post pictures of the seafan I got and the one i plan to get. here are pictures of the one I got. it was hard to get a good picture as it's under very bright lighting and it being dark doe not help not to overexpose everything close to it which makes me feek dizzy looking at the pics.
it is black in colour and the polyps are rather purple. i put it in moderate flow area tank is lit with 150w 20k Mh suplemented by ultra white and actinic marine Arcadia fluorescent lamps. it is below the MH a bit to the side. and receives some flow from 2 directions. should i move it to less light and to an area with flow from one direction? it has been in the tank since 15 days now and is showing polyps every day. some of the stalks do not have polyps and i assume they were damaged in shipping. any info on the one I got would be greatly appreciated especially any info on what I sohuld do with the damaged portions? cut them off or just wait and see if they will recover?
Here's the one I have i'm presuming its photosynthetic as its dark in colour






Here's one big seafan that has been at an LFS in Dubai since 6 weeks now the owner said it's not selling for some reason and it looked very healthy to me so I'm planning on buying it on my next visit.
I'm presuimng it' non photosunthetic as it's white in colour? any info on it if it's hardy or not and any advice on getting it or not?

[Kreeger1]

The top one looks like its on its way out. I would cut all the dead areas off that have no tissue left on them or they will end up covered in algae and stop regrowth.
the bottom one looks to be bleached out. does it have fuzzy polps that come out? There both light needing gorgonians from the pictures as far as I can tell. The white one I'd leave low till it gets some color back.
Not sure just a guess to help you out with them
Erik

If the top one gets any worse, I'd make some frags of it. Chop it up to save it

[maroun.c]

Thanks for the info Kreeger. the lower one is not in my tank it is at an LFS and I was considering getting it which I will not do anymore.
How do I go at fraging the upper one it do I just cut pieces and glue them on a rock?
Do you suggest anything about flow? I was considering placing a powerhead and directing it towards it. would that be a good idea?

[Kreeger1]

With the laminar flow thing, I'd say that is mainly for non photo corals. For fragging the gorgonian, I'd just cut the live pieces off look for a little hole in the rock and push them in maybe even with a little dab of super glue gel to hold them just in case.
Erik

[maroun.c]

thanks

[dendro982]

I'm not familiar with these gorgonians, have the lavender colored with tan polyps, just like the first one, but different shape - more plume-like, photosynthetic purple frilly gorgonian. Light and food, no rough handling, IMHE. Sufficient flow for moving branches, but not damaging the live tissue. I would place it far from strong powerhead, or at least 5" (12 cm) from the soft flow powerhead, like Seio or Koralia. But have it short time - few months only.

You may try to ID them at this page, it's the best I know.

About dead branches: I'm removing them, usually leaving only the live parts. This may leave you with a bunch of frags, instead of one big corals
For example, before:

after:

And this, practically dead, having only one branch, showing polyps:


Recovered after fragging:


I had read, that the dead ends better to be cut off - it should prevent algae settlement. From what I had seen, so far, some species are just prone to be covered by algae, given a chance. The blue one - particularly, and the orange Swiftia - not, side by side in the same tank.

[SDguy]

Just wanted to add to this thread. I have several gorgonians in my tank. All at least somewhat photosynthetic. I have to admit, my fastest growing one so far is a true fan, that I picked up aquacultured from LiveAquaria. It has doubled in size already. An older pic....

[Kreeger1]

You know what coral I'd love to get my hands on, Lace corals like Distichopora or Stylasteriidae.
like the purple one in this picture