goniporia

[hannah9932]

my husband just got me a Goniporia and I am not sure where it should be in the tank. any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks:rollface:

[Radcast2]

Everytime I see them they seem to be in the sand or on a rock near the sand. Let others reply to get an experienced answer

[Unfair Advantage]

Typically they are nearer to the surface, as they seem to do better the more light they can get. At least that is my experience. Mine is placed 3-4" below the surface and it's rock is mounted on the rockwork of my reef.

Here's some more goniopora info:

Placing them in a flow that gives them a "wafting" motion, rather than a direct "blasting" is also considered better for them.

Feeding them/the tank at night will also be a good idea, as they supposedly feed at night. I feed my tank marine snow (overfeed, actually) 3x a week, and don't skim much.

Because goniopora have a dismal record in captivity and are therefore considered incredibly non-hardy, it will be something to keep an eye on and likely will need a lot of attention in order to maintain it. They typically do well for a while and then crash after so many months (typically, but hopefully not the case for you and me :D )

Best of luck in any case!

[RARZILLO]

lol........even my lfs admits it......and calls the corals "rentals"

[Entropy]

Mine is doing very well so far. It has doubled in size in the three months I have had it. I have mine with the base wedged into the sand bed. It is about 20 inches from the surface and gets moderate flow (enough to make it sway back and forth pretty good). I have 2x175w metal halides and 2x110w VHO's. It stays all the way open under both lighting but prefers it when all the lights are on in the middle of the day.

[hannah9932]

thanks for all of your help! i have mine 4 in. from the surface with moderate flow hitting it. i hope that for all of us these are not rental corals, but instead life long beauties.

[MalHavoc]

It's not uncommon for Goniopora corals to do well, and even show significant growth, for a few months. It's "long term" success that people have a hard time with. Every time this comes up on the board, there are always a few individuals who have had them for a few years, and they are doing well, etc, but they are few and far between.

I don't get upset that these corals are in captivity, but I do get upset at the number of LFS' that are selling them as "easy to care for".

[Entropy]

Originally posted by MalHavoc
I don't get upset that these corals are in captivity, but I do get upset at the number of LFS' that are selling them as "easy to care for".

I have to agree with you there. I went to my normally very reliable LFS and found my Goniopora in the easy to keep section. The owner told me they are very hardy and easy to keep. I really like the look and got one for $20 (cheap, how could I go wrong?). I come here that night and look up flowerpot and :rolleyes: I read the 12 tip version was ok but 24 was doomed to die. You should have seen me out at my tank the next morning waiting for the lights to come on so I could count them. The funny thing is I went back to the LFS and they told me to bring it back if I didn't want it for a full refund. They still insist it is a easy to keep coral...

[MalHavoc]

Rich,

Yeap, the 12 tip version is the Alveopora coral, which looks a lot like the Goniopora species. People seem to think that they are easier to care for than Goniopora, although Eric Borneman says that they are just as difficult in his book.