Are red Goniaporas any more hardy?

[Oddjob]

I have a reef tank that's been set up for about 2.5 years now, and doing well. It's essentially set up as a lagoonal system, with a large refugium growing a number of macroalgaes.

I'm tempted to try a goniapora, but I am aware of their poor survival rates in closed systems. I've recently come across several statements that claim red goniaporas are more hardy than other color varieties, and I'm wondering if there's any truth to that. I'm guessing there's not any good hard science to support that calim, but is there good anecdotal evidence?

[ReefDiver]

Yes, that is a "theory" that has been propagated via various sources. The Red or Purple morphs of Goniopora are supposed to be hardier than the other more common species. Personally I think this is hogwash and as you noted, there is no proof for such statements. IMO, any coral taken out of it's normal habitat and placed in a closed system is subject to extreme unnatural conditions. If the organism can be provided with all of the same conditions and requirements that it has adapted to on the reef, then it will probably survive, if not, it will perish. This is so true for Goniopora whose nutritional and other requirements are not even close to being fully understood. So, bottom line, if you want to chance it and feel that you can provide the conditions necessary, that's up to you. However, if by reading and researching this particular corals requirements you feel that you can't, then why chance it? Unfortunately, the coral will probably perish either way but why have it do so in your tank.

I'm waiting for Eric to finish with the Elegance study. Then, perhaps he will be able to shed some light on the husbandry requirements of Goniopora. Only time will tell.

[EricHugo]

Mine is, and that seems to be a common claim, though I have seen plenty of them looking just like the hard-to-keep free-living species like stokesi.

A while back I promised an image of one of my baby Gonios, so here it is. [IMG]http://www.reefcentral.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=46666

[EricHugo]

Mine is, and that seems to be a common claim, though I have seen plenty of them looking just like the hard-to-keep free-living species like stokesi.

A while back I promised an image of one of my baby Gonios, so here it is.

[EricHugo]

http://www.reefcentral.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=46666

[EricHugo]

Mine is, and that seems to be a common claim, though I have seen plenty of them looking just like the hard-to-keep free-living species like stokesi.

A while back I promised an image of one of my baby Gonios, so here it is. http://http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=46666

[Oddjob]

Thanks for the replys. Still undecided if I will try one or not, but if I do it will probably be a red one.

Eric:
How long have you had yours? Do you have any insights into how to increase your odds in keeping them in a closed system?

[jaden1]

I have both green and red varieties. My green one will have die offs now and again (usually in the summer=temps?) but they always grow back. The red one has never had any die off that I can remember. So even though I don't personally have scietific proff I do have some positive experiences to say so. Good luck.
Ps. My green one never had die off when my tank was run Jaubert style (with some mods). Only when I wanted to start with acros and needed a upgrade in the skimmer department did the die offs begin.

[Oddjob]

Jaden 1:
Thanks for the reply. From the research I've been able to gather, it seems to indicate at least anecdotally, that people have better luck with little or no skimming, and with algal turf filtration methods ( I think even Eric said that in his book). Maybe I'll set up a dedicated system for them Jaubert style, or convert my current 100 gallon tank into a skimmerless system after I get the new tank I'm planning set up.

[EricHugo]

I have had it for over five years, and it was in another reefkeeper's tank for at least several years before that.

No, I have no suggestions in general for Goniopora. This is the first one I have ever had for longer than six to eight months, and I have no personal experience with most of the species because I have never seen them offered for sale. Generally, all I ever see are G. stokesi and a few other free-living and equally difficult to keep species.

[Oddjob]

Eric:
Want to sell yours? :)

[EricHugo]

LOL...nope

[bertoni]

There were baby Goniopora for sale here on RC a bit ago, by friogatto. They were green, and the seller said they were "dropped off" by a colony of his. Not the color you want, but they might be more hardy than the average specimen. I've had mine only a few months, though, so I can't say much from personal experience.

Eric, are you taking a waiting list for frags? :) Very pretty.

[EricHugo]

Yeah, its a pretty Goniopora. It also gets realy big acrospheres, and I am not quite sure what that means in terms of feeding by comparison with other types that may have less prey-capture response.

[jaden1]

Eric, My green goni has long tentacles and fairly large acrospheresand has done well for years. When it recedes in one area it usually grows on the other side. As for the red one, it has very short(almost non visible) tentacles and small acrospheres, but it seems to do well and grow. These two are the only ones I have ever had success with. Interestingly though they both came on live rock and were not coral purchases. The green one started from an eraser sized colony to a baseball size in five years. The red one was maybe a couple of inches square and has produced a small amount of growth. They are pretty but high stress for me. Every time algea gets close or one starts to recede I think" well it's been a gppd ride ". But they never die:) Thankfully.