Sorry I suddenly had a dumb*** attack tonight at the LFS and fell in love with a large Flower Pot Coral. Can anybody help me with what to expect from this coral as far as life expectancy, hardiness, diet, and any other special notes? I know you should never buy before researching but I couldn't help myself.

you can probably expect a very short life in a tank, they usually die within 1 year. no one really knows why, but their survival rate is very low. all of them that i have had have not made it any longer than 1.5 years or so. sorry to be the bearer of bad news. i would try to return it if you can.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but gonis have one of the poorest captive survivability rates in the hobby. They like medium flow, medium light, and eat very small food, like cyclopeeze. That being said, they are VERY susceptible to brown jelly disease, and typically survive only a few months in peoples tanks.

Frankly, I'd take it back to the LFS if you can.

***EDIT***
Oops, Bobby beat me to it :)

You should listen to this http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/podcast-episodes/693-goniopora-podcast-episode-45-a.html if you haven't already. If you keep it I'd suggest a visit to Goniopora.org:::Goniopora Reference Web Site (http://www.Goniopora.org) to learn as much as you can about them.