i bought a goniopora colony yesterday but it hasnt opened up yet. how long does it usually take to open? i squirted some cyclopeeze over it to encourage this but nothing yet. also is it normal for them to change color due to stress or lighting? when i bought it the colony was purple but now its getting some blue as well. is that normal? i listened to the episode on this and realized that i didnt do the drip acclimation. does that mean its a goner?

I've not kept one but I know that they can be sensitive. Hopefully this will serve as a :bump: and someone will chime in soon.

thanx carmie. i got some good info and it is starting to come out so i am crossing my fingers. i really just want some real world experience. i have done alot of research but no substitute.

The only one I ever tried kicked it after about 8 months. Did great right up until then, got brown jelly and was dead in a week.

I've had two branching Gorgonia for six months that have not shown their tentacles now for two weeks. Strange behavior because they were always out before except for short periods of time (a few hours to maybe 24 hours). Interesting that they are both growing new branches during this time. Their retracted behavior was a warning sign to me. It made me test water parameters just to be sure.

Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 0 (this surprised me because a small amount is desirable)
Ph - 8.05 metered (a little low but varies between 7.95 and 8.35 in 24 hrs)
SG - 1.026
Calcium - 500
Mag - 1250+ (test kit only goes to 1250 but color change happened after two more drops.)
Alk - ? (I don't test for Alk because I'm dosing Ocean's Blend 2 part daily and test Calcium, Magnesium regularly and watch Ph on the meter. Could be wrong but, since they and Alk are all intertwined feel comfortable Alk is within OK range.

So, I found nothing wrong with the water.

Here's a pic of the Gorgonia as of yesteday...

http://www.theculturedreef.com/135-2-3-08-2.jpg

You can easily see the new 3/4" branch on the right Gorgonia. The left one has a new 1/2" branch that is hard to see. Plus they are putting on height, also. I'm comfortable thinking this is normal (?) behavior. It can be a bit disconcerting though.

Not doing the drip acclimation may have stressed it. I drip acclimate everything regardless of what the "experts" say. Your taking an animal from one body of water of unknown parameters and changing it into your water, the parameters of which may or may not be known. Things like SG, Ph, NH3, NO2, NO3 can vary widely between water sources and many of our critters are sensitive to rapid changes. It's best, in my humble opinion, to give them the benefit of doubt and due a drip acclimation.

Dick

Hey Dick - I think the post was about Goniopora...not Gorgonia! :D

on a side note though...my two gorgonia are very different....one likes tons of flow and indirect light...the other (a beautiful purple one) likes medium flow, but more light intensity. maybe you just need to find a new place for them?

Goniopora can be very tricky mate. I think I remember reading something recently that they need iron. Are you dosing iron?

the funny thing is i just finished dosing iron to see if it would help my macroalgae but i stopped cuz i saw no results. if they need it i will add it. the goni is coming out a little now. crossing my fingers until i reach the year mark. i went to goniopora.org but only one responded. it seems i did everything right except a slower acclimation. i hope the colony doesnt respond negatively to that.

You might want to measure your iron and iodine levels....maybe your tank needs additional supplementation. Keep us updated!

Hey Dick - I think the post was about Goniopora...not Gorgonia! :D

on a side note though...my two gorgonia are very different....one likes tons of flow and indirect light...the other (a beautiful purple one) likes medium flow, but more light intensity. maybe you just need to find a new place for them?

Goniopora can be very tricky mate. I think I remember reading something recently that they need iron. Are you dosing iron?

Oh my goodness! You know what they say about guys over 70. The mind is the second thing to go. :tongue2: :rotfl:

What on earth was I thinking of? Oh well, no harm done, except to my pride. :blush: I can get over that. I've had lots of practice over these many years.

Dick

so is iron and iodine helpful to have for this corals care?

Well, I have read that Julian Sprung recommends dosing iron and manganese for gonioporas. Iodine is anyway a good thing to dose in the reef tank.

Mind you...all of these supplements should always be measured for, because you don't want to overdose something!

Well, I have read that Julian Sprung recommends dosing iron and manganese for gonioporas. Iodine is anyway a good thing to dose in the reef tank.

Mind you...all of these supplements should always be measured for, because you don't want to overdose something!

Careful with the iodine, though. I wiped a colony of green star polyps with an iodine dose. A friend of mine nearly wiped his tank as well. I still dose it, but not nearly at the rate suggested by the maker (Kent in my case). I dose 1/4 tsp every week or so in a 200 gallon TWV system. I have heard that testing it can be sketchy since iodine reacts with so many other chemicals in the tank it is not often in a form detectable by test kits. My shrimp are my testers in this case. If they are molting more than once a month i am dosing too much.

Just thought i would throw that in :p

yes, of course...everything should be measured and not overdosed....good reef practice!

I think it's also helpful to rather lower the dose of iodine and dose it on a daily basis, rather than one large amount once a week. I'm using the ZEOvit iodine now, and the concentration is adjusted so that it gets added every day, rather than many of the supplements that recommend to do it on a weekly basis.

so whats the point in buying an expensive test kit that wont accurately tell me what i need to know when i can just have the dosage and do it daily as you guys suggest?

Although chemicals interact, form compounds, bind, etc I think it is worthwhile to keep track of the free chemicals, especially things you are dosing. Even adding a small dose daily instead of a larger dose weekly could cause an OD.