Green Gonipora

[shamanofsexy]

Was looking at one in my LFS today and it was described as and easy beginners coral.

Now reading up on it online and all the websites seem to go against this.

Anyone keep it who can help me out on what its like to keep.???

 

[jennm]

Easy beginner coral = the uninformed will buy it and it will last 6-9 months

I did... back in the day. Now I don't even carry them.

Beautiful coral though, but we still don't seem to know what makes them tick in the long term.

Jenn

 

[jef4y]

LOL... yeah, a Chili coral is an easy beginners piece too... Everything is relative...

Read up on them and make your own decision. I wanted a goni, but the likelihood of survival seemed too slim in my tank so I skipped it.

 

[landon]

I purchased a Pink Gonipora a few months ago. Saw it in the store and it was just stunning. Of course, I wasn't told about the lifespan in captivity. I've had it for about 3 months now and it's doing fine but not looking forward to 90 bucks dying in a year. Tryin my best to beat the odds.

 

[thbrewst]

What's funny is I was given the same story and fell for it at a place that was having a 'super sale' (so it didn't cost me much). I knew nothing about it until I did research like you did. While the frag (~2"x2") has not grown over the past 3-4 months it does seem to be surviving OK.

When the polyps are extended it is a cool piece...

 

[jake09mid]

I bought some green goniopora from Warehouse Aquarium about 2 weeks ago for a steal of $20. I consider myself a beginner and only use power compact lights in a 29 gallon. I have started using Aquavitro Fuel twice a week and feeding Cyclop-eeze twice a week as well. The extension has roughly doubled since I bought it and it looks great! I wish I could say it's 3 years old but I'm very optimistic about its future.

 

[coolsurf]

I had one for about 1 year plus. Nice coral. I was the reason it died unfortunately. It did fantastic under T5 lighting and a moderate flow.

 

[shamanofsexy]

How did u feed it. Ive been reading about method of covering it with a bottle to direct feed but if your feeding it live rotifers and they like how long would you leave the bottle over it for.

Im thinking im going to get one jst for the experience of it. The success stories seem to be findable.

These two articles are making really want to try and be one of the people to keep one.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/nftt/index.php">http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/nftt/index.php</a>
[IMG]http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/10/aafeature2">http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/10/aafeature2</a>

 

[jake09mid]

I read those articles too....after I made my impulse buy. I use a turkey baster and mix cyclop-eeze in a cup with tank water and just fire it at the goniopora. The fish finish off the excess. Seems to work but there may be a more scientific way.

 

[coolsurf]

My two main feedings consisted of Phyto Feast and Oyster Feast. The rest of the feedings resulted in whatever frozen bits carried themselves to them. That was really about it besides keeping the water pristine.

 

[shamanofsexy]

Got mine today. I have a Goniopora Norfolkensis its about 3 inches across at the skeleton so when fully extended reaches 8 inches.

After bringing it home (11am) i fed it some Frozen Rotifers in the bag and have just placed it in the tank about 20 minutes ago started to open out now when he extends ill add some pictures.

 

[laura]

I got 2 at the February ARC frag meeting in 2009 with the free give aways. My tank was 8 months old at the time and I was very new to the hobby. They are frankly the only corals that have survived all my blunders. Go figure... and both look great.

 

[laura]

Here's a quick picture of the 2 mentioned above.
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[gmpolan]

i got the same story, newby and the store sold me one for my 12 gallon bio cube with pc lighting. Ha, lets just say it didnt last long....

 

[coolsurf]

They look like they are doing real well. I'll probably get another small bunch sometime in the future just for the nice touch they add.

 

[shamanofsexy]

Absolutely amazed by this coral so far. Ive been watching it on and off all afternoon since turning the lights on and on thing im noticing is the tenticles of it are not controlled by the flow of the water. They actually move by themselves. I have it currently placed in between two rocks and the tenticles facing the rocks are bending around to the open space. One of my urchins has come down off the glass for a look at its new tank mate and all the tentciles are looking back at the urchin.

 

[shamanofsexy]

So now ive had my Gonio for 7 weeks thought id give a little update.

Ive been feeding with frozen rotifers 3 times a week through various different methods (cut a hole in a 2ltr cola bottle to our through, melting the rotiters in tank water then throwing this at the water above it so it sinks before the fish eat it, pipette) and thus far things are going well after 40 minutes of the lights being on the Goniopora is at its full extension and stays this way throughout the day retracting only when my bulldozer urchin carelessly treads across him. Or more recently my clowns have decided they want to host in him much to the gonios annoyance.

 

[shamanofsexy]

Right end of week 9. Some sections of the Goniopora have now retracted inside the sketeton. The clowns are refusing to leave the poor guy alone.

So to try and solve this i went and purchased a Bali Sand Anemone told theres a fair chance the clowns (occilaris) would host in this. But then Anemone decided it wanted to plant itself right infront of the Gonio which led to the tentacles of the GP looking like they were trying to gets away facing away from the BSA. So i moved the GP to another location and the BSA has moved location again not as close just again on same side.

Now the BSA seems settled in a corner so ive moved the GP back to its original location theres about 24 cms between the 2 now. While that has been happening the clowns have still been rubbing against the GP. So they are now in jail (a floating breeder box in the tank)

All in all an absolute nightmare. Things were going so well as well. I never for 1 moment thought my tank raised clowns would go for a coral I hope my GP opens out again.

 

[shamanofsexy]

Ok week later and the Goniopora hasnt improved at all. Ive noticed the Lawnmower Blenny picking at it as it swims past it.

From the 10 weeks i've had the coral ive noticed quite alot of thing.

1) The closer to water change day the bigger the tenticles.
2) It does better away from the flow. The tenticled polyps on it are not controlled by the flow of the water they move themselves in different directions. Almost as if they are looking around. When things come near it crabs, urchins, fish the GP points that way and almost follows them.
3) Sea Urchins are not good tank mates for a Goniopora
4) Lawnmower Blennies are not good tank mates for a Goniopora
5) Clownfish unless already hosting in something are not good tankmates.
6) The only time the polpys retract fully are when something walks on it, or touches it.

So from my experiences id say this coral needs to be in a calm tank pretty much by itself. Maybe just a small 2 gallon with little flow and a deep sand bed.

 

[shamanofsexy]

Its alive. Its alive. lol

Right after 8 days of sitting in a breeder box with a 5 cm deep sandbed my goniopora is now looking alot healthier. Still not back to its previous glory but now around 80% of the tenticled polyps are back extended.

The coral is now in a higher flow area of the tank and the tentacles that are extended are all pointing themselves into the current.

I have overfed my tank this week after the adding some new fish and while i get used to feeding my Sand Anemone so the nitrates have risen. (0.20) and this has pleased the GP. Also when feeding frozen rotifers i put some all around it rather than just target fed and it appears to have absorbed these throughout the week.