2 new NPS today

[SeaCucumberFan]

Today I acquired a gorgonian and a green sea lily from my LFS. The gorgonian is light brown with white "fruits" (I think some sort of blueberry or something) and the sea lily is green. I know it is not a green brittle star because:
It has more than 5 legs
It has the little "roots"
It did not eat my fish that came to investigate
It lifts up it's center point when walking

I placed the gorgonian on the sand (tell me if this is not a good place) and the sea lily is currently hiding in a small crevice. I will snap some pictures later with my new underwater camera. The sea lily has been picked a bit by (prefer not to tell exact) fish, it will be ok, right?

I also got a bonus micro brittle hiking on the gorgonian.

 

[SeaCucumberFan]

--NOT UNDERWATER CAM PICTURES--

 

[laga77]

The first is a Blueberry Gorgonian, and the second is a Feather Starfish. Both are extremely difficult to impossible to keep. Especially the Feather, and both should be left in the ocean.

 

[SeaCucumberFan]

The first is a Blueberry Gorgonian, and the second is a Feather Starfish. Both are extremely difficult to impossible to keep. Especially the Feather, and both should be left in the ocean.

I just decided to give them a try after luck with sponges (1.5 years)

 

[johnike]

Good luck with the Gorgonian.
The starfish is doomed.

 

[Saxman7]

I know everyone wants to bash and start saying best left in the ocean and all, but they were already collected, and everyone makes mistakes- it's not necessarily a bad one either that he made. Better to take this time to learn, experiment and try our best to see if we can make progress with these organisms! Seacuc fan, some cool finds for sure, I hope you have a general idea with both as they can be tricky. Personally I have found that blueberrys like oyster feast and its in debate if light exposure will cause more issues for them long term than just algae growth- I'd say shade it well with and like other nps gorgs- a good upwelling of flow with variation will help alot(not right in front of a power head with one speed,one direction 24/7).
I've done much more work with crinoids than I have gorgs and i've good success with them.
Figure out what food your crinoid likes. If you have a varity of different foods already in your arsenal, try broadcasting each type separately through the course of a couple days- just like the gorg, take note to how they respond to the foods. Chances are you'll see all sorts of reactions, but this doesn't mean they're eating. For example, did they open/extend with food x well in the water column? did they grab food z but they release a few seconds/minutes later? with the crinoids you'll see foods trailing down the arms towards the center of the mouth if they're actually eating it, not just dancing around when food is presented.

Take notes, observe in detail, identify and experiment with foods. with the crinoid look for good bodily health such as regrowing tips of damaged arms, feeding Reponses to foods like I described, full stomachs and producing waste consistently. If you can figure these things out along with keeping your water parameters very consistent, you'll be on the right path too better success with crinoids a other filter feeders.

Check out Michael Lukaczyn's article ( https://reefs.com/2010-2/a-journey-in-crinoid-keeping/ ) and his build thread called "Azoox ELOS build" in the nps section here on RC- lots of great,great info.
Best of luck man!

 

[vashawn]

Blueberry Gorgonian
I bought a frag 4"L muti branches for $10 5 mths ago from local lfs.
it s double the size now.
I use a turkey blaster and feed 2-3x a week.
You need high flow and mod light.
**If you see a branch turning brown move it to another loc.
GL