Any one ID this Gorgonian? Difficulty?

[calk me Q]

Very cheap and abundant in china.

A more specific profile view

Also this one , i thought it is under the same species with another yellow polype one?

 

[noy]

First one is a Acanthogorgia(syn. acalycigorgia) sp. - Blueberry Sea Fan. Interesting colour variant - the stalks are usually darker in colour.

Practically impossible to keep - I couldn't keep one even in my dedicated gorg tank for more than 8 months. Indonesia. Here is a video of mine not eating.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lMKRb4Ir6O8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t1EMPMxuDuQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

You should post your progress. The specimen you have is probably the best I've seen - they don't ship particularly well to N. America.

The second one is either a Menella sp. or Plexaura flexuosa. the former has very distinct polyps

IMG_1552

IMG_1595

both moderately difficult but definitely will thrive with the right care.

 

[calk me Q]

First one is a Acanthogorgia(syn. acalycigorgia) sp. - Blueberry Sea Fan. Interesting colour variant - the stalks are usually darker in colour.

Practically impossible to keep - I couldn't keep one even in my dedicated gorg tank for more than 8 months. Indonesia. Here is a video of mine not eating.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lMKRb4Ir6O8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t1EMPMxuDuQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

You should post your progress. The specimen you have is probably the best I've seen - they don't ship particularly well to N. America.

The second one is either a Menella sp. or Plexaura flexuosa. the former has very distinct polyps

IMG_1552

IMG_1595

both moderately difficult but definitely will thrive with the right care.

You really know alot. What do you feed your gorgonian and how do you feed them.i currently have FM clam, MinF, seafan. I prefer continuous feeding than spot feeding as i think it brings benifit to all the stuff in my tank. Could you share your feeding expierence? I really want to keep an azoonxanthellate coral especially gorgonian.

 

[hypostatic]

The blueberry gorg is one of the toughest species to keep alive. I think every single one I've read about has died in captivity for one of two reasons -- the corals either starve to death, or the system can't handle the nutrient load and they are lost due to algae spikes.

I believe I've seen success with them by having multiple feedings per day of freshly hatched brine shrimp. As you can imagine, this adds an immense amount of nutrients to the system. If these nutrients aren't exported, it leads spikes in ammonia or phosphates, which can lead to the death of everything in the tank.

 

[calk me Q]

The blueberry gorg is one of the toughest species to keep alive. I think every single one I've read about has died in captivity for one of two reasons -- the corals either starve to death, or the system can't handle the nutrient load and they are lost due to algae spikes.

I believe I've seen success with them by having multiple feedings per day of freshly hatched brine shrimp. As you can imagine, this adds an immense amount of nutrients to the system. If these nutrients aren't exported, it leads spikes in ammonia or phosphates, which can lead to the death of everything in the tank.

So that makes me think why we dont have any research on what they feed in nature( simply put, to sample the water around where they locate and see what's in it)? So their feeding preference can be scaled down at least other than out of imagination without any clue.?

 

[herring_fish]

Have you been on the Chinese NPS forums? If so has anybody over there had any luck with Bluebarry Gorgonians or any of the other hard to keep corals? I would like to know if better collection and shorter shipment times leads to better outcomes.

 

[noy]

I feed my system a mix of dried coral foods (reef roids, nls nutricell, various FM proudcts). These get dispensed 5 times a day with a Apex feeder and I adjust the flow on these feeding cycles.

I also feed oyster feast 2x a day.

In addition I use frozen rotifer cubes right now. Normally I try to keep a rotifer culture going and feed a 1 cup a day. When I have time I will probably get a brine hatchery setup going.

In addition I dump about a capful of phyto in tank a day. This is for the soft NPS I keep (and keep the rotifer population going).

I am not a fan of continuous feed at all - I think you need to get a high concentration of food during feeding so you corals actually have a shot at getting/capturing the food.

So that makes me think why we dont have any research on what they feed in nature( simply put, to sample the water around where they locate and see what's in it)? So their feeding preference can be scaled down at least other than out of imagination without any clue.?

I think you will find a high concentration of microscopic/near-micro zooplankton which we be hard pressed to reproduce in an aquarium context.

here is a night shot of my tank
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m_dqikXBG24?list=UUyASdKesbiBwA38qRaVMRmQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[calk me Q]

Have you been on the Chinese NPS forums? If so has anybody over there had any luck with Bluebarry Gorgonians or any of the other hard to keep corals? I would like to know if better collection and shorter shipment times leads to better outcomes.

Unfortunately we dont have any NPS forums of this kind.

Im not playing down on us chinese aquarists but it is because we dont have any idea of keeping NPS or obligate filter feeding organizems that makes me here to learn.

Chinese aquarists are still worshiping tanks full of SPS corals with unhealthy colorful colors. All NPS corals i saw here are either in poor condition or good condition but died away within months without proper care. (We dont have any specific food like rotifers, even FM commercial series)

So probably what you would like to know about the shipment effect on their survival will remain unsolved for a while.

 

[hypostatic]

So that makes me think why we dont have any research on what they feed in nature( simply put, to sample the water around where they locate and see what's in it)? So their feeding preference can be scaled down at least other than out of imagination without any clue.?

It's not that -- they feed on small plankton and crustaceans, similar to baby brine shrimp. The real issue is feeding them enough, and keeping the water clean.

I think another complication is that they are commonly kept in reef conditions, with warm water and bright lights. These corals normally get low/no light, and they typically live in colder water.