Caribbean Gorgonians

[PFortman]

Living in Southeast Florida, it has been easy to specialize my 180 gal. tank in local species.
https://plus.google.com/photos/1157...5794136804712036978&oid=115769677707081451908

 

[PFortman]

Gorgonians from the Florida Keys

Gorgonians from the Florida Keys

 

[droth335]

I'm jealous. I love gorgonians!

 

[albano]

Are these all photosynthetic ?

 

[wireefman]

nice! I have 6 or 7 diff photo gorgs... love them

 

[fvandijk]

Beautiful tank! Where did you get the aquacultured fairy basslets? I assume you have not managed to keep any zoanthids or ricordea with the angelfish?

 

[albano]

I assume you have not managed to keep any zoanthids or ricordea with the angelfish?

I have 10 angels ...5 dwarfs, 4 Genicanthus and a Regal... In with a couple of Zoa colonies and many many ricordeas.

 

[PFortman]

While retailers are are not very forthcoming about their wholesale sources, I thought the Royal Grammas, aka fairy basslets were from ORA (Oceans, Reefs & Aquariums) up in Ft. Pierce, but I don't see them in their Web catalog. ORA does direct deliveries with their own trucks to the many marine aquaria retailers in SE Florida. Since Gramma loreto are benthos egg layers like clownfish; they are somewhat easy to aquaculture.
https://picasaweb.google.com/115769677707081451908/RoyalGrammas#

RE: zoanthids, no. Between a red decorator crab insisting on wearing them and the Angelfish picking at them; a small colony didn't last more than a month or two. This series of pics don't happen to show the zoanthids being worn, but does show clips off the gorgonia. The crab was collected off Dania Beach, FL. https://picasaweb.google.com/115769677707081451908/RedSpongyDecoratorCrab#