Flower Pot Coral

[Snowsrfr]

I just picked up a yellow flower pot coral, and am turning to the experts to make this a successful endeavor. I understand this is a highly controversial coral, concerning it ability to be kept, etc. Any tips, success stories, etc. that can further help my ongoing research into keeping one of these guys would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[acrodave]

If you can get it to live for a year then you are doing something right.Lots of tiny food and no clown fish

 

[Snowsrfr]

Any suggestions on best type of food? I've read everything from mysis to phtyo. Variety the spice of life for this guy?

No clowns. They live in another tank.

 

[bundy13]

I got this one about 3 years ago

I got this one about 3 years ago

Sorry for the crappy pics but the mh lights where off on both pics,

I had it up high in an sps tank under 250w mh light for about a year ,and it did great was feeding it 2 times a week dts oyster eggs,cyclopezee, it did good for about a year and it totally receded and got covered with all types of alga,as you can see in the first pic ,i just left it in the tank it had no PE for about 3 months i posted everywhere nobody had any advise besides,to try to feed ,I gave up on it and gave it a lugols bath scrubbed the heck out of it with a soft brush,put it back in the tank in a corner with high flow ,partially shade and it has totally recovered its looking better than ever ,the polyps are extending about 4 inches ,in the second pic its closed a bit due to the mh lights being of but its looking good ,they say they like to be fed and that they like dirty water,i am not direct feeding ,and i keep pristine water for my sps and its growing and thriving ,
good luck with it ill try to get a pic of it fully opened up tomorrow when light come on,

 

[weaselslucks]

I just bought one for $18. still trying to get it to extend

 

[Snowsrfr]

I drip aclimated it for a couple hours and then introduced it into my tank. After a few hours the polyps are about half extended.

I did find this website that seems to have quite a bit of info on the care of these corals.

http://www.goniopora.org/index.htm

 

[G.SMITHII]

http://www.goniopora.org/feeding2.htm

i got this link from a fellow reefer, and i feel that its keepin me on somewhat the right pathe here

i recently purchase a red one from an internet vendor. when i got it, it was bleached like highlighter pink.

ive benn feeding it by mixing cyclops, marine snow, powdered flake all drenched in seaclone.

i cut the bottom off a cola bottle, turn off all the flow, cover the goni with the bottle and turkey baste the mix into the bottle.

i let it chill for 2-5 mins before i get a good reaction from the coral.

in the past three weeks, its color has darkened, and the polyp extension is much better.

 

[G.SMITHII]

http://www.goniopora.org/feeding2.htm

i got this link from a fellow reefer, and i feel that its keepin me on somewhat the right path here

i recently purchase a red one from an internet vendor. when i got it, it was bleached like highlighter pink.

ive benn feeding it by mixing cyclops, marine snow, powdered flake all drenched in seaclone.

i cut the bottom off a cola bottle, turn off all the flow, cover the goni with the bottle and turkey baste the mix into the bottle.

i let it chill for 2-5 mins before i get a good reaction from the coral.

in the past three weeks, its color has darkened, and the polyp extension is much better.

apparently this is do the the lil fella regaining some of those vital zooanthillea*(sp?) algea that lives in the corals tissue.

 

[Snowsrfr]

G.SMITH - That's a great idea for feeding it. How long did you wait before feeding it for the first time. I have pretty good polyp extension right now, but they aren't extended out from the body of the coral that much yet. And you are right, that is a great website. I've read, and re-read it multiple times already.

 

[ckprax]

I just bought a super bright yellow flowerpot yesterday!

 

[Snowsrfr]

I think we bought twins!!!

 

[jman77]

that looks bleached , no ?

 

[Snowsrfr]

No. It's the camera, and my inablilty to use it properly. It's a much deeper, brighter yellow that is depicted in the photo.

 

[G.SMITHII]

no those are bleached for shure. gonis dont come in "highlighter yellow"

its do to a serious lack of zooanthillia(*sp) algea in their flesh.

carfule care and feeding should get them to color back up

 

[weaselslucks]

mines bleached i think. avitar test

 

[G.SMITHII]

mine was way bleached. it still is, but, the color has made a visable improvement.

its like that one dude said, ill uncross my fingers in like... a year!

 

[basssnake]

I have a brown colored gonipora and it has been doing well for a year and a half. In fact, it opens up to about 5 to 6 inches from the base. I do nothing at all for it. I almost never feed any phytoplankton or any other food to my corals. I only feed my fish which is little color enhancing food bio blend micro pellets. I wonder what i am doing right???

 

[dragonette]

Heres mine- I actually just sold it because I downsized to a nano and it isnt proper for it to be in my nano PC tank.

I fed cyclops, and Zoplan(two little fishes I think is mfg.)

He seemed happy although Ivs only had him about 6 mos.

He gets shipped to his new mama in Arizona tomorrow.



Mr. Mandarin has to get into EVERY shot somehow.

 

[jamesdawson]

FWIW,

I have 5 different Gonis, some for 4 plus years and my Ocelleris have hosted in 2 of the bigger ones for the entire time with no ill effects other then some occasional polyp retraction (maybe an hour at most per day).

The key to Gonis is to feed fine foods. I have used Fauna Marin foods now for over a year and my Gonis are slowly growing. I don't even target feed, just turn off the main pump (on a timer) for 3 hours at night and let the foods just circulate. The SPS love it also.

James

 

[Snowsrfr]

dragonette - That's an awesome looking flowerpot.

jamesdawson - Thanks for the recommendation on the food.