Gorgonian Flow advice

[euromomtx]

I have really enjoyed my non photosynthetic LPS corals and just recently ventured into Gorgonians. I love them and want to take good care of them.

I am a little worried about how to provide the right flow for them. I've seen lots of advice that says they need medium to strong flow which is easy to do.

I have 2 Seio 1500 gph powerheads on a controller (surges down 30% and then back upto 100%), a steady 1000 gph pump in the back not aimed at any corals, a 600 gph return from the sump pump and 2 Sea swirls on a closed loop with 600 gph each. 3800 gph to 5800 gph depending on surge in a 125 gallon tank.

Here's the part that I find confusing: "they need strong flow that does not bend their polyps". How do I get that?
Especially the yellow and red finger gorgonians with their larger polyps definitely have their polyps bend by the flow.
Do I *need* a wavebox to successfully keep gorgonians? Will that give the flow without the polyp bending?
Or can people keep gorgonians happy with surge powerheads and sea swirls?

 

[nathan.hales]

i believe your gorgonians will be fine with the sea swirl and surge powerheads. as long as its not directly on them, you should be good.

 

[rowjimmy]

I keep my "yellow and red finger gorgonians" right under a Hydor Koralia 4 power head in my 75 gallon reef. I don't use the flow director or guard on it. The flow is strong and turbulent. They seem to love the flow.

I shoot food right into the powerhead to feed them. The turbulent flow sends the food in all directions feeding all of the polyps without me having to target feed them. It works quite well for me.

The big problem with Gorgonians (especially non-photosynthetic) is keeping algae from growing on the branches. Gorgonians "shed" a waxy film from time to time to help rid themselves of fouling organisms growing on their branches. Strong flow helps to break this up. Despite alot of flow I usually help the Gorgonians I keep by blasting the film off with a turkey baster from time to time.

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

Most gorgonians, and non-photo corals for that matter, need strong laminar flow - flow that is steady and goes in one direction. In your case, the intermittent flow of the sea swirls is probably not useful for most gorgonians. Also, I don't think it is necessary or helpful to have surge flow on your SEIOs. I would just stick with one constant steady flow on the gorgonians. Here's some reading: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/1/aafeature

As far as the wavebox goes, it is not needed for any gorgonian that I'm aware of. It is, however, very useful for keeping detritus from accumulating in your tank.

 

[uhuru]

The big problem with Gorgonians (especially non-photosynthetic) is keeping algae from growing on the branches. Gorgonians "shed" a waxy film from time to time to help rid themselves of fouling organisms growing on their branches. Strong flow helps to break this up. Despite alot of flow I usually help the Gorgonians I keep by blasting the film off with a turkey baster from time to time.

I guess I am lucky. I used to have to do this, but now my pods do all the cleaning for me. Sometimes they steal food, but the benefits far outweigh the costs. Gorgs stay squeaky clean!

 

[rowjimmy]

Nice shot! My fish decimated my pod poulations...especially my Mystery Wrasse. I manually add pods to help bulid up the populations every now and then, but the fish are good at culling the herd back, so it is an ongoing battle for me. I do have a few Emerald Crabs that like to clean off my Gorgonians, and despite the irratation/food stealing they do help the Gorgonians by keeping them clean as well as the occasional blast from a turkey baster.