How do you tell...

[T Diddy]

...whether or not a gorgonian is photosynthetic? My LFS has a couple of different types, but I don't think they have a clue either. The gorg in question is orange with beautiful blood red polyps. The rather random direction of the branches leads me to think that it is a non-PS organism.

The others seem to all have phototropic growth patterns

 

[uhuru]

Sounds like non-photo to me as well. Best way to tell is by actual identification of course, if you can get ahold of Soft Corals and Sea Fans by Fabricius... or maybe post a pic here and someone can try to ID for you. Look up Swiftia exserta and see if that matches BTW.

Another thing you can try is to look at it after the lights have been off for a couple hours to see if the polyps are open. See if it responds to food or light. A photosynthetic coral should open when the lights turn on, a non-photo will either be indifferent to light or close if there is too much light.

 

[T Diddy]

Thanks for the reply uhuru, I'll try to get a pic, but it does look pretty similar to the pics I saw of the Swiftia. It would have to be placed pretty close to the rocks to keep it in the shade...would this pose a problem (abrasion, tissue damage, etc)?

I suppose I could rearrange some things and keep it under the glass center brace. That would be the best I could do to ensure lowest lighting and minimal contact with surrounding rocks.