How hard can it be to keep GONIOPORA?

[atlantisaquari]

also.. i have seen gonis thrive and even have lots of new growth and then mysteriously die 9 months later or even 18 months later. of course the dieing process might take a couple months. so sometimes new growth is not always a sign of success.

 

[j.p. harrington]

wow taken me along time to get back to this thread sry took so long to finally upload pic

[/URL] Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]

 

[small alien]

I've heard that the captive fragged ones like the ORA varieties fare better. They've been propagated from stock that has survived captive conditions.

 

[MarkGrant]

I've been considering a Goni for a while. After much reading I've heard that they are very toxic and can kill fish and other coral. Can any of the Goniopora keepers out there please put in their two cents regarding toxicity...thanks

 

[elegance coral]

I've been considering a Goni for a while. After much reading I've heard that they are very toxic and can kill fish and other coral. Can any of the Goniopora keepers out there please put in their two cents regarding toxicity...thanks

I've never heard that, and never had a problem with it. Where did you read this?

 

[MarkGrant]

This is a link to the article I read:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/corals

 

[shred5]

First off no goniopora is a beginner coral. Some gonis are not very hard to keep while others are impossible. Some reds and encrusting gonis are not hard to keep. But I want to stress gonis are not beginners corals.

Some people in this thread say that it comes down to feeding. While that is true for some goni’s but not all. Some require no feedings at all, Ora reds is a perfect example of that. Ora reds are a good goni to start with if you are new to gonioporas.

The articles posted here are some really good articles to read.

With allot of gonis people think they are doing well after year if it is still alive. Not true, most survive a year and look as healthy as can be and even grow some. Then after about a year to a year and half or so they just die very rapidly. Most get a brown jelly infection that kills them rather fast.

A possible cause is slow starvation and a weakened coral. I say that because allot of success has been made in keeping some species of gonis over the years by actually feeding them and that is the key to success in a few species. I believe all gonis benefit from feedings even if some survive just fine with out it..

 

[shred5]

I've been considering a Goni for a while. After much reading I've heard that they are very toxic and can kill fish and other coral. Can any of the Goniopora keepers out there please put in their two cents regarding toxicity...thanks

There allot of corals like that.. I believe you are talking about coral Allelopathy. Soft corals and some algae are well known for this.. Basically it is producing chemicals to kill or inhibit the growth of others usually neighbors. This is one of the reasons mixing different coral types kind of is not recommended. In a closed system this actually can be a real problem. Water changes will help this, it is believed poly filters and carbon can also help. As far as I know there has not been many real studies on this in a reef tank, but I know it does happen. I am not sure goins are worse than any other coral out there. I will read Erics article when I get a chance.

 

[thebanker]

Here's my new red goni. I've had it almost 1 month and it is looking very healthy. I've noticed that it has a very rapid feeding response to broadcast feeding Reef Nutrition's Oyster Feast. In fact I'll go as far to say that Oyster Feast is a good goniopora food.

I have also tried feeding Reef Roids, and it does not respond the same way, although the rest of my tank seems to like it.

 

[singold]

The red goni above looks just like mine, I've had it over a year now. Very healthy, in middle of tank, lots of flow. I don't feed anything special.

 

[thebanker]

The red goni definitely responds to dosing Seachem Reef Plus. Very similar reaction to feeding oyster feast.

Oyster Feast - Yes
Reef Roids - No
Cyclopeeze - No
Seachem Reef Plus - Yes
Brightwell Restor - No

 

[alberthiel]

I had a green gonni for 10 or 15 years. IMHO, its all about food. Without adequate food they go downhill in a hurry. Back then, they had a product like those fresh water feeder blocks you drop in the tank when you go on vacation, but these were designed for filter feeders. I knew when it was time to replace the block because the gonni's expansion would decrease. I also fed it my own blender mush. It grew to about half the size of a basket ball and dropped little ones all the time.

10 or 15 years that is a big time spread ... I have never come across anyone who has kept it for more than 18 to 24 months max ... what would you say is the reason that yours survived for that long ? Just wondering as that is most unusual if I may say so ...

 

[thebanker]

My red goniopora mentioned above is still alive and well. 31 months later. It's had it's ups and downs though.

Quite frankly I'm amazed that it is still alive.

 

[alberthiel]

My red goniopora mentioned above is still alive and well. 31 months later. It's had it's ups and downs though.

Quite frankly I'm amazed that it is still alive.

Great for you ... and very glad to read it ... and I too am surprised that it has made it this long and seems to be doing fine ...

So anything tips you want to share ...

 

[alberthiel]

The red goni definitely responds to dosing Seachem Reef Plus. Very similar reaction to feeding oyster feast.

Oyster Feast - Yes
Reef Roids - No
Cyclopeeze - No
Seachem Reef Plus - Yes
Brightwell Restor - No

Thanks and yes the red ones seem to generally be a lot easier to keep and keep alive for longer periods of time.

IME it is the creamish color ones that never seem to make it for very long and are quite prone to injury and disease ,,, thanks for the info on what you feed. Much appreciated.

 

[Nembo]

For longterm success to need to be feeding it at least daily with the right foods.Oyster eggs seem good but for a main diet I'd use a specialist food tailored especially for this coral such as tlf goniopower diet.

 

[thebanker]

To update on that list, I was able to "train" my goni to eat Reef Roids. It didn't react to them at first, at all. Now it shows a feeding response.

 

[andrepeixoto]

To update on that list, I was able to "train" my goni to eat Reef Roids. It didn't react to them at first, at all. Now it shows a feeding response.

How is goniopora doing? I just got one this weekend.

 

[shred5]

wow old thread.

This is my most recent goni. This was afew hours after adding it tot he tank, barely open but cool color.

Slower grower but encrusting goni real cool colors.

Ora red goni, not a good picture but it has tripled in size.If you are new to them it is the easiest and a good one too start with and easy to get.

a newer Goni of mine..

Old picture this one has over doubled in size since the pic:

This is a super fast grower. It started as a small frag and is getting big, doubles since this pic.

This one is hard and has done very little.

I have about a dozen other varieties that are hard to get a picture of or just don have a pic of yet, most are frags.

 

[Pastey]

I've had my ORA Goni (red) for ~8 months now which is by no means a testament to it's ability to thrive in an aquarium (or my inability to kill it...yet). I target feed Reef Chili from time to time and I get a pretty consistent feeding response. It's been a while so I'll try to make a point to video next time or maybe get some macro shots like this one and do a time lapse of feeding.