Is goniopora that tough

[Frogmanx82]

My lfs guy Tom says he has better luck with goniopora than frogspawn. The goniopora in his tank always look good and he keeps them several weeks. Everything I've read says just the opposite, that frogspawn or hammers would be the best lps to start with.

I believe Tom is telling me what he has seen, he was surprised goniopora has such a bad reputation for being tough to keep. Is it a tank to tank thing or maybe he has a good supplier?

 

[sacremon]

The real test for goniopora is keeping it more than a year. Several weeks doesn't really mean anything. I'm not sure goniopora is really all that photosynthetic - it needs to be feed zooplankton/meaty foods several times a week or it will slowly die.

 

[kev apsley]

Frequent feedings go a long way toward keeping them happy and healthy for extended periods of time

 

[180+55reef]

my red gonis have been alive and spreading for 3 years

I have never had luck with the greens

 

[scapes]

hearing about people keeping gonis for a long time is few and far between. hammers/torches/frogs are definately the better choice for beginners

 

[Finsky]

I just received my eighth gonipora to go along with the previous seven and one alveopora which are situtated across the front substrate of my five foot 120 gal tank.

I feed the corals goniporas, alveopora, six lobed brains, two favite brains, and a branching and an encrusting Montioporas, Zooplanktos and Microvert three times a week. I also feed my fish four times a week with two feedings soaked in Selcon. I feed the fish frozen food, freeze dried mysis and brine shrimp, Ocean Nutrition One and Two flake and pellet food, along with seaweed cut to bite size pieces with scissors (for the tangs).

I mention the fish food as I see particles floating down into the goniporas and alveopora (Lobed brain) at times and I have a suspicion the fish waste still has some nutrition and also helps the gonioporas.

I do agree two weeks is not much time to judge whether the gonioporas are happy with there home although they should be giving a bit of acknowledgement of what they think, i.e. my recent short tentacled purple gonipora had all its tentacles out today and it was acclimated to the tank yesterday in the dark after arriving from an overnight trip from Dr. F & S Wisconsin facility to Olympia, WA. If the polyps were not coming out for three or four days I would start to wonder what was bugging the coral. Maybe some target feeding? with zooplantos or some other food.

I brought back my green to health with target feeding from a bit of a down turn quite a few months ago.



03/15/09 Goniopora - green coral
04/22/09 Goniopora - orange/red coral
06/10/09 Gonipora - pink
07/31/09 Gonipora - pink/red
08/31/09 Goniopora - orange
09/01/09 Gonipora - light purple
09/16/09 Gonipora - green/purple
10/16/09 Gonipora - dark purple

08/19/09 Alveopora - pink coral

========


11/01/08 Red Lobophyllia Brain LPS coral
05/14/09 Purple Aussie Lobed Brain Coral
05/14/09 Rose Pink Aussie Lobed Brain Coral
08/04/09 Red, Blue, Green Aussie Lobed Brain Coral
08/04/09 Green/pink Aussie Lobed Brain Coral
07/31/09 Lavender/Green Aussie Lobed Brain Coral

 

[Finsky]

Apologize for this blurp.

 

[LuvAngels88]

Finsky, do you spot feed them, or just feed the tank? Thanks.

 

[Akimbo]

I would recommend a caulastrea or a branching frogspawn for your first LPS. Though personally I started with a aussie fungia because they are my favorite coral.

 

[Finsky]

LuvAngels88:

I do both depending on the looks of my corals.

Case in point, I have a golf ball size purple gonipora which was opening its polyps along with all the others on Thursday with tank feeding. When I relocated it more to the center (it did not open its polyps Friday or Saturday) to make room for the larger purple gonipora in the front left corner. It still looks puple and I suspect it could very well come back to extending its polyps after a few more days of acclimation to its new position and a Monday tank feeding. This particulare goniopora is my most fussy one. I can still see the purple color in the polyp holes which is definitely a good sign!

Dr. F & S thought I should skip my Friday feeding due to the new goniopora arriving.

I will be target feeding with my Kent Marine Sea Squirt 35" expandable target feeding graduated bulb syringe feeder(a syringe feeder/turkey baster is a must have for corals) from a plastic cup with aquairum water and liquid coral food on Monday.

At the moment I have my two Hydor 8's 3,250 gph propeller pumps 6" below the surface facing the opposite corner and slightly upward on each end of the tank, the right side hang on Hagen 110 powerfilter and right side hang on Aqua Medic Turboflotor 1000 protein skimmer plugged in to a power strip.

For both tank and target feeding, I turn off the power strip to stop a fairly turbulent water movement and dose the tank with the recommended liquid food on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I am using Brightwells Zooplantos due to it having the options of small, medium(500-1000 microns), and up to the large size (500-2000 microns) in addition to Kent Marine Zooplex(800 microns) and Kent Marine Microvert (larger liquid food the better for gonioporas from what I hear).

I let the food soak in the water for about one hour(for both target and tank feeding) before I turn the power strip back on "without" the protein skimmer plugged into it.

I try to keep the protein skimmer off for at approximately two to three hours before
restarting it and then I usually do not get over skim. My turboflotor typically skims approximately half an inch to an inch of dark black/green liquid per day.

 

[Finsky]

On Monday, I target fed a mix of aquarium water with a dose of Zooplanktos-L (500-2,000 microns) for 50 gallons and a dose of Microvert for 50 gallons. I blew the cloud just up current of the little purple goniopora which could and Tuesday it was sticking its polyps out. I did a second target feeding on Tuesday of the same mixture and today it is sticking most of it polyps out.

This evening, I did my usual tank feed of a dose of Zooplanktos for 120 gallons.

 

[COreefer]

The key to a healthy goni is finding one that was well collected. If it is still attached to substrate the way many colorful ones are, the odds are good for survival.

 

[photobret]

+1 on having my red goni for over 2 years. I started spot feeding back in the day but gave up after a while. Been healthy as and is constantly groomed by my clownfish. One of my faves for sure.

 

[Finsky]

I do have two pairs of clown fish. A breeding pair of Cinnamon clowns in 10 inch Red Rose Bubble Anemone tip in the right end.

The male of the Clarkii pair which host in a blue Long Tentacled Anemone on the left end has been "grooming" my green goiniopora since I can remember. Now he has decided to try some variety with my long polyped pink/red.

The green has survived his "grooming" and the pink/red actually more maroon colored seems to be accepting it.

I wonder what effect this "grooming" behavior has any good effect on the goiniporas?

 

[HumbleLobster]

I've had two gonioporas, one green and one red. The green lasted over a year until I had an accident and dropped a rock on it during some aquascaping. Did some damage to the flesh and it did within a week. I also have a red that I've had for about 1.5 years now and is nice and fluffy every day.

Lighting: 150w DE Phoenix
Alk/Calc/Mag: 9-10/440/1350
pH: 8.3/8.1 day/night
Temp: 78-80
Feeding schedule: Rods food 3 times a week, freeze dried cyclopeeze 3 times a week

Both gonis were hosted by my pair of ocellaris clowns. Happy reefing!

 

[Finsky]

My tank celebrated its third birhtday this past July.

I did have a tennis ball size green goniopora during the first year which was doing very well until I dropped a piece of live rock on it during my aquascaping. The meaty section was damaged and it died soon thereafter.

It was not until sometime later I read damage to the meaty section of a goniopora will likely always lead to death.

I had finished my aquascaping of my 150 pounds of live rock when I started with another green goinipora along the front in the substrate and have since added seven others along with an alveopora which is quite interesting.

Glad to hear somebody else has goniopora loving clowns!

 

[purge43]

I also have several gonioporas in my reef, and reading about 7 of them in the same tank, i have to ask if the placement is of any concern? Im forever moving mine to different locations because of their growth and their neighbors growth, to avoid any "death by stinging". I am under the understanding they are an aggressive species and could kill their neighbors including another goniopora. I would love to place my four in a location that i wouldnt ever have to move them again.

 

[Finsky]

Goniopora arrangement

Goniopora arrangement

"The Flower Pot Coral is a large polyp stony (LPS) coral.

It is aggressive, and ample space should be provided between itself and other neighboring corals. Its polyps can extend far past its base into the reef aquarium, where they can sting other species of corals. Clownfish, will often play in its polyps if no anemone can be found in the reef aquarium. This may actually be detrimental to the coral.

Goniopora sp. require PERFECT water conditions, the proper trace elements and the habitat must match its requirements. Any damage to the meaty section of the Flower Pot Coral almost always means a lost specimen. One can only do this Goniopora Coral justice by leaving its care to the experienced hobbyist with the expertise and time to keep the coral properly.

The symbiotic algae zooxanthellae hosted within its body provides the majority of its nutritional requirements from photosynthesis. It should be fed phytoplankton or brine shrimp daily." ~ Dr. F & S

I think one must arrange their tank with their own goals in mind and one should always be ready to adjust their artificially created part of the ocean if necessary.

I have decided to replace one powerfilter with a hang on refugium with macro algae to give my goinioporas the most perfect conditions possible i.e. lowering the phosphates from 1 ppm and nitrates from 20 ppm to hopefully, 0 ppm for each.

 

[sacremon]

I have read that description on Dr. F & S., and have to wonder at their use of the word 'PERFECT'. If they mean in terms of what the coral like, that is likely the case, though they don't say what parameters. If they mean absolutely clean, then I believe they are very wrong. Gonipora come from high nutrient water in lagoons. Not your typical SPS tank environment and probably one of the reasons so many have a hard time keeping them.

I just added two more to my tank, bringing the total to four. Oddly enough, the coral that appears to be suffering in the tank is an alveopora, which are supposed to be easier than goniopora to keep.

 

[Finsky]

Sacremon:

Here, here. To emphasize your point, I tried to google the Web site of a picture with an outdoor 240 gallon tank heavily planted with sea grass with many reproducing gonioporas. The Web site was trying to make a connection between nutrient seagrass rich environments and goiniopora growth and health.

I have my parameters around 1 ppt phosphates and 20 ppm nitrates about two weeks ago, although I have since started using ferric oxide for the phosphates. I do a 10% water change per week.

I started doing liquid coral food on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday along with a light feeding of Ocean Nutrition One and Two flakes for the fish which fall onto some of the corals. I have put in about 170 hermit crabs over the last three years for a clean up crew.

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday I feed seaweed cut into bite size pieces, freeze dried brine and mysis shrimp to the fish with Selcon on the food on Tuesdays and Saturdays. I will also feed frozen foods to the fish on occasion as well.

Also, I feed my 10 inch Red Rose Bubble Tip Anemone and Blue Long Tentacled Anemone razor clam once a week. I have enough of the clam left over to feed a bit to the fish.

I believe my fish waste along with the other foods are giving my gonioporas the nutrient rich environment they need. My one branching alveopora is in the front substrate and seems to be doing well along with the eight gonioporas. It was doing well right away since I put it in the tank so I think I received a healthy specimen. I am not planning on adding any further creatures.