My new Pseudopterogorgia bipinnata any advice?

[whatcaneyedo]

For the first time ever in Canada (that I've seen) a place had photosynthetic gorgonian for sale so I picked up this one which I believe is a Pseudopterogorgia bipinnata http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=597+601+2837&pcatid=2837

I have it in my 50 gal frag tank which is part of a 270gal system that is well fed. You can see in the picture it is just to the side of a 250W MH is this too much or not enough light right here? The polyps were closed when I took this picture but they are usually open.

The tank has about ~1300gph or ~26x turnover per hour provided by two hydor koralia 1's and a mag 9 return pump. So the sea fan sways a bit in the current. Do I need it to move a lot or just barely?

I feed rotifers and Reef Chilli 2-3 times a week each as well as a variety of many foods (clam, silversides, krill, mysis, soaked in selcon and vitachem)to my other fish in the main tank. Does this sound like enough or the right kind of food?

Between this system and another I've got around 300gal total containing 11 fish, 8 giant clams, 1 anemone and at least 50 species of coral plus some random other stuff. But I've never tried a sea fan before so I'm looking for any advice or links to advice that I can find.

Salinity 1.025
pH 7.8-8.1
Ca 410
Alk 10.8
Mg 1400
Nitrate <1
Phosphate .1

 

[GoingPostal]

It's not the same as the LA one you posted, can't remember the name though, I have the same one. Mine did great for about six months and now won't put it's polyps out really at all and sheds a lot. I can't quite figure out the problem but it did great, growing and encrusting before that. I fed mine phyto and whatever I fed the rest of the tank. Do you have corals hanging from strings in there? That's something I've never seen.

This was mine when healthy, now it has slimmed down quite a bit and I assume dying

 

[whatcaneyedo]

The frags on fishing line is something that Calfo talked about in The Book of Coral Propagation. I can cram a lot more frags into a 50 gal by suspending them.

 

[TheH]

That looks more like Purple Ribbon Gorgonian although I can't really tell. Are the "stems" flat?

 

[whatcaneyedo]

The 'stems' are flat. I'll try and take a closer picture tomorrow sometime.

In person, to me it looks very much like the one pictured on liveaquaria.

 

[whatcaneyedo]

Heres a closer picture with all of the polyps out this time. Anything closer will look really blurry.

 

[whatcaneyedo]

After thumbing through Aquarium Coral by Borneman I now believe this to be a Pterogorgia sp. but the question in my mind still persists. Can anyone offer me any advice on my tank conditions and feeding for this sea fan? If anyone knows of some good links to informative articles on the captive care of these I'd really appreciate those as well.

 

[Kreeger1]

this the NON photo forum

Good flow and decent light and it will thrive, clear any algae off it and thats about it. Easy care.