Please Help With Goniopora

[josh26757]

I WENT TO THE LFS TO PICK UP A LEATHER TOADSTOOL.WHILE THERE I SAW AN BEAUTIFUL CORAL THAT LOOKED LIKE A ROCK LOADED WITH POLYPS.I KNEW IT COULDNT BE POLYPS SO I ASKED THE LFS IF THIS WOULD FIT IN WITH WHAT I HAVE.HE SAYED YES AND THAT THE CORAL WAS HARDY AND PRETTY GOOD FOR BEGINNERS.
WHEN I GOT HOME I LOOKED UP THE NAME ON THE BAG.-GREEN GONIPORA.YES THEY SPELLED IT WRONG.AND OH WHAT I FOUND.HORROR STORY AFTER HORROR STORY.
NOW LET ME EXPLANE WHAT I HAVE AND HOPEFULLY SOMEONE CAN HELP.I HAVE A 75 GALLON AQUARIUM WITH A 30 GALLON SUMP LOADED WITH MACRO.THE USUAL STUFF.IM RUNNING 300 WATTS OF PC LIGHT (2) SPLIT DAYLIGHTS(10000-6700) AND 2 SPLIT ACTINICS 420NM AND 460NM.A 460 GPH FLUVAL 404 WITH CARBON AS A CAN PUMP AND ABOUT 1200 GPH WATER FLOW IN THE TANK.AS FAR AS LIVE STOCK-1 CONVICT GOBIE
1 FLAME ANGEL
1 FOXFACE LO
1 CHROMIS
2 FALSE CLOWNS
1 SIX LINE WRASSE
PURPLE LOBSTER
ARROW CRAB
PENCIL URCHIN
LOTS OF SNAILS
HERMIT CRABS
DEEP SAND BED ABOUT 130LBS OF LIVE SAND
80LBS OF LIVE ROCK
-CORALS-
LEATHER COLT
YELLOW POLYPS
GREEN PLATE
TOADSTOOL
AND THIS THING GREEN GONIPORA
ALL LEVELS ARE GOOD BUT I WILL POST TOMORROW.CAUSE I KNOW YOU WILL WANT TO KNOW.NITRATES ARE AROUND 10.CALCIUM 420 AND DKH IS GOOD BUT I WILL GIVE YOU REAL NUMBERS LATER.I DOSE WITH KALK MIX WHEN I TOP OFF FOR EVAPORATION FEED WITH SOME PHYTO MYSIS BRINE AND ALGAE STRIPS FOR THE FOXFACE AND ANGEL.
THE POINT I AM GETTING TO IS ARE THESE CORALS THE GONIOPORA ARE THEY WORTH A TRY OR SHOULD I JUST TRY TO SWAP OUT FOR SOMETHING ELSE.AND IF I CANT WHAT DO THEY NEED.I MEEN EVERYTHING.I AM NEW SO DONT SPARE DETAIL.I AM UP FOR A CHALLENGE BUT IS IT WORTH IT OR WILL IT JUST DIE.I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST AND WILL STEER ME RIGHT.SO PLEASE HELP
JUST FOR A NOTE.ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO I GOT AN RO SYSTEM AND AM INSTALLING AN AUTO TOP OFF THIS WEEKEND.SO THAT SHOULD HELP.I KNOW THIS CORAL DOSNT LIKE CHANGE!
<a href="http://s39.photobucket.com/albums/e173/jblaylock/?action=view&current=DSC01858.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e173/jblaylock/DSC01858.jpg" border="0" alt="my fish tank"></a>

 

[Henry Bowman]

The Nitrates are too high for a coral like the Gonipora. Everything else looks like it is in line.

They need gentle flow and medium light

 

[josh26757]

ok im doing a water change to day 30 gallons.it is fully open now but do you think i wwill have any problems with it?have you heard of people having any luck keeping them?i do like it alot and would like to give it a try but dont want to wast money on something impossible for me.and i dont like killing anything due to my lack of knowledge.

 

[josh26757]

this is the coral today
<a href="http://s39.photobucket.com/albums/e173/jblaylock/?action=view&current=DSC01863.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e173/jblaylock/DSC01863.jpg" border="0" alt="monapora"></a>

 

[Henry Bowman]

Well, you have it now and it's in the tank and looks like it is doing ok.

The WC should help with your trates. Dont slack on them and you should be able to bring them down further.

Do you feed anything like Cyclops-eze ? Feeding is a highly debated topic. IF you wanted to, you could take a pepsi or other liter soda bottle, cut the top portion off, clean it well and cover the coral with it then inject some food (very small, coral frenzy, reef chili or cyclops) into the "dome" and feed your buddy. It should help with longevity. BTW, expect it to close up pretty tight after you feed.

The key here is to keep the alkalinity stable. Large swings are the death of many difficult to keep corals.

Hope this helps.

 

[josh26757]

thanks.my alkalinity is around 8.3 but i get that number by my calcium levels.a good reefer told me you can do this cause they go hand in hand and cant very.so far no problems so i guess he is right.

1 meq/l=50 ppm calcium

 

[josh26757]

thats 8.3 dkh

 

[josh26757]

i do have strip tests that say the same but the conversion from the calcium liquid test seems more accurate to me.

 

[josh26757]

oh the feeding.no i havent tried that yet but sounds like a good idea ill give it a try.

 

[hobogato]

this is not a good way to measure alkalinity. it does not always match calcium level, so you really should invest in good alk test kit to be sure. imo, salifert makes a decent one, but any test kit that ask you to count drops (titration style) and look for a color change rather than comparing colors to a color chart would be better. those strip test are known to be somewhat inaccurate.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15016561#post15016561 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by josh26757
thanks.my alkalinity is around 8.3 but i get that number by my calcium levels.a good reefer told me you can do this cause they go hand in hand and cant very.so far no problems so i guess he is right.

1 meq/l=50 ppm calcium

 

[Henry Bowman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15017324#post15017324 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hobogato
this is not a good way to measure alkalinity. it does not always match calcium level, so you really should invest in good alk test kit to be sure. imo, salifert makes a decent one, but any test kit that ask you to count drops (titration style) and look for a color change rather than comparing colors to a color chart would be better. those strip test are known to be somewhat inaccurate.

+1 I agree whole heartedly.

 

[josh26757]

ive always use a liquid master test kit just not for alk.ill have to pick one up.i just started running kent marine phos zorb.and adding some trace elements.stoped running my carbon 24/7.now ill just run it 2 or 3 days a month.i was running carbon all the time tell i bought some kent marine the other day and it sayed only run 2 or 3 days a month due to phos release and trace ele. depletion.so ill give it a try.got some red sea trace elements.

 

[Plankt0s]

I have heard good things about oyster eggs... Still I dont believe that a goni can be kept. Good luck.

P.S. If I walk into a LFS and see either a moorish idol, dendronephthya, or goniopora. I walk out and never go back.

 

[josh26757]

ok so i did the water change and my nitrates went down to .05.i also am not running a skimmer so i bought a 300g prizm pro.this should help.i also noticed when i top off my system on the nights i work without kalk my ph drops slowly.didnt know the ro/di mainly the di lowered ph levels.so i must make sure when i top off i use kalk.this is kinda cool.i tested my ro water at work(they have a systems room)with the expensive electric testers and this was the result from my system.(keep in mind i bought my system off ebay new for 150$ with free shipping.ro/di with 3.5g holding tank.75g per day)

ph 5.3
hardness 0
chlorine 0.05
reactivity 2.3
have a few more results if anyone is interested but
im getting off topic

 

[Henry Bowman]

Set your skimmer to skim wet. You'll pull more waste out this way.
RODI wont really lower the pH. making the Kalk drip the opposite of the photoperiod will help keep the pH more stable so long it is a slow drip. Kalk has a pH of 12 !

 

[Uncle Salty 05]

A wise man once told me that you do not buy this coral, you only rent them.

 

[snorvich]

Actually, it is an alveopora not goniopora.

 

[snorvich]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15039349#post15039349 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Uncle Salty 05
A wise man once told me that you do not buy this coral, you only rent them.

Goniopora are problematical but I have had one for 4 years.

 

[Uncle Salty 05]

Congratulations, what is your secret.
I tried one a few years ago but it only lasted about 8 months.

 

[snorvich]

Some colors do better than others but my success is probably accidental. It is on the bottom of a 30 inch primarily SPS tank with gentle flow on the bottom. 400 W. Radiums. No target feeding, just occasional cyclopeeze as well as feeding the fish three times daily. The original poster has an alveopora which does considerably better than a goniopora.