Red Goniopora Q's
- Thread starter xanthurum
- Start date
rudolph.noel
New member
I have a couple varieties, green and a pink (not sure if it's really a purple or a red). Have had both for over two years. Amazing corals. Green has grown from about ten polyps to 70-100. The red/purple has doubled. It's a slower grower.
Green near the very top with some intermittent, moderate turbulence. The red/purple at the bottom. It prefers the same intermittent, moderate turbulence. It does not like being in the bright light and it's more prone to closing up or bleaching if you try to move it closer to the lights, even slowly. That being said, it really is very hardy. I had some overgrowth of pulsing Xenias that blocked it's light. I cut them out and it bleached to almost complete transparency due to the increase in the light, but was back to normal in about a month. I just put a sheet of paper over the top of the aquarium for a couple of weeks and took it off. Didn't do anything special otherwise and it recovered.
As far as feeding, well I just do things a little different, but it works for me. I generally don't do anything for the gonioporas. For my other corals, I've found they like the same pellets I feed the clowns. They are tiny and work well. My LPS will just take the whole things, but I also have a few SPS. To get a little food in the system for them, I'll crush the pellets into a powder. When I've done this, I've actually seen my red/purple catch small pieces that were not ground to a complete powder. They pulled it in the center of the polyp. If you're gonna feed them, it's gotta be small. That being said, I only feed the corals maybe 5-6 times a year. They just grow, all of them do.
One thing I do differently is my water changes. I know some will gasp, but I go 2-3 months between water changes, and I only change 20%. As long As the parameters are in decent shape, I leave the system alone. I don't try to control pH. The one thing I do when I change the water is to make sure my magnesium levels are at 1300-1350. My salinity always runs higher than average. I like it around 1.026 - 1.027. My corals do better with it higher as well, and the fish don't seem stressed. For three to five days In a row, I add 1mL of Aquavitro's Vibrance. I actually use their entire line, including the salt. Be careful with the iodine though. This is my tank. I know what it'll safely take and that at that point, it's pretty depleted. You should always test (I do), and iodine is definitely not something everyone agrees on. Many have experienced serious issues with their corals and dosing it. After that, I build up my calcium and alkalinity if necessary. The first couple of weeks, I throw in some Aquavitro Fuel and let it ride. I might go a month and a half before I add any more alkalinity or calcium. At that point, I don't check it, I just add the max dose of each about five minutes apart for two or three days. I've just found that my corals grow insanely well by allowing them to just adapt to the natural rhythm and specs of the aquarium. Trying to chase tight ranges for parameters only ****es them off for me. Between water changes, I will get some algae growth, but only on the glass. I know it'll be starting back in about a week and a half, so it's not too bad to keep it clean. I have LED lighting. I had the Skky light (14k) frome Innovative Marine, but it just burnt out, so I replaced it with a Radion Pro. For filtration, I have the standard overflow with a filter first, then Seachem Purigen, and finally, their Sea Gel. (No, I don't work for, nor do I have any affiliation with them. I just like their stuff.) I only clean the filter 2-3 times a year and replace the Sea Gel and Purigen if it's dark.
I have a few suspicions. I have a 29 gallon with about 16 different types of corals. I have soft, LPS, and SPS. I have a lot of Pulsing Xenias as well. Since there are only two Picasso clowns, I don't feed much. I feed my fish once a week, twice if they are lucky. A lot of people think the Xenias suck up a lot of extra nutrients from the water. I have to cut out large amounts of it when I change water as it grows a lot, just like the other corals. That's probably some of my nutrient export. I do run a skimmer, but it tend to let it sit and not worry about emptying it except in the first week or two after a water change. In other words, I probably have a tank with somewhat higher nutrient levels than most. I feel this probably has something to do with my growth. I'm a little more experimental though, so keep that in mind. A lot of what I do goes against most tried and true advice.
With respect to the gonioporas specifically, light and flow seem to be the biggest controlling factors in their health in my tank. Once I find them a happy spot, I leave them and don't move them. The seem to do the rest on their own. Maybe you'll glean something from my weird husbandry practices that might help, but again, big disclaimer, I don't do things the same as everyone else.
Green near the very top with some intermittent, moderate turbulence. The red/purple at the bottom. It prefers the same intermittent, moderate turbulence. It does not like being in the bright light and it's more prone to closing up or bleaching if you try to move it closer to the lights, even slowly. That being said, it really is very hardy. I had some overgrowth of pulsing Xenias that blocked it's light. I cut them out and it bleached to almost complete transparency due to the increase in the light, but was back to normal in about a month. I just put a sheet of paper over the top of the aquarium for a couple of weeks and took it off. Didn't do anything special otherwise and it recovered.
As far as feeding, well I just do things a little different, but it works for me. I generally don't do anything for the gonioporas. For my other corals, I've found they like the same pellets I feed the clowns. They are tiny and work well. My LPS will just take the whole things, but I also have a few SPS. To get a little food in the system for them, I'll crush the pellets into a powder. When I've done this, I've actually seen my red/purple catch small pieces that were not ground to a complete powder. They pulled it in the center of the polyp. If you're gonna feed them, it's gotta be small. That being said, I only feed the corals maybe 5-6 times a year. They just grow, all of them do.
One thing I do differently is my water changes. I know some will gasp, but I go 2-3 months between water changes, and I only change 20%. As long As the parameters are in decent shape, I leave the system alone. I don't try to control pH. The one thing I do when I change the water is to make sure my magnesium levels are at 1300-1350. My salinity always runs higher than average. I like it around 1.026 - 1.027. My corals do better with it higher as well, and the fish don't seem stressed. For three to five days In a row, I add 1mL of Aquavitro's Vibrance. I actually use their entire line, including the salt. Be careful with the iodine though. This is my tank. I know what it'll safely take and that at that point, it's pretty depleted. You should always test (I do), and iodine is definitely not something everyone agrees on. Many have experienced serious issues with their corals and dosing it. After that, I build up my calcium and alkalinity if necessary. The first couple of weeks, I throw in some Aquavitro Fuel and let it ride. I might go a month and a half before I add any more alkalinity or calcium. At that point, I don't check it, I just add the max dose of each about five minutes apart for two or three days. I've just found that my corals grow insanely well by allowing them to just adapt to the natural rhythm and specs of the aquarium. Trying to chase tight ranges for parameters only ****es them off for me. Between water changes, I will get some algae growth, but only on the glass. I know it'll be starting back in about a week and a half, so it's not too bad to keep it clean. I have LED lighting. I had the Skky light (14k) frome Innovative Marine, but it just burnt out, so I replaced it with a Radion Pro. For filtration, I have the standard overflow with a filter first, then Seachem Purigen, and finally, their Sea Gel. (No, I don't work for, nor do I have any affiliation with them. I just like their stuff.) I only clean the filter 2-3 times a year and replace the Sea Gel and Purigen if it's dark.
I have a few suspicions. I have a 29 gallon with about 16 different types of corals. I have soft, LPS, and SPS. I have a lot of Pulsing Xenias as well. Since there are only two Picasso clowns, I don't feed much. I feed my fish once a week, twice if they are lucky. A lot of people think the Xenias suck up a lot of extra nutrients from the water. I have to cut out large amounts of it when I change water as it grows a lot, just like the other corals. That's probably some of my nutrient export. I do run a skimmer, but it tend to let it sit and not worry about emptying it except in the first week or two after a water change. In other words, I probably have a tank with somewhat higher nutrient levels than most. I feel this probably has something to do with my growth. I'm a little more experimental though, so keep that in mind. A lot of what I do goes against most tried and true advice.
With respect to the gonioporas specifically, light and flow seem to be the biggest controlling factors in their health in my tank. Once I find them a happy spot, I leave them and don't move them. The seem to do the rest on their own. Maybe you'll glean something from my weird husbandry practices that might help, but again, big disclaimer, I don't do things the same as everyone else.
victor escobar
New member
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