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Unread 09/25/2006, 12:00 AM   #8
piercho
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Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Puget Sound
Posts: 2,194
Tree-like Gorgonians

Arborescent, photosynthetic Gorgonians.
Illumination: Dependant on specie and where collected.
Flow: Dependant on specie and where collected.
Buffering: total alkalinity and Ca++ buffered to near, or above, NSW levels.
pH stability: don't know.
Nutrients: I think your Tank should have low DON levels. I don't know how well these type Gorgonians can reject microalgae or hair algae attack.
Feeding requirements: For the most durable ones, none.
Tank benefits: None.
Tank considerations: None.
Recommended resources: Aquarium Corals, Eric Borneman.
Comments: I purchased wild-collected Caribbean Gorgonians “purple willow” (Pseudopterogorgia) and “orange sea rod”(Muricea) from Dr Mac. For the few months I’ve had them, they have been easy to keep. The hardest task was attaching the base of the gorgonian – which had been popped off the substrate - to a solid object that it can encrust to. Then that base must be stable enough not to roll over in the sand as current blows on the Gorgonian. Contact with grass blades does not seem to bother these Gorgos at all.
Many LFS gorgos I’ve seen are not photosynthetic, and may die even with attempts to feed them. Refer to Borneman for general information on identifying and keeping Gorgonians. I expect these coral are not strongly associated with sandy areas. But they don't seem to mind contact with seagrass, either, and don't cast much of a light shadow.
My purple willow. This sucker grows fast and has thin, flexible branches. I think its best suited for low to moderate currents. I couldn't get a good straight-on shot of it, so I took a top down.
This is my orange knobby sea rod. This ones much stiffer than purple willow, and stands up well to strong currents. It seems to grow slowly, but the base encrusted to its anchor fairly quickly.


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Howard

Current Tank Info: 65G reef shut down 2007. 25G planted.
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