gonopora

[paul b]

A gonopora is a coral that most people, Including me, have problems keeping for more than a year or two. I am really determined to find out why because it just annoys me. These things should live forever.

I have read all sorts of things about them and it seems that it is all incorrect.

I personally have not observed them much in the sea although I have seen them.

Even if I did, I would not be able to look at it long enough to watch it eat, if it even does eat.

The literature says they eat a variety of foods and in a tank will eat brine shrimp. I have not found that to be the case. I don't feed adult brine shrimp but I have been feeding them new born shrimp for a couple of months and I got to say that even while watching very close with a jewerer's loupe and squirting live shrimp all over them many times, I have yet to see them swallow one shrimp. I will stare at one polyp, very close up and using a pipette place shrimp right on it's tentacles and they just swim away. The tentacles are not at all sticky like an anemone and any food just falls off.

I know they live in water with a lot of detritus but they don't seem to consume that either.

I did however get a few polyp's to eat a small piece of live blackworm.

I will put a piece of a worm on a tentacle but it has to be a tentacle that is upright because the worms will just slide off. Then, if the worm stays there for a minute or two, the polyp will wrap it's arms around it like an octopus and in 15 or 20 minutes it will swallow it.

Yeah I know, you really got to be nuts to kneel in front of a tank with your face against the glass while wearing a jeweler's loupe squirting pieces of worm at a stupid animal that does not want to eat anyway.

So in an hour, I got two tentacles to eat an eight of an inch of worm.

I am not even 100% sure the thing is eating it or just being annoyed by it.

It seems to eat it but it is very hard to tell because after it wraps it's arms around the worm, the tentacle shrinks and gets covered by other polyps.

Of course this is just a test and I am not getting a full time job trying to feed this thing. Eventually it's going to have to eat pizza like the rest of us.

 

[lanman]

I have avoided Goniopora since starting this hobby a couple of years ago - because of all the warnings I've read about them dying. However... I saw one I just couldn't resist and purchased it a couple of months ago. So far it seems to be very happy, and I'm reasonably certain it is growing. I have gone to nowhere near the lengths Paul has to feed mine, but I do crush up some PE mysis once a week, and 'dust' it over the polyps. There are times that it appears to be eating some - but as Paul said, it's hard to be sure.

 

Naturally, I'd like to think it's going to grow and get huge, and reproduce and live happily ever after. But I'll try not to get my hopes up too high.

 

bob

[Hilary]

Paul, keep up the research! I would love to learn how to keep them thriving in captivity. I only remember seeing one while out diving, and it was covered in clownfish of all things.....

[lanman]

Because of this thread - I actually pulled mine out last night and looked it over. It IS definitely growing. Coral tissue has started to grow down the sides of the frag. Fingers crossed! This coral will definitely go into my display if it continues to grow.

 

bob

[L8 2 RISE]

Because of this thread - I actually pulled mine out last night and looked it over. It IS definitely growing. Coral tissue has started to grow down the sides of the frag. Fingers crossed! This coral will definitely go into my display if it continues to grow.

 

bob

 

I call first frag!!!!

[paul b]

Bob, the one I have was damaged in the store, it was missing a piece on it's skeleton about as large as a nickel. That seems to have repaired itself but the coral is new to my tank and it will not be a success unless it lives longer than me.

[zygote2k]

Because of this thread - I actually pulled mine out last night and looked it over. It IS definitely growing. Coral tissue has started to grow down the sides of the frag. Fingers crossed! This coral will definitely go into my display if it continues to grow.

 

bob

 

Pictures please.

[OUsnakebyte]

We had a meeting a few years back where some guy talked about what he was doing with Goniopora and was apparently having some success. Unfortunately, I don't recall much at all from his presentation - only thing I remember was that his powerpoint wouldn't work at the last minute. Oh, and that he gave the entire presentation with his sunglasses on... in a cafeteria with no sunlight coming in... yeah...

 

Anyone else remember more about that presentation than my feeble mind can recall?

 

Cheers

Mike

[ctenophore]

Could be Justin Credabel. Sounds like him, and he does work with goniopora. I believe ORA is propagating gonis and has started selling them as well, so they've figured out what and how much to feed them. My guess is enriched rotifers and copepods.

[L8 2 RISE]

Justin Credabel

 

haha, is that a joke??!!

[Boret]

Could be Justin Credabel. Sounds like him, and he does work with goniopora. I believe ORA is propagating gonis and has started selling them as well, so they've figured out what and how much to feed them. My guess is enriched rotifers and copepods.

 

Good guesses, here is an article by Justin on Gonioporas:

 

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/10/aafeature2

[lanman]

Here's a picture. You can see why I found it hard to resist:

 

And another - the 'flecks' are more green than gold.

 

 

bob

Edited November 29, 2009 by lanman

[GaryL]

haha, is that a joke??!!

 

no joke, he does presentations at macna. gonopora rocks!! he is in a punk band and me and chip might still have his cd.

[OUsnakebyte]

Yeah, that is him alright. I'm sorry I don't recall more of his presentation, but the link Boret posted probably sums it up. Ahhh... yes, he was selling CDs at the talk.

 

Does he still give talks with sunglasses on? (sorry I can't seem to get past that...)

[L8 2 RISE]

no joke, he does presentations at macna. gonopora rocks!! he is in a punk band and me and chip might still have his cd.

 

Yeah, that is him alright. I'm sorry I don't recall more of his presentation, but the link Boret posted probably sums it up. Ahhh... yes, he was selling CDs at the talk.

 

Does he still give talks with sunglasses on? (sorry I can't seem to get past that...)

 

Haha, this guy seems crazy, woulda loved to hear his talk though! . Any chance anyone has some pics of red gonopora? I had some with yellow centers that was really nice... until a turbo decided to take advantage of my lacking super glue job... It never seemed to open up as much as these do though, only about 1/2-3/4 max.

[OUsnakebyte]

Any chance anyone has some pics of red gonopora?

 

I have a frag sitting in my tank. I'll see if I can get a pic. As soon as it grows enough and looks healthy enough to frag, I'll see about cutting you a piece.

 

Cheers

Mike

[bluefunelement]

I have both pink and white/blue center and have treated them like daytime versions of Dendronepthea - feeding enriched baby brine/phyto and letting it sit on it for 10-20min.

-makes me wish I could close loop the display but in an AIO it's not likely unless I run a pump from chamber 3-1 and another in-display heater.