Coral's polyps aren't opening?

Soapy_T

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 12, 2024
Messages
5
Reaction score
2
Location
United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hey, so I'm new to keeping saltwater, and I have a gorgonian coral who won't open up, I dropped it in on Tuesday, (the 9th) along with another coral (a spiny gorgonian). The other is super happy and has all it's polyps out so i'm not sure if this one is just being finicky or what? It's next to my fan, a little close to the glass, and near a cabbage coral fragment if that helps? The water levels that I can check were okay besides the phosphates are high & calcium was a little low but I put supplements in there. Any ideas? I wanna make sure the poor thing doesn't starve. (Also sorry if the photo doesn't load new to this site)

Screenshot 2024-07-12 12.45.54 PM.png
 

Dburr1014

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
May 8, 2016
Messages
11,300
Reaction score
10,981
Location
CT
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hey, so I'm new to keeping saltwater, and I have a gorgonian coral who won't open up, I dropped it in on Tuesday, (the 9th) along with another coral (a spiny gorgonian). The other is super happy and has all it's polyps out so i'm not sure if this one is just being finicky or what? It's next to my fan, a little close to the glass, and near a cabbage coral fragment if that helps? The water levels that I can check were okay besides the phosphates are high & calcium was a little low but I put supplements in there. Any ideas? I wanna make sure the poor thing doesn't starve. (Also sorry if the photo doesn't load new to this site)

Screenshot 2024-07-12 12.45.54 PM.png
Those are non-photosynthetic, have you tried to feed to get a response?
 
Upvote 0
OP
OP
S

Soapy_T

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 12, 2024
Messages
5
Reaction score
2
Location
United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Could you give some more details such as the age of your tank, parameters, temp, lighting, flow, and list of other inhabitants?
Yeah, my tanks been around 80 degrees, I live in Cali and we’ve got a bad heat wave rn. I have my day lights on about 7 hours a day and night on for 2-3 hours before I turn them all off. The tank has been running for 3 months now, and I have the coral in a pretty high flow spot in the tank. And then I’ve got 3 peppermint shrimp and 2 firefish. Nitrates were at about 20ppm Calcium 320ppm Phosphate at .5 ppm And I can’t check any other parameters, don’t have test kits but ordered ammonia and ph.
 
Upvote 0

NanoNana

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 20, 2024
Messages
702
Reaction score
1,025
Location
US
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Gorgonians love phytoplankton. Your tank is very young so you don’t have a lot of nutrients in your water column and that gorgonian needs actual food because unlike photosynthetic corals, it can’t use light at an energy source. Mine eat phyto, and reef energy. They will eat any coral food and mine seem to get very bushy when I feed fish roe.

Ribbon gorgonians will take pretty rough flow. The red NPS seem happier in a medium flow where the water pushes food by but doesn’t RUSH it by. Lights won’t matter as it is non photosynthetic.
 
Upvote 0

NanoNana

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 20, 2024
Messages
702
Reaction score
1,025
Location
US
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
PS You have no ammonia test???how did you cycle a tank without checking ammonia?
 
Upvote 0
OP
OP
S

Soapy_T

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 12, 2024
Messages
5
Reaction score
2
Location
United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Gorgonians love phytoplankton. Your tank is very young so you don’t have a lot of nutrients in your water column and that gorgonian needs actual food because unlike photosynthetic corals, it can’t use light at an energy source. Mine eat phyto, and reef energy. They will eat any coral food and mine seem to get very bushy when I feed fish roe.

Ribbon gorgonians will take pretty rough flow. The red NPS seem happier in a medium flow where the water pushes food by but doesn’t RUSH it by. Lights won’t matter as it is non photosynthetic.
Okay thank you so much! I’ve been feeding my corals already so I’ll see how it does after I move it to a less heavy flow area :)
 
Upvote 0
OP
OP
S

Soapy_T

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 12, 2024
Messages
5
Reaction score
2
Location
United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
PS You have no ammonia test???how did you cycle a tank without checking ammonia?
Had an algae bloom and it died down, that’s how I usually check, cause if the bloom does it’s thing it means most else is alright. At least from what I learned keeping freshwater. Also didn’t put anything in until about 2 weeks ago to be safe. Really just winged it (bad idea i know)
 
Upvote 0

NanoNana

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 20, 2024
Messages
702
Reaction score
1,025
Location
US
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Had an algae bloom and it died down, that’s how I usually check, cause if the bloom does it’s thing it means most else is alright. At least from what I learned keeping freshwater. Also didn’t put anything in until about 2 weeks ago to be safe. Really just winged it (bad idea i know)
It’s good you’re getting test kits.

Those red gorgos like to fool you. They’ll look great for 6 months then just out of nowhere and for no apparent reason take a dive. Not sure what other corals you have but the stiff Gorgos seem to like flow that it just to the edge of where a hammer starts to get ticked off at you. My ribbon doesn’t care if it’s folding in half. Lol
 
Upvote 0

HAVE YOU EVER KEPT A RARE/UNCOMMON FISH, CORAL, OR INVERT? SHOW IT OFF IN THE THREAD!

  • Yes!

    Votes: 32 45.7%
  • Not yet, but I have one that I want to buy in mind!

    Votes: 9 12.9%
  • No.

    Votes: 26 37.1%
  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 3 4.3%
Back
Top