Red Goni Success…. How did you do it?

[i cant think]

I agree. I would like to know the reason is I guess what I am getting at. Seems care is all over the board so thats not it. What works for one-person doesn't for another and you end up with the outcome I had all those years ago. Unless it is that they have just been acclimated over generations to tank life and are hardier now because of it with in reason of course.

Manganese seems to be key in having these thrive.

 

[Glenner’sreef]

I agree. I would like to know the reason is I guess what I am getting at. Seems care is all over the board so thats not it. What works for one-person doesn't for another and you end up with the outcome I had all those years ago. Unless it is that they have just been acclimated over generations to tank life and are hardier now because of it with in reason of course.

I believe there are also hidden problems that plague the reef hobbyist. Like a tank full of toxic emitting softies that aren’t being managed well. Gonis don’t stand much of a chance I think.

 

[twentyleagues]

I believe there are also hidden problems that plague the reef hobbyist. Like a tank full of toxic emitting softies that aren’t being managed well. Gonis don’t stand much of a chance I think.

I can believe that. I have never been that into most soft corals other than zoas and palys. In my tanks I dont think that was an issue I had no leathers or anything like them, no shrooms either. I know and have known about palytoxin but I dont think that would be a cause with a tank full of other lps happily coexisting with z&p's and a full tank of sps tied into the same system. The only thing I really had issues with regularly was gonis and elegance. I was lucky to get a year out of either of them, Obviously I stopped trying with them, and then got out of the hobby a few years later. Now I am back and see all these people having great luck with them but the info on how ranges so much makes it seem like there has been some kind of "magic" applied to gonis particularly. I think really its partly or mostly because gonis have been kept in captivity by some people from back when I was last in the hobby that some strains have become more used to tank life. I don't know how many are being wild collected vs how many are aqua cultured but I am guessing there are more cultured ones available than wild.

 

[VintageReefer]

I can believe that. I have never been that into most soft corals other than zoas and palys. In my tanks I dont think that was an issue I had no leathers or anything like them, no shrooms either. I know and have known about palytoxin but I dont think that would be a cause with a tank full of other lps happily coexisting with z&p's and a full tank of sps tied into the same system. The only thing I really had issues with regularly was gonis and elegance. I was lucky to get a year out of either of them, Obviously I stopped trying with them, and then got out of the hobby a few years later. Now I am back and see all these people having great luck with them but the info on how ranges so much makes it seem like there has been some kind of "magic" applied to gonis particularly. I think really its partly or mostly because gonis have been kept in captivity by some people from back when I was last in the hobby that some strains have become more used to tank life. I don't know how many are being wild collected vs how many are aqua cultured but I am guessing there are more cultured ones available than wild.

Years ago the market was being filled with wild common strains that were not adapting to tank life or shipping well. Over the last decade from what I can understand, two things happened.

The vendors pushed back to the divers, or somehow the divers learned what not to collect, and relocated areas these were collected from.

The sustainable ones that were collected, have gone through generations of growth, fragging, growth etc in tank aquaria - both at coral farms and also in hobbyist reefs, adapting them to tank life.

This has made gonipora “easier” but it still is not an easy coral for everyone and there is much to learn and much speculation

Some people can just throw them in and it’s fine. Others have recession and loss them.

Some Goni are fine for months and then just start to act weird

I have multiple Goni and Bernardpora. I’m not an expert with them.

1) aquacultured and fragged by a LFS and mailed to me from another state. It’s open every day and my oldest Goni

2) aquacultured and fragged by an eBay vendor. It was open and extending every day for several months. Then stopped opening. And now opens everyday but it is about 80% the extension it used to have. It looks good. I don’t know why it doesn’t extend as far as it used to, but I’m happy it’s alive and extending

3) fragged by a hobbiest on eBay from their parent colony. Arrived. For first month or two this was my longest extending Goni and became my favorite. Now, it extends 25% of what it used to. I have no idea why

4) Bernardpora - have two frags for 5+ months. They do whatever the heck they want. Some days extend a few polyps very long. Other times looks like micro Goni and they are open but zero extension.

I went through a entire bottle of iron + manganese supplement over the course of a month thinking it would help, made zero difference on anything. So whatever I’m lacking or doing wrong - I’m unaware

I also find them very picky and hard to feed. Both Goni and Bernardpora

Anyone with success and actually getting feeding response please post suggestions here

 

[Glenner’sreef]

I believe you’re spot on in your last paragraph. And thank goodness that’s the case. But my personal experience with soft corals in the distant past was that toxins are real. They cannot be seen or tested for. My tank in a decade past was packed with large Sinularias, Kenyas, leathers, mushrooms and even zoas. Gonioporas wouldn’t even open upon introduction to my tank. That difference came years later when I upgraded tanks and determined to cut way back on softies and those that I chose to keep would not come in contact with others. Long story short, gonis thrived in my tank after that change. My obvious conclusion was obvious.

 

[twentyleagues]

Years ago the market was being filled with wild common strains that were not adapting to tank life or shipping well. Over the last decade from what I can understand, two things happened.

The vendors pushed back to the divers, or somehow the divers learned what not to collect, and relocated areas these were collected from.

The sustainable ones that were collected, have gone through generations of growth, fragging, growth etc in tank aquaria - both at coral farms and also in hobbyist reefs, adapting them to tank life.

This has made gonipora “easier” but it still is not an easy coral for everyone and there is much to learn and much speculation

Some people can just throw them in and it’s fine. Others have recession and loss them.

Some Goni are fine for months and then just start to act weird

I have multiple Goni and Bernardpora. I’m not an expert with them.

1) aquacultured and fragged by a LFS and mailed to me from another state. It’s open every day and my oldest Goni

2) aquacultured and fragged by an eBay vendor. It was open and extending every day for several months. Then stopped opening. And now opens everyday but it is about 80% the extension it used to have. It looks good. I don’t know why it doesn’t extend as far as it used to, but I’m happy it’s alive and extending

3) fragged by a hobbiest on eBay from their parent colony. Arrived. For first month or two this was my longest extending Goni and became my favorite. Now, it extends 25% of what it used to. I have no idea why

4) Bernardpora - have two frags for 5+ months. They do whatever the heck they want. Some days extend a few polyps very long. Other times looks like micro Goni and they are open but zero extension.

I went through a entire bottle of iron + manganese supplement over the course of a month thinking it would help, made zero difference on anything. So whatever I’m lacking or doing wrong - I’m unaware

I also find them very picky and hard to feed. Both Goni and Bernardpora

Anyone with success and actually getting feeding response please post suggestions here

Yes you are the first person I think of when I think of tanks with gonis. There is another too but can't remember his forum name. Both of your tanks are inspiration to me. Curse you! lol.

The first part of your post makes perfect sense and is/was my go-to explanation and hope. I have also seen that they are "moody" still to say the least. Have you tried regular phyto dosing? I dont think phyto is directly taken by most corals but I do think its a food chain link and if you can feed the chain maybe that could help. Of coarse you would need the rest of the chain in place too. I think most tanks are to unnatural with too much filtration that removes it before much can be used. I know your system is not as filtered as most. I rarely use any mech filtration just skimmer and I turn that off for 6-8 hours after I dose phyto. Even though I still feel my tank is too filtered and dosing it once a day too little to make much of a difference. Hopefully I am not just throwing money out and something somewhere is getting a benefit in my tank.

 

[Koty]

I started with a 5-6 head I got for $ 10$ 2.5 years ago...: This is under sunlight

I think what counts is massive carbon dosing and probably Manganese: I dose ElimiNP, Spongpower (contains Manganese), TM Amino Organics ( to keep nitrate away from 0, and Reef Actif once a week.

 

[kiwikoxo]

What are you feeding your Goni? I find mine ignore almost all foods and liquids…looking for new things to try

I do phyto + reefroids! And dose in high flow hoping they get it. I used to target feed but after I have to blow off excess with turkey blast （✿ ͡◕ ᴗ◕)つ━━✫・*。

So I got lazy. Phyto helps with my nutrients and holy! my pods are exploding I had to google what those dots were.

I've seen other products like Coral Balance but I like that too! It bonds with excess phosphates and nutrients in the water and becomes food so the corals can eat it up by grabbing it!