Seeking help with Yellow Finger Gorgonian

[monicalooze]

Hi All!

Having trouble with a yellow finger gorg. It won't open. I have a purple whip gorgonian in the tank that's always puffy and eating, my sponges are extending tubes and happy. I'm feeding reef nutrition oyster feast, live phyto, rotifeast, PNS Yellow Sno, PNS Probio 2x per day and occasionally reefroids to try to entice the yellow gorg to open. I also feed a mix of reef frenzy nano + spirulina brine shrimp mostly for the fish and crabs.

I suspect it's high nutrients (NO3 is >25ppm + PO4 is .2). I did a 25% water change yesterday and plan to do another tomorrow. But, it could also be flow or temp? I have read they like strong laminar flow, which is what I'm using. It sways and shakes from the flow. I've tried turning off the pumps and dropping food right over it to entice it to open. I haven't seen it open much after lights out, but I don't stay up late, so I might be missing it. I had the temp at 77.5, but I'm slowly, slowly reducing it to 75, which seems to be the sort of agreed-upon upper range for their preferences.

Any other things you think I could try to entice it to open?

Thanks

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi All!

Having trouble with a yellow finger gorg. It won't open. I have a purple whip gorgonian in the tank that's always puffy and eating, my sponges are extending tubes and happy. I'm feeding reef nutrition oyster feast, live phyto, rotifeast, PNS Yellow Sno, PNS Probio 2x per day and occasionally reefroids to try to entice the yellow gorg to open. I also feed a mix of reef frenzy nano + spirulina brine shrimp mostly for the fish and crabs.

I suspect it's high nutrients (NO3 is >25ppm + PO4 is .2). I did a 25% water change yesterday and plan to do another tomorrow. But, it could also be flow or temp? I have read they like strong laminar flow, which is what I'm using. It sways and shakes from the flow. I've tried turning off the pumps and dropping food right over it to entice it to open. I haven't seen it open much after lights out, but I don't stay up late, so I might be missing it. I had the temp at 77.5, but I'm slowly, slowly reducing it to 75, which seems to be the sort of agreed-upon upper range for their preferences.

Any other things you think I could try to entice it to open?

Thanks

These require goid flow and light as they respond to light. Add phytoplankton to tank occasionally for food source and assure nitrate and phosphate not elevated

 

[DeniseAndy]

They also may not like the size of food you are offering or when you offer. These guys being NPS will be more difficult. Sounds like you are offing a good variety. Make sure algae does not take it over as it adjusts.
Put in a shaded area and see if it helps a bit. Check nightime for any polyp extension. Feed then if so.

 

[monicalooze]

These require goid flow and light as they respond to light. Add phytoplankton to tank occasionally for food source and assure nitrate and phosphate not elevated

They respond to light?? I had no idea. Where did you learn that? I feel like I've scoured the entire internet for everything I can possibly find about NPS.

I have photosynthetic species in the tank, so that's taken care off. I feed phyto in addition to 6+ kinds of meaty food at different micron sizes. I think my nitrates and phosphates are too high, so I'm going to continue water changes until they're down to more reasonable levels.

 

[monicalooze]

They also may not like the size of food you are offering or when you offer. These guys being NPS will be more difficult. Sounds like you are offing a good variety. Make sure algae does not take it over as it adjusts.
Put in a shaded area and see if it helps a bit. Check nightime for any polyp extension. Feed then if so.

I am feeding phyto daily and 8+ types of zooplankton at all manner of micron sizes. There is virtually zero algae in the tank so I'm not concerned with that.

 

[DeniseAndy]

Good variety as I said, but maybe they come out at night? Just a thought. Do you have autofeeder for almost constant feeding? I had one in my gorg tank and helped keep things happy and fed. I did not however have much success with NPS. I guess too much light and not the right foods.
I think the health of the specimen is also an issue. If they were so starved by the time it got to you, it may just not respond.
Good luck!

 

[vetteguy53081]

They respond to light?? I had no idea. Where did you learn that? I feel like I've scoured the entire internet for everything I can possibly find about NPS.

I have photosynthetic species in the tank, so that's taken care off. I feed phyto in addition to 6+ kinds of meaty food at different micron sizes. I think my nitrates and phosphates are too high, so I'm going to continue water changes until they're down to more reasonable levels.

Darn cell phone- hate when it tells me what to say. Yellow finger is non-photosynthetic as they are found in deep and cooler water( around 72-74 degrees, so you will have to definitely stay on top of feeding it. . . . The key to keeping them happy and as you may no good to strong water flow.
You will need to occasionally add iodine, iron, trace elements, strontium and calcium.

 

[nano reef]

If they have algae will that stop the polyps from opening? I am asking because I have a red one and wanting to add a yellow one. I have read that long term success is an issue but so far my red one seems ok. Only opens polyps generally at night!

I cant tell if it has algae or cyano on it because its deep red! My sand bed has alot of red currently! Should I take it out and dip it in rodi just incase it has cyano? I read that somewhere that keep algae off them. Just to dip for one minute in same temp. rodi.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

If they have algae will that stop the polyps from opening? I am asking because I have a red one and wanting to add a yellow one. I have read that long term success is an issue but so far my red one seems ok. Only opens polyps generally at night!

I cant tell if it has algae or cyano on it because its deep red! My sand bed has alot of red currently! Should I take it out and dip it in rodi just incase it has cyano? I read that somewhere that keep algae off them. Just to dip for one minute in same temp. rodi.

Algae growing on corals (photosynthetic and NPS) can smother the corals and may indicate bad health (corals and other organisms like sponges chemically defend themselves to keep things from growing on them because they can be smothered - if algae is growing on the coral, there's a good chance the coral's unhealthy, and its immune system is weakened to the point where it can't fend the algae off).

I wouldn't do an RODI dip at this point, but do you have any close-up pics of the coral? We may be able to help you figure out if you've got anything on it that shouldn't be.

 

[Northwest_Scapes_]

Unfortunately there's rarely any records of Diodigorgia making it past a year & a half in Aquaria. The only place I know of who's having long term success with them is the Steinhart Aquarium but that's no shocker for them. So far mine is at 6 months and still hanging in there. We just don't know what they eat yet exactly, a lot of sources say Phytoplankton but I find that they're heavy zooplankton feeders, live Baby Brine Shrimp specifically seems to be a favorite because you can actually tell that they're stomachs are full with food. So it seems like the key might be copious amounts of Zooplankton such as Rotifers, Live BBS, Copepods, etc but again, we don't really have it figured out yet.