SICK GONAPORA CORAL

[STREBORYNOT]

I HOPE I\'M IN THE RIGHT PLACE........... WELL HERE GOES.
WE BOUGHT A GONAPORA CORAL AND IT LOOKED HEALTHY AND GOOD ( TO ME). LATER IT DEVELOPED A BROWN DEAD LOOKING MUCOSY SPOT ON IT. IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO FOR
IT?
I have a 55 gal tank that is about four months old.
2, 15 watt full spectrum fluorescent tubes.
Filtration is an "Emperor 400", it is actually for a 60 to 80 gallon tank, it has two bio wheels, i dont know what the gpm is though.
So far we have 10 lbs of live rock.....
We also have an animinie. it likes a hole in our live rock, we now have a small new animinie on our live rock where the larger one stayed for a while!!! Evidentaly they are "A Sexual" i guess?
thanks
Tony :(

[Paidbychrist0825]

well for one, you need to get a better lighting setup. 30 watts will not keep a coral alive. they are very light dependant, and 30 watts will not cut the mustard. i am not sure how high to go exanctly, but the setup that i am getting has 4 X65 watt bulbs. i am planningg on getting 2, but i am a little execcive about some things. also, you need to separate the live area from the necrosis( brown ded lookin spot) many people on here will be able to better explain fraggin your coral than i, plus i am not even the least bit able to find good info on google, sorry

[paulsreef]

Tony,

Oh wow, he's right you don't have anywhere near enough light to keep a Goni alive! I also wouldn't recommend keeping one in such a young tank either. The filtration, both biological and mechanical, also isn't enough to support corals. Honestly, I would either move it to a tank that can provide it what it needs or see if the store that sold it to you will take it back until you can provide it with what it needs to survive. DON'T WAIT, ITS DYING! To top it all off, Goniopora's are notoriously short-lived in captive reef environments, even with the best of care. I've been fortunate with mine, it’s lived and even grown in the year and a half I've had it. Even so, I don't know what it will do long term. If you'd like to do a full-blown reef, we can help you by making suggestions on what you can do to get your tank where it needs to be. If you're interested, please let me know and I'll put together a short list of things you can do quickly to get your tank up to speed. Also, what are your readings in the tank (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH, Ca, Alk, temp, etc)?

Paul

[paulsreef]

This is a good time to ask everyone to please read the following article:

http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1999/nov/newbie/default.asp

They aren't just good basic guidelines, they're proven facts.

[Paidbychrist0825]

ahh.. thats why i coudlnt find info... they all die after short times. I wish people would stop selling creatures that connot be kept well in captive systems. no offence, its not your fault, im sure its real pretty, and everyone wants their tbank to have nice critters :|

[paulsreef]

Let me just make the hypocritical, blanket statement...

http://www.paulsreef.com/images/dont_buy.gif

Now, that being said... if you're like me and you have one that's thriving... just make the commitment to not buy any more until science figures what specifically it takes to make these things thrive in captivity. If you're good at propagation, try fragging your specimens and sharing with others to lessen the impact on wild caught specimens.

[Zack]

Thanks for heads up Paul, i will not get one!

Defientlly Get More Live Rock.

[ggee1]

I agree with all of the above, and also agree that STREBORYNOT needs better lighting in that tank then the two fluorescent tubes. I have a flower pot Goniopora and it has done great! I do not recommend them, and my "luck" with mine has been just that LUCK. But I have noticed that these corals thrive in less then perfect conditions where all other corals seem to have a hard time, the Goni's seem to do well. I feed mine newly hatched brine and have a CSL 32 watt retofit on a 7 gallon mini-bow reef or "Nano." This little coral has grown and I have had it now for about two years. I added it to the 7 gallon reef a year ago and found it to do better there then in a larger tank environment. Again, I'm not recommending these corals to anyone, but for those that have one already, it might be good to compare information about what we have learned about the variety of Goniopora's we have in our reefs. With this information we might better understand why these corals have the reputation that they do. :roll:

Here are some pictures of mine in the 7 gallon tank that it has resided in the last year.

http://www.gregsnanoreef.com/images/0925031.jpg

http://www.gregsnanoreef.com/images/nano15.jpg

[paulsreef]

Hi ggee1... Wow a Canton person (I used to live in Akron about 8 years ago). You raise an excellent point, in the Wild Goni's are found in lagoons. There environments are extremely turbid and dirty. Shimek has conjectured that the majority of their sustenance comes from dissolved organics and bacteria that would normally be present in such an environment (http://www.aquarium.net/0297/0297_6.shtml). Since most hobbyists keep their tanks very clear (or at least much cleaner than a lagoon) these corals starve to death. I, like you, have had luck with mine. That may be because I feed alot and tend to have a ton of stuff in the water column. Zack mentioned in an earlier thread how clean my tank looks... that's merely appearance. It's actually quite dirty in there.

[ggee1]

Hey Paul! Actually I use to live in Marathon, Florida I moved up here by mistake!!!! :lol: After a few winters I have found that I really wasn't missing much and now I'm moving back! I agree with the water quality concept. This is a true fact and one of the reasons why I see mine doing well in a smaller tank. I'm not saying that everyone needs to cloud up their tanks to keep one of these corals, but from my experience and it sounds like yours as well, it's water condition. I have seen three other hard corals die in less then 2-3 months but the Goniopora does great! and these hard corals are suppose to be the easiest to care for~! What's up with that!!!??? :roll:

[paulsreef]

LOL... "by mistake" now that's funny! Your observation about other corals not doing well raises another good point. In really small environments, like a nano, it becomes even more difficult to provide the exact environment for a species. Look at SPS vs LPS (specifically something like a Goniopora). SPS like super clean, top of the reef water, whereas many of the SPS like nutrient laden soups (lagoons, etc.). I guess the fact that I keep SPS, LPS and softies in my 90 means that I'm always trying to tow that fine line of giving each species the optimal environment it needs. I would say in a environment as small as a 90 gallon I'm not providing more or more of them the optimal environment. All three types are doing well, so it hard to say which one isn't getting the truly optimal environment it needs. If I had to venture a guess, I would have to say it’s the SPS corals. They're growing and healthy looking, but who knows perhaps they would grow faster in a dedicated, highly skimmed tank. :?:

Why Wouldnt You Recomend Them?

[paulsreef]

Well, simply put... they have an extremely high mortality rate in captivity. It is rare that they live beyond the 12 - 18 month point because science (and the hobby for that matter) just don't know what their requirements are. I think its safe to say they would require a really dirty environment to thrive long term. Who knows?!?!

Hmmm, Maybe I Will Become A Famous Marine Bioligist Known For Researching Them LOL. At My LFS They Have Them And I Was Going To Buy It But Now I Will Not.

[blackangler]

first of all i would like to know the color or the "healthy" polyps. if it is a greenish color, the chances of you saving it even in the best of systems is less than 20%. fist of all you need to look at where they are found in the wild, the answer to that question is, they are found in the middle of lagoons, where the water is nurtiot" and planktonily rich(extreamly hard to simmulate). second if such and enviorment were created the ammounts of algea produced would turn you water green and kill your proteine skimmer(assuming you have one). that is why most gonipora dont live past a year. on the other hand, the closely related elvepora(sp) is a very east coral to keep under proper lighting of course(5 wats per gallon at least). the elvepora coral is uasly red and has 12 tenticles around the long pylops(gonipora has 24).


next for you, the brown you are seeing is the rotting of the tissue. your coral wont live, i am sry. the best thing you can do is go to WWW.hellolights.com and purchase a 400 watt metal halide retrofit kit, it will run you about 200$ but it will be enough light for your purposes. for you filtration, i would get a refungium with live rock,sand, and macroalgea for nutrient export. pm me for details.

buy more live rock,
and if you need i will send you some macro algea,(just pay shipping).

one you have done all of this, get rid of your damsel, they are miniture " sharks"

i wish you the best of luck.

WIlliam Tyson

[paulsreef]

Actually the Alveopora is a wonderful species, you can see more info on it here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/alveopora.htm Unlike the Goniopora, Alveopora does very well in most tanks, long term. Although their morphology and nutrient requirements are similiar, Alveopora just seems to better in captive reefs.
I'll still go with my original suggestion, get that Goni out of your tank until you can provide it the proper environment. Get the rocks, the lights and a maintenance routine down first... then add the coral. You may also want to start with something a little more "user friendly" than a Goniopora. If you'd like to build the refugium with sand and macro algae, check my site below under DIY and that will give you an idea of the scope of the project. Hopefully we haven't scared you away with this barrage of comments! We would like to see you succeed and we'd also like to save that coral! :)

[Chubosco]

I collect gonapora and have several in my tank for over three years. Lighting can be critical depending on color. More important is what you feed the tank. Oyster eggs and live phytoplankton are an absolute. If you have filters, get rid of them. People today, yes it's a newer trend; are not using filters or skimmers. That is the only way to go because what you have is a biosystem that with live rock (reefs we are talking) and saltwater plants remove all the bad stuff. In truth, people have made the hobby far more difficult than it is. These are the same people who will jump on the soap box and cry foul. In reefing, keep fish to a minimum and feed enough till algae growth says too much. But lord, incease your lighting. You are making everyone live in a slum. Don't be a slum lord. One more thing, if it ain't windy in there (current) your gonna fail.

[Chubosco]

Paulsreef is a wise man.