Sea Fan & Cauliflower - various

[Norvin Ng]

Anyone succesfully keeping these and any important things to note besides the chemical balance part? Temperature, water current, lighting etc? Thanks.

[Achilles Tang]

I have been keeping gorgonians well... you must know their basic and feeding requirements and take the effort to feed them, or they will waste away and die quickly.

Gorgos need to be placed in strong current, perpendicular is better.

But they have to be secured firmly in the rockwork or substrate or they will topple over.

Strong currents help to move food to them and also help remove the 'skin' that forms once every two weeks, if it doesn't come off easily, it will flap like dead skin from the branches. It also prevents algae from growing on them. If it happens, the gorgonian will die.

Photosynthetic gorgos need to be in the light and are easy to keep coz of their nutrition comes from photosynthesis. Their polyps are usually tan or brown and the whole gorgo is usually dull.

Non-photo gorgos are brighter in colour with contrasting polyps. They do not need light but they need to be fed heavy and regularly with plankton. To cater for such organisms in a reef tank is difficult as frequent feedings mean more pollution.

Feed either live phytoplankton or Golden Pearls for best results, which I do.

To some extent, liquid coral food may work.

I love gorgonians!!!!

[Norvin Ng]

Thanks AT,

Putting them straight against a current is a challenge indeed! Still trying to get it right.

[Achilles Tang]

Oh... I forgot to add that for cauliflowers... they are much much more difficult to keep.

They are known for collapsing within a few hours into mush and spicules in some tanks... or a few days.... some shrink from a big coral to a tiny stump.

They feed on live plankton and zooplankton... regularly... heavily.. and are mainly non-photosynthetic.

They are commonly found under ledges or in caves, especially upside down. They are also found in areas of heavy currents to bring plankton to them.

Only expert aquarists should try to keep these beautiful corals, by spending the time and effort to cater for their specific needs. ie. culture live plankton for daily frequent feedings.

And even that is no guarantee they will survive long term.

[BarraCudaTM]

what about the purple cauliflowers? saw them at coralfarm .. cost only $9

I'm thinkin of feeding them baby brine shrimps every 2 days

[Achilles Tang]

Too big for them to eat.

[loonz]

Try those with thick stems that are somewhat brown in colour - they are probably photosynthetic. The rest are well - not advisable...

[Norvin Ng]

Oh... I forgot to add that for cauliflowers... they are much much more difficult to keep.

They are known for collapsing within a few hours into mush and spicules in some tanks... or a few days.... some shrink from a big coral to a tiny stump.

They feed on live plankton and zooplankton... regularly... heavily.. and are mainly non-photosynthetic.

They are commonly found under ledges or in caves, especially upside down. They are also found in areas of heavy currents to bring plankton to them.

Only expert aquarists should try to keep these beautiful corals, by spending the time and effort to cater for their specific needs. ie. culture live plankton for daily frequent feedings.

And even that is no guarantee they will survive long term.

AT,

Your are right! My cauliflower opened beautifully the first two days but now its like a stump for no apparent reason. Do you think liquid food meant for those filter corals and sponges will do for them?

[Achilles Tang]

Really hard to say... some liquid food are reportedly junk.. like 90% water, like the 2 little fishes's Marine Snow... but yet some aquarists insist they get ok results.

I culture live plankton so I hope I can keep the harder species alive.

[hongqixian]

Try those with thick stems that are somewhat brown in colour - they are probably photosynthetic. The rest are well - not advisable...

Aren't the brown ones colt corals? Easier to keep.

The sponge foods like Coralife's are mostly yeast and water. Fit to feed maggots.

[tigershark]

i've got a sea fan and having problem now.... hair algea keep growing on it..... ihave to manually "clean" it from time to time to make sure the hair algea is under control..... by using cotton to rub on it sofetly to remove the legea and onmy the other hand.... using a gravel cleaner to suck all the hair algea the was rub off by me.... i dun this this coral could survive long with this kind of "torture"...... but this is the best i could do...

[Achilles Tang]

Try to place it near in front of a powerhead.... they should prevent algae from settling down on them.

[Achilles Tang]

Aren't the brown ones colt corals? Easier to keep.

The sponge foods like Coralife's are mostly yeast and water. Fit to feed maggots.

Hong, that's right... the brown ones like the colt are easier to keep...

[hongqixian]

I wonder where I can find a small one for my tank? hmmm

[TanGo]

AT,

Your are right! My cauliflower opened beautifully the first two days but now its like a stump for no apparent reason. Do you think liquid food meant for those filter corals and sponges will do for them?

I just bought another cauliflower.. A pink one.. to the exsisting orange one.. The orange one which I bought was a clump since the first day I brought it home.. It was so nice when I first saw it in the aquarium. ...... Until I shifted it slightly.. It bloomed! For the first time in three weeks I actually saw the difference! My suggestion.. Try placing it in different position for a few days until you get it right.. I think they are just tempermental.. Anyway, I add Koral Fluid to my aquarium..

[Achilles Tang]

Highly doubtful if they will prosper. But keep us updated on your liquid food diet and how they react.

Pix? Before and after?

[TanGo]

Here's my pink cauliflower.. Not full bloom yet.. but show signs of blooming.. Oh.. BTW, if your cauliflower dunn bloom, and stays as a stump, dunn throw them away.. They are still alive until they start to rot, then you know that they are dead.. Try the shifting method.. Keep us informed!

[TanGo]

Here's my orange one..

[Achilles Tang]

Sorry to say this... but they have become stumps already... on the verge of disappearing. Did you buy them this small already?

When they are happy and not dying... they will be 10 times that size. All plumped and all their polyps extended.

[TanGo]

Sorry to say this... but they have become stumps already... on the verge of disappearing. Did you buy them this small already?

When they are happy and not dying... they will be 10 times that size. All plumped and all their polyps extended.

This is not the size I saw when I bought it.. it was even worst before I shifted them.. Now they show signs of extension.. Hopefully they will bloom in no time..