Strange Goniopora Behaviour!

[alexandre]

Hi Guys.. Have had this Gonio for three weeks now and it's been behaving very well...

but today, for the first time it seems to have blown up...

Is this normal???

[burnerj]

is your water param in acceptable level... mine behave like then then slowly each polyp dies off.

[gabdat]

Hi Guys.. Have had this Gonio for three weeks now and it's been behaving very well...

but today, for the first time it seems to have blown up...

Is this normal???

I think thats not gonio..looks more like jewel to me.anyway,,i have one too,,it grows as long as 7"-daytime..try not to disturb/move it around too much.its actually hardy and easy to maintain.needs current and alot of light and put it slightly away from the other corals.remember again not to touch it unless you really need to.hope this helps.

[angelfishlover]

I think thats not gonio..looks more like jewel to me.anyway,,i have one too,,it grows as long as 7"-daytime..try not to disturb/move it around too much.its actually hardy and easy to maintain.needs current and alot of light and put it slightly away from the other corals.remember again not to touch it unless you really need to.hope this helps.

Gonio and jewel is the same.Hmm never seen that case before.

[babareef]

I'm not sure the real reason for that behaviour. Mine behaves just like that once in a while but otherwise it still open up as usual after about 20 minutes. I believe its perfectly normal unless if it doesn't open up again till the next day. If that happens you'll see slimy brown discharge on its so called flowers and it will slowly dies up one polyp after another.Anyway goniopora is the scientific name for jewel.

[Vlamingi_cont]

I'm not sure the real reason for that behaviour. Mine behaves just like that once in a while but otherwise it still open up as usual after about 20 minutes. I believe its perfectly normal unless if it doesn't open up again till the next day. If that happens you'll see slimy brown discharge on its so called flowers and it will slowly dies up one polyp after another.Anyway goniopora is the scientific name for jewel.

Yup these gonios are short life (spanned) invented the word myself but if you've got goniopora stoskesi things are more easier

[iantoh]

hi there bro alexandre,

don't worry too much; just try to observe your goniopora specimen a bit more for the next few days.

if it returns to extending its polyps again, things should be alright.

it does look like a stokesii species, and the bloating behaviour has been speculated as a feeding mechanism,

where the coral absorbs water (much in the same way it absorbs water to extend its polyps), and thereby

absorbs/pulls in nutrients.

gonioporas are generally found in pretty turbid and nutrient-rich waters (meaning rich in particulate food matter,

not high in nitrates or whatever ya), and will need some form of supplemental feeding in a captive environment for

long term health and growth. if your tank is sufficiently large and features a deep sand bed, you might

get away without supplemental feeding, as the sandbed harbours bacteria and zooplanktonic creatures whose

nauplii may serve as food, but mostly, our tanks are too small and too sterile, so do try to feed your tank with

more coral foods. i would recommend roti-feast, Dt's phytoplankton, and DT's oyster eggs for gonios.

some great articles on the care requirements of goniopora sp:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/10/aafeature2

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/nftt/index.php

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/dec2002/invert.htm

http://www.saltcorner.com/sections/zoo/1024frameset.htm

http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_net/1197/1197_3.html

cheers,

ian

[nakazoru]

Remembered loooong time ago that this happens to my gonio, happens a once in a while. It normally happens when there is a sudden change of environment like lights on/off but mostly lights off. I hope this assumption is correct, for I can't specks for the corals.

Read it some where that it is also a way to absorb water and flushes its bodily junk. detox... but if it is always detox-ing then it may not be too good on a long run.