NPS: Red Finger Gorgonians (are they expert level only?)

[lion king]

Thanks! I didn't get through the whole thing yet but WOW! Just what I saw of your "saplings" (a great term by the way) is awesome in the first pages I read. Even your fuge is spectacular! Did you shut that down as well? I started making notes about feeding that I saw referenced. I have decided I will be starting out with the easier photosynthetic types because there are some beauties in that group as well. I'm trying to rein in my eagerness to jump into the NPS types right away. I'm going to make a dedicated goni tank so I can plan for the harder ones. I know a person (aka me) who has only been doing salt for four months should not be getting into the more complicated corals. Haha. Heck, I didn't even know NPS stood for non-photosynthetic before today! I have to keep reciting my mantra of "slow and easy wins the race". LOL It's so hard though! I will be reading your build thread in detail.

Always go for what you like. Just research and decide if the challenges are something you are willing to meet. Photo gorgs are easy to care for and some are very nice.

 

[lion king]

Here's a couple of photo gorgs in the background, I think I had like 4 different ones and a corky finger in this tank.

 

[sixty_reefer]

About what they catch: mine loved live phyto and reefroids.

How long that she lived on that diet?

 

[najer]

I'm not an expert and I killed all my nps as I couldn't keep up with nutrient export in the tank they were in and currently have a couple of fans that are not doing great, photo is the way to go so take a look at menella sp.. mine is red with gold polyps, purple ribbon gorgs are nice as well.

 

[Karen00]

Cyano can be a killer for gorgonians, NSP or photosynthetic alike. It tends to smother the delicate polyps, and tissue necrosis can quickly develop if you don't blow it off at least once a day. I did exactly that when I had cyano blooms in my builds around the four-month mark, and my branching candelabra-type gorgonian still didn't extend its polyps for a couple of weeks. The Grube's gorg just shrugged it off, even though cyano covered over half of the small frag (which has now grown much larger).

Wow! That's good to know about blowing cyano off corals as well. Makes sense. Actually come to think of it I have to buy a turkey baster (or the like). When I developed a bit of cyano (no corals yet thankfully) I was blowing it off with a medicine dropper. Not efficient by any stretch of the imagination! Haha.

 

[davidcalgary29]

Wow! That's good to know about blowing cyano off corals as well. Makes sense. Actually come to think of it I have to buy a turkey baster (or the like). When I developed a bit of cyano (no corals yet thankfully) I was blowing it off with a medicine dropper. Not efficient by any stretch of the imagination! Haha.

Kitchen utensils are one of the secrets of reef husbandry. Seriously! I even used a spatula to transport a fire urchin last week, as I didn't want to pick it up, even with gloves.

 

[Karen00]

Kitchen utensils are one of the secrets of reef husbandry. Seriously! I even used a spatula to transport a fire urchin last week, as I didn't want to pick it up, even with gloves.

That is innovation at its finest! A pic of that would've been priceless! Haha.

 

[Greatreefer]

Really? Do you know why? I can't find any info on why they're actually difficult. I assumed it was because their needs didn't jive with the needs of a mostly photosynthetic tank. They're so beautiful. I would give up my plan of having a mixed reef to dedicate my tank to these but don't want to waste my money or have them die on me which is worse than wasting my money.

NPS corals are tricky especially the gargonoans. I my self want to try there's and have found several people who successfully keep them. Success I belive is in the way you feed them. the food they eat needs to be suspended in the water column with the pumps off they need to be fed multiple times a day. Its pretty amazing to watch.

 

[Karen00]

NPS corals are tricky especially the gargonoans. I my self want to try there's and have found several people who successfully keep them. Success I belive is in the way you feed them. the food they eat needs to be suspended in the water column with the pumps off they need to be fed multiple times a day. Its pretty amazing to watch.

Thanks for this!! I'm glad for everyone's input here so I can better understand why the NPS type are difficult to look after. There isn't much info about them compared to other coral types. I really want to try them but if I do it will be when I have more experience under my belt. I'm definitely going to add the photosynthetic type.

 

[Greatreefer]

Heres a good video about NPS tanks.
Its totally polar oppisite of what we currently know about reef tanks. Its really interesting.

 

[Karen00]

Heres a good video about NPS tanks.
Its totally polar oppisite of what we currently know about reef tanks. Its really interesting.

WOW, WOW, WOW! What an eye opener! Let's review:
No lights
No filtration
Cooler water
Heavy feeding
Higher phosphates

Yep... Polar opposites pretty much sums it up! LOL. What an amazing video. I hope they do a follow-up to see how the tank did. I think he said it was only 3 weeks old when the video was made. Thanks for posting this. Definitely not a setup for a newb like me. Haha!

 

[las]

I agree. I had some type of blueberry sea fan fifteen years ago, but lost the entire tank when the seams burst in the middle of the night. It was an exquisite coral, and really did look like some sort of fantastical tree in bloom when the polyps were extended. If I had the time and patience, I might try it again by placing it in a semi-protected enclosure with a modded baby brine shrimp feeder through which I could dose phyto directly to the base of the coral. Too much work for me at the moment, though.

So you found that the one you kept did well on Phyto?

 

[Karen00]

I'm not an expert and I killed all my nps as I couldn't keep up with nutrient export in the tank they were in and currently have a couple of fans that are not doing great, photo is the way to go so take a look at menella sp.. mine is red with gold polyps, purple ribbon gorgs are nice as well.

I just saw your comment. Thanks for this! So Menella sp. is a photosynthesis type? I'm putting together my list so I can make sure I research them.

 

[Karen00]

Here's a couple of photo gorgs in the background, I think I had like 4 different ones and a corky finger in this tank.

Thanks for posting this! They look great. What a fabulous picture! What is the coral on the very right of the photo in the center! It kind of looks like a weird brain. I saw these before but for the life of me I can't remember the name of it.

 

[davidcalgary29]

So you found that the one you kept did well on Phyto?

I only had it for about three months before I lost the entire tank when the seams burst. It seemed to do well, but I didn't have it long enough to determine if it would have thrived with that diet.

 

[lion king]

Thanks for posting this! They look great. What a fabulous picture! What is the coral on the very right of the photo in the center! It kind of looks like a weird brain. I saw these before but for the life of me I can't remember the name of it.

I think you looking at the ricordea mushrooms.

 

[Karen00]

I think you looking at the ricordea mushrooms.

Is that what this is... A Ricordea? I should've done a screen grab in the first place for you. It actually looks more like potato chips than a weird brain. Haha. I've looked at so many corals that I have totally lost track of what I was looking at for my tank.

 

[davidcalgary29]

Is that what this is... A Ricordea? I should've done a screen grab in the first place for you. It actually looks more like potato chips than a weird brain. Haha. I've looked at so many corals that I have totally lost track of what I was looking at for my tank.

I think 'shrooms are excellent in their place, and much undervalued. And, if you ignore the "why are these selling for $500 a polyp?" designer frags, they're great value for the money.

 

[Karen00]

I think 'shrooms are excellent in their place, and much undervalued. And, if you ignore the "why are these selling for $500 a polyp?" designer frags, they're great value for the money.

Awesome, thanks! I have to go back and update my list. I had so many written down and then crossed off (too much money, too difficult, too aggressive) that I have honestly lost track of what will work in my tiny 5g. LOL I might just stick some fake plastic ones in there and call it a day (or leave the fake silicone ones I already have that my clown goby has made his home in). Haha.

 

[las]

I only had it for about three months before I lost the entire tank when the seams burst. It seemed to do well, but I didn't have it long enough to determine if it would have thrived with that diet.

How horrible. The seems burst? Was it glass or acrylic? Old tank? So sorry. That mustve been a terrible night