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

[davidcalgary29]

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

I was running an in-room air conditioner (a LOUD air conditioner) and it sounded like a waterfall. I had the tank in the kitchen, and it had linoleum floors, so the house wasn't damaged, but yeesh.

It was a 6 foot long custom-built glass tank that I foolishly bought second hand, and didn't test out before I bought it. Although a water-leak test wouldn't have revealed anything: I had the tank for about six months before it blew, and there weren't any warning signs before it met its demise. Both the side and bottom seams went at once, if I recall. I managed to save all of the inhabitants and put them in a small tank that I had, but I didn't know enough about husbandry at the time (it was my first build), and most of the fish died when the new tank went through a mini-cycle. I was just so diseheartened at that point that I gave everything -- surviving livestock and equipment -- away except the sodium-vapor lighting unit (which I still have). What an experience!

 

[Karen00]

I was running an in-room air conditioner (a LOUD air conditioner) and it sounded like a waterfall. I had the tank in the kitchen, and it had linoleum floors, so the house wasn't damaged, but yeesh.

It was a 6 foot long custom-built glass tank that I foolishly bought second hand, and didn't test out before I bought it. Although a water-leak test wouldn't have revealed anything: I had the tank for about six months before it blew, and there weren't any warning signs before it met its demise. Both the side and bottom seams went at once, if I recall. I managed to save all of the inhabitants and put them in a small tank that I had, but I didn't know enough about husbandry at the time (it was my first build), and most of the fish died when the new tank went through a mini-cycle. I was just so diseheartened at that point that I gave everything -- surviving livestock and equipment -- away except the sodium-vapor lighting unit (which I still have). What an experience!

Oh wow!!! That's more than an experience. That would be enough for me to quit keeping any tanks ever again. Good for you for starting it back up after that!

 

[las]

dang thats rough. I have an acrylic 90 gallon that i had in storage for 4 years. I just pulled it out and filled it up a couple weeks ago. You're gonna give me nightmares. Do you know how old your tank was when you bought it?

 

[davidcalgary29]

dang thats rough. I have an acrylic 90 gallon that i had in storage for 4 years. I just pulled it out and filled it up a couple weeks ago. You're gonna give me nightmares. Do you know how old your tank was when you bought it?

Nope. It was my first tank, and it was cheap. You'd think that would be a warning sign in itself, but also nope.

I felt horrible about the dead fish (not that I had many in the tank), but I'm sort of glad I had the experience in hindsight, as I learned that a) it's not the end of the world, b) the necessity of keeping a spare tank or two on hand, and c) what to do when a disaster strikes in the middle of the night. I also learned that d) every hobby has its time and place, and that was not that time for me. Now it is.

 

[Karen00]

dang thats rough. I have an acrylic 90 gallon that i had in storage for 4 years. I just pulled it out and filled it up a couple weeks ago. You're gonna give me nightmares. Do you know how old your tank was when you bought it?

I have a 30g glass tank sitting in my basement that I was going to put into action. Now I'm afraid to even try it for fear the silicone has dried out. :-(

 

[Karen00]

Nope. It was my first tank, and it was cheap. You'd think that would be a warning sign in itself, but also nope.

I felt horrible about the dead fish (not that I had many in the tank), but I'm sort of glad I had the experience in hindsight, as I learned that a) it's not the end of the world, b) the necessity of keeping a spare tank or two on hand, and c) what to do when a disaster strikes in the middle of the night. I also learned that d) every hobby has its time and place, and that was not that time for me. Now it is.

Why do tanks always bust their seams at night?! I can't count how many posts I've read where members have been woken up at night to the lovely sound of rushing water in their ears! I love your 4-part life's lesson/mantra!

 

[davidcalgary29]

This was fifteen years ago, and equipment has changed so much that it's unbelievable. Who knows what that tank had been through -- and I may have damaged it more during transport -- and people were using duct tape and putty to plumb some really shoddy sumps, and advocating all sorts of weird kludges and questionable livestock purchases. And that lighting and the suspect heaters...I'm surprised that I didn't electrocute myself! I seem to recall a huge market at the time for Moorish Idols and exotic angels with exacting diets that couldn't be easily met in home aquaria. I was desperate to own a cusk eel at the time (and several stores had them), although now I have no idea why I wanted one.

You'll be fine if you do a leak test (with oolite sand, so that seam incursions will appear). Dramatically Exploding Tanks really are a rarity, and 30g isn't really a large volume of water to contend with even if something does happen. And that something is more than likely to be a minor leak, and not a tsunami.

 

[Karen00]

This was fifteen years ago, and equipment has changed so much that it's unbelievable. Who knows what that tank had been through -- and I may have damaged it more during transport -- and people were using duct tape and putty to plumb some really shoddy sumps, and advocating all sorts of weird kludges and questionable livestock purchases. And that lighting and the suspect heaters...I'm surprised that I didn't electrocute myself! I seem to recall a huge market at the time for Moorish Idols and exotic angels with exacting diets that couldn't be easily met in home aquaria. I was desperate to own a cusk eel at the time (and several stores had them), although now I have no idea why I wanted one.

You'll be fine if you do a leak test (with oolite sand, so that seam incursions will appear). Dramatically Exploding Tanks really are a rarity, and 30g isn't really a large volume of water to contend with even if something does happen. And that something is more than likely to be a minor leak, and not a tsunami.

A cusk eel? I just googled that and it looks like something straight out of an alien movie! Haha. Stores actually sold/sell those? I can understand why you have a hard time wondering why you ever wanted one. LOL

 

[davidcalgary29]

A cusk eel? I just googled that and it looks like something straight out of an alien movie! Haha. Stores actually sold/sell those? I can understand why you have a hard time wondering why you ever wanted one. LOL

It was really pretty! I remember that it was multicoloured, which does not look like the pictures on the internet. I'm wondering now if it was a misidentified garden eel, but the store owner was very emphatic that it was, in fact, a cusk-eel.

 

[Karen00]

It was really pretty! I remember that it was multicoloured, which does not look like the pictures on the internet. I'm wondering now if it was a misidentified garden eel, but the store owner was very emphatic that it was, in fact, a cusk-eel.

Ya, that doesn't sound like the pics I saw. If there is a multicoloured one then I could see wanting that.

 

[las]

Well, i just got a blueberry sea fan. And, im trying to make a full on effort to have some success. The reason i decided to do it was the whole live phyto combined with the purple non sulfur bacteria products from Hydrospace. PNS pro bio and Yellow Sno. Im also going with a skimmerless 40 Gallon breeder with massive filtration and 25% weekly water changes at least. So thank you for the feedback on phyto.

 

[lion king]

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.

Oh if you are talking about what is at the far right, kind of pinkish, rhat's a fox coral. One of my favorites that you don't see that often. If you handle them gently they are really easy to care for, acceptable to a variety of conditions. Look at the top right, that's a purple plating photosynthetic sponge, another one you dont see that often. You can get a small frag and they spread easily, another easy to care for burst of wild color.

 

[Karen00]

Oh if you are talking about what is at the far right, kind of pinkish, rhat's a fox coral. One of my favorites that you don't see that often. If you handle them gently they are really easy to care for, acceptable to a variety of conditions. Look at the top right, that's a purple plating photosynthetic sponge, another one you dont see that often. You can get a small frag and they spread easily, another easy to care for burst of wild color.

Yes, that's it, a fox coral. Thank you. I'm making note of that and I did see the purple sponge in your pic. That is beautiful! I would never have known it was a sponge. I think I'm getting a good list now. Photosynthetic gorgs and sponges and possibly a fox coral. If I get some of those rocks with the magnets (floating rocks) I might do some mushrooms. Kind of bummed about the NPS gorgs but realize now after reading the comments on this thread I'm nowhere near ready for them.

 

[Kenneth Wingerter]

Well, i just got a blueberry sea fan. And, im trying to make a full on effort to have some success. The reason i decided to do it was the whole live phyto combined with the purple non sulfur bacteria products from Hydrospace. PNS pro bio and Yellow Sno. Im also going with a skimmerless 40 Gallon breeder with massive filtration and 25% weekly water changes at least. So thank you for the feedback on phyto.

Nice. Would love to see a whole thread devoted to this experiment.

 

[las]

Nice. Would love to see a whole thread devoted to this experiment.

A definite possibility Ken.

 

[Javeo]

I know this is an old thread, but newer than most
I have a reefer 170 that’s almost all gorgonians or similar. Mostly PS but some NPS (menella and spiral black coral)
All the corals are growing well and the menella has based out onto the rock the spiral gorg (black coral) was in poor condition when bought but it’s recovering now and bare skeleton is being overgrown
I feed lobster eggs, bbs, rotifers, cyclops and copepods. One targeted feed every night
My nitrates are generally around 50ppm and phosphates .6/1.0 ppm and I have no algae or cyano issues. I dose nopox and coral ab+

 

[Karen00]

I know this is an old thread, but newer than most
I have a reefer 170 that’s almost all gorgonians or similar. Mostly PS but some NPS (menella and spiral black coral)
All the corals are growing well and the menella has based out onto the rock the spiral gorg (black coral) was in poor condition when bought but it’s recovering now and bare skeleton is being overgrown
I feed lobster eggs, bbs, rotifers, cyclops and copepods. One targeted feed every night
My nitrates are generally around 50ppm and phosphates .6/1.0 ppm and I have no algae or cyano issues. I dose nopox and coral ab+

Thanks for sharing this! So you do just one targeted feeding per day? That's very interesting considering I've read people doing drip feedings multiple times per day. What's your lighting schedule like considering you have regular photosynthetic gorgs as well? Also, what's your flow like around them? I haven't heard of spiral black coral before. I'm going to have to check these out. I'm primarily gorgs as well. I think they're great corals and would love to have a corner of my tank filled with NPS.

 

[Javeo]

Thanks for sharing this! So you do just one targeted feeding per day? That's very interesting considering I've read people doing drip feedings multiple times per day. What's your lighting schedule like considering you have regular photosynthetic gorgs as well? Also, what's your flow like around them? I haven't heard of spiral black coral before. I'm going to have to check these out. I'm primarily gorgs as well. I think they're great corals and would love to have a corner of my tank filled with NPS.

Yes just once a day in the evenings, one cube or equivalent mix. I try to feed as many polyps as possible and I think the addition of the Redsea ab+ helps a lot, as does the nopox carbon dosing with the resultant increase in bacteria.
I have a Redsea reef led 90 that is on for around 10 hours on a mostly blue spectrum, this includes the ramping up and down.
the flow is provided by a gyre and is moderate throughout the tank, though the purple blade is in heavy flow as it produces a thick waxy layer that needs to be sloughed every week or so, and the black coral is also in heavy flow as I’ve read it helps them keep the tight spiral growth pattern.
I’ve attached a pic of the black coral (the skeleton is black) they are usually sold as spiral gorgonians but are not. You can see where the flesh has receded and algae has overgrown. This was remedied with hydrogen peroxide dips to kill the algae and feeding to help regrow the tissue

 

[Rmckoy]

Thanks. Yes, they're NPS (non-photosynthetic). I came across them while looking at the photosynthetic gonis. I'm trying to understand why they are considered expert level (because I'm not). I'm trying to find out if there is something specific to NPS corals that makes them expert or whether it's because their feeding needs aren't compatible with a mixed reef. It sounds like they need a fair bit of food which I assume could cause nitrates and phosphates to spike so I'm wondering if they become easy in a dedicated tank.

Im
Confused …
Are you talking about gorgonians or gonipora ?

nps gorgs are next to impossible to keep long term .
If you want to try nps see if you can find sun corals .
a little easier to train to eat and they will open at specific times

 

[Javeo]

Im
Confused …
Are you talking about gorgonians or gonipora ?

nps gorgs are next to impossible to keep long term .
If you want to try nps see if you can find sun corals .
a little easier to train to eat and they will open at specific times

It depends on the species, not all nps gorgs are impossible or even difficult. The menella species feed well and have large polyps so bigger food can be captured and ingested.
black corals look like gorgs and although nps are very voracious feeders and will try to eat anything the can capture including mysis shrimp. The yellow and red finger gorgs again are large polyped and easy to feed.
some are much harder like the blueberry gorg and some are hit and miss like the orange gorg.