Purple Gorgonian anyone know about them?

[KYLE.801]

So at the beginning of this week I traded a kid a frag of montipora for a frag of purple gorgonia.  Its about 3 inches tall.  I read a little bit about it before actually going through with the trade just cause I didnt want anything I didnt know how to care for or thought I couldnt care for.  I'd have to say though I really like this coral a lot.  Ill try and get a pic up of it tonight. 

Anyone here had this type of coral?  Any pointers you want to give me?  I read it likes light and a lot of flow so right now its getting both and "seems" to be happy. 

[Just_Greg]

Which species of gorg are you talking about?

[KYLE.801]

All I know is he said it was purple gorgonian.  It looks just like this one in the link 

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3273/2498742301_532bbe32e1.jpg

[psykokid]

Lanny actually has one that is really similar if not the same in his tank. Has great polyp structure when they are out. I believe those are photosynthetic. The ones that are really cool colours are usually non photosynthetic and require alot of small planktonic food in the water column to survive. Most people dont have their systems set up to handle that sort of extra load from the extra food in the water column.

[Bergy]

+1 for what jake said.

at first i thought you were talking about a non photosythetic varietal, but I think that species, (although i can be 100% wrong), feeds on water column nurients and photosynthesis...

the varietys that are more flesh, and darker, more vivid colors are more difficult and almost impossible to keep for longer periods in a small aquaria...

good luck, and lets wait for gregs comments...

[RandyFolds]

Honestly, I am not sure if there is anyone who can tell you which gorgonian is which, or whether or not they are photosynthetic.

The best solution is to look at the polyps. If they are brown, they are most likely photosynthetic. As Bill and Jake said, none of the super colorful gorgonians are photosynthetic, and as such, are usually doomed in tanks. Even the photosynthetic varieties need TONS of current and TONS of light. Blast that puppy like you are trying to strip the flesh off it...

It looks to me like Plexaurella or Pseudoplexaurella, which both contain photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic species, so you are boned there for solving anything. The brown polyps would lead me to assume that it is in fact photosynthetic.

Does it feel rough or slimy? That is a big factor in IDing them. Do the polyps retract completely into their calyces (no idea how to pluralize that)? When they are retracted, is there little protrusions where they come out like an acropora, or is it smooth when they are retracted? Are the holes round or slits?

I believe the common name is something goofy like "corky sea rod" or "knobby candelabra".

[KYLE.801]

Thanks for the replies!  Ill have to look at this a little closer.  Ive only seen it once with all the polyps retracted and that was yesterday morning.  It doesnt have protrusions like acropora.  Its in a spot where its getting a lot of flow and good light.  I dont know if it is rough or slimey, ill have to check on that later along with the other stuff mentioned.  Thanks guys!

[OCtrackiepacsg1]

The best solution is to look at the polyps. If they are brown, they are most likely photosynthetic.

That explains why all my coral are brown.

[Just_Greg]

It could also be Briareum asbestinum AKA corky sea rod/dead man's fingers.

Fortunately, both these as well as the genera Lanny mentioned are about a EZ as they come in terms of gorgonia.

They're photosysnthetic, and as such don't require a lot of feeding, if any.  However, they do require enuff flow to keep them free of algae, which will kill them in a heartbeat.  Also, DON'T bury the end in your substrate, as it will go necrotic on you and this will simply move up the gorg as it progresses.  stick the end between some rocks, or if you need to glue it, strip the flesh off down to the skeleton and glue that part.  The gorg will simply grow down over the glue like it was never there.

Good luck with it.

[RandyFolds]

^^^ Briareum, more than likely, with the purple tissue. I didn't even think of them, since they have been moved around from Clavularidae to gorgonians to Pachyclavlaridae and back to gorgonians.... Damn taxonomists...

[Bergy]

<<-------   passing hand over head, indicating that i am buried and confused... damn latin loving species identifying salt water geeks!!!!


heheheheheheeheheheheehehehe


Greg would make a great question answer guy... too bad that wouldnt pay the bills...


btw greg of Lanny,  if you sandwich the gorg between rocks isnt that going to be just like burying it in sand?  or is it the that the sand already has crytpic conditions just below the surface already'?

[RandyFolds]

I think it is more a matter of anoxic conditions than the sandwiching. Current will still be passing around it, even if it is wedged in the rocks. If you bury it, it is stagnant, and will decay as a result. Also, the tissue can encrust rocks, but cannot encrust sand, so it will never be able to grow buried...

Think about an acro frag. If you bury it, the buried portion will die, and if the remainder of the colony survives, it can only grow up, not encrust like it wants to. If you wedge it in a hole in the rocks, a bit of tissue may not fare so well, but the rest of the colony can support it enough to encrust.

It is the same reason greg said to strip the flesh from the skeleton before epoxying it in place. If you just cover the flesh with epoxy, it will suffocate and necrotize, and the whole colony will suffer. If you epoxy the skeleton only, the tissue will quickly encrust over the epoxy, and it will look like it just came from the wild.

[KYLE.801]

<<-------   passing hand over head, indicating that i am buried and confused... damn latin loving species identifying salt water geeks!!!!


heheheheheheeheheheheehehehe

The kid already had it attatched to a rock and I just put it where I think its getting the most flow.  Im glad I asked about it, even though I never put it in the sand its good to know so that in the future if I had stuck it in the sand or a coral like it and it started to die I wouldnt be like hmm what the heck is going on here.