Gonipora never open anymore

[sushi]

Hello, I have a gonipora that was always extended when I first bought it and over the last 6 months probably it has been extending less and less and now it is kind of always retracted it just pokes out a little bit in the morning.

I haven't moved it or anything, the only changes I have made is I started dosing to keep my dkh around 9 and Ca and Mg at natural sea water levels consistently, and my lighting intensity has been decreased.

I have read that gonipora is not a good aquarium coral because this same thing happens to lots of people, they just die after awhile for "no reason". Are they sensitive to the frequency and intensity of light? Anything I can test for or adjust?

Any thoughts will be appreciated.

Here is a pic I just took, there is one other oddity. That white blob stuff on the frag plug, what is that? It is something that grew there, could that be messing it up?

Thank you

[Kris]

blob looks like a sponge.
Did you feed your goni? They used to be known as impossible to keep until folks figured out how to feed them.
I have a small frag, similar size but different spp. I feed dried plankton and it is hanging in there, but I wouldn't say it is thriving. I don't spot feed, if I wasn't so lazy I'd blast it with a baster 3x's a day,...
If you don't want to watch it die, PIF and I'll put it next to mine where they can wilt together. GL

[sushi]

I did this in the wrong order, but after I made my post I googled and it looks like feeding may be a key factor in the survival of gonipora. I never feed mine, and if a pellet ever falls on it the stupid idiot shrimp runs over and digs it out. I think I will focus on feeding it and defending its food from shrimp theft for a few weeks and see if that helps it.

[Kris]

If you put a few pellets in a teaspoon of water, mush them up, and use a baster to squirt the mush around the coral (when it's open) it might be easier than trying to defend against a hungry shrimp.
Or maybe give the shrimp something to pick at while you baster-blast the the goni? The key with fine powered foods is that they are too small for the shrimp or fish to steal, but perfect for the small mouths of hard corals.
Come to think of it, that sponge is probably filtering food that the goni might have gotten.
I put a bunch of freeze dried plankton into a cup of tank water, let it hydrate, shut my filters off and pour the mix into the tank and let the wave maker move it around. The corals all expand to feed. I let them feed 5-10 (and if I forget 50+) minutes and then turn the main pumps (filters) back on. The corals are very efficient at filtering the food out of the water column. They grow a lot faster if you feed the tank more than light and fish food.
If you get your goni growing, I'll give you mine, PIF.

[sushi]

I will try that I will mush the pellets into paste. I just dropped a few pellets on it awhile ago and the hermit crabs were digging them out too. It made me so angry.

[Kris]

The crabs gotta eat too!

I was going to suggest that you lift the frag and put it into a cup with tank water and mashed pellets...

[sushi]

Will it traumatize the frag to put it in a cup every day? If I move it around like that will he cry or be sad?

[CMD2213]

Cut a plastic bottle that will cover it then spot feed inside the plastic lid

[Kris]

Will it traumatize the frag to put it in a cup every day? If I move it around like that will he cry or be sad?

It will not cry. It is too hungry to cry. If you feed it, it will not know what to do with itself after functionally fasting for 65 days already.

It would rather move around than not eat. Mikes idea with the feeding cage is also a good work around. Just make sure it gets something to eat, else you will lose it.

[Tapio]

It may be too late already, but there are special foods for various corals. Very important that the size of the plankton is correct otherwise it will not feed. Try for example Two Little Fishies Goniopower. Just mashing up fish food is not gonna work.

The yellow hued Goniopora is not easy at all. There is a red variety, don't remember name, that is known to survive in aquariums. Get a tank propagated frag.

[sushi]

Mine is kind of teal colored, I got it from ASD and it looked great for the first few months. I think yeah the problem is I never fed it so it slowly declined. I'll look for that gonipower and try to put it in a cup to feed it. Thanks for the tips! I will update if the condition changes.

[CMD2213]

I use Oyster feast and
Reef roids for mine. No issues. It's been happy and healthy even in crazy nitrates and phosphates.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

[sushi]

I use Oyster feast and
Reef roids for mine. No issues. It's been happy and healthy even in crazy nitrates and phosphates.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

Do you spot feed it? I am gonna start spot feeding to see if it helps

[CMD2213]

I spot feed I turn powerheads off. To allow it to settle on the polyps. They don't have a crazy reaction. I'll post a pic mines q little one from asd ebay auctions. Got it a while.back as well.

[Jega]

I dont know If Im just lucky or what but this is one of the random Corals that absolutely seem to love my tank! (mushrooms never have) I have two good sized goni and both of mine have grown tremendously! It might sound like Im bragging but I have an honestly pretty low tech reef tank with little to no dosing & a large clean up crew! everything seems to be healthy! I think I might be so lucky because I feed even the fish with tiny myosis shrimp that tend to blow into all the corals anyways...guess theyve been part of the clean up crew all along!

PS anybody seen that insane goniopora at the aquatica shop in San Marcos off rancho sante fe? Ive never seen one that big... each polyp was extending maybe a foot! So rad... someone go and post a pic haha