Re: Orange Tree Gorgonian vs. Algae (?)
Do you believe it would be best for me to immediately remove the
Gorgonian from the nanocube, or should I give it time and possible a
chance to rejuvenate?
<AdamC is out, so I'm responding in his stead. I would move this Gorgonian only if you have better circumstances for it elsewhere... larger, more stable, with more plankton... otherwise it is likely doomed... Do pay close attention to water quality...>
I hate to just throw away $30 like this but I
suppose it is my fault for not looking further into it.
<Yes, if you're asking>
  I do have a
xenia that was given to me as a Christmas present, I was told it was a
Pulsing Xenia, but I am not so sure it is.  Please view the attached
picture.
<Umm, please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/xeniidarts.htm
and the Related FAQs (linked, in blue, at top)... Xeniids pulse or not... depending...>
Also, can you recommend any corals that would do well in a
12 gal. Nanocube?  I was considering Colony polyps and maybe Green
Grape Caulerpa or some other macroalgae.  Any suggestions welcome.
Thanks again!
<... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/smmarsysstkgfaqs.htm
and on to... the areas on WWM re coral selection... Bob Fenner>

Re: Orange Tree Gorgonian vs. Algae(?)
Ok sorry, one last question, I hate to abuse all of your time.  
<No worries. Not possible>
Thanks
for helping me get things on the right track.  In regards to the
Gorgonia, I do have a 44 gal. Pent. tank which has been established
for one year now.  There is 'low' lighting conditions in this tank, it
only runs with two  18", 15watt bulbs (50% 6000K & 50% Actinic 03
Blue).  Right now the tank is running with a Penguin powerhead that
pushes 145gph, and I've got roughly 30-40lbs of LR with some good
spots of Coralline going.  Would it be better to move the Gorgonian to
this tank?
<Yes... on two basic important counts... one, that it may help it to recover (move underwater, not in the air... in a bag...), and that if it does continue to slide, die, it will have vastly more water to do so in>
Also, on a completely different note, I'm considering
bolstering my lighting system on my 44gal corner pentagon.  The hood
that came with the tank is pretty crummy and only has room for two
light fixtures with 18'' bulbs.  I was considering buying a glass
canopy for this tank so I could have more flexibility in lighting and
not have it so that it only fits two rectangles 3.75''W x 18.5''L.  If
I were to get this glass hood, and put a new PC lighting system on top
would I leave space between the glass hood and the lights, or just
press the light system flush with the hood and leave no space between?
<The latter is much better. Bob Fenner>
Thank you very, very much for all your help on these matters.
Sincerely,
David H.

Gorgonians-bacterial infection?
What can be done for a bacterial infection on a gorgonian? Calcium level is
at 495. All other test except phosphates (1.2) are at parameters that they
should be. Corals are being fed invert food. I have a 75 gallon tank,
Emperor 400 and two 300 gph powerheads. Do you think this is enough current
for the gorgonian? All other corals and sponges are doing fine.
>>
A few things... some have responded favorably to the administration of antimicrobials (mainly broad spectrum gram-negative antibiotics) either administered to their water, or soaked into their foods before adding to their tank. Sometimes a lowering of temperature seems to help... if the condition is spreading, some authors (myself included) advocate cutting off the distal, mal-affected area to save the rest of the animal...
Bob Fenner

Gorgonian appears to be dying back..
Mr. Fenner,
I have a quick question regarding my Yellow finger gorgonian (Diodogorgia 
Nodulifera). I purchased it approx. 1 week ago and at the store it had 
been in the display tank for many months, the owner had become frustrated 
because it wasn't growing or doing much of anything other than a couple of 
white polyps here and there. I did some research and found out the they 
like a brisk current and are relatively easy to care for. Although I did 
find out that most people have had trouble with them. I purchased the 7" 
tall by 8" wide gorgonian for $20.00 and it appeared to be in good health 
at the time. I brought it home with some other corals which I'd purchased 
and began acclimating them all. I took care not to expose it to air and to 
acclimate it to the salinity and temp. I placed it in the middle of the 
tank on the substrate gently wedged the base between two small rocks so 
that it wouldn't fall over. There is a powerhead that discharges against 
the glass directly above the gorgonian and provides a gentle and constant 
flow. After about a day the white polyps began to come out of the red dots 
in great numbers. This is something that I had never seen at the LFS. 
Over the course of a couple days the thing really started to take off with 
polyps on most of the branches. During day and night the polyps were out 
and looking healthy. After about 4 days I started to notice that some 
segments of the branches where polyps had not been, were thinning and 
others were turning a dark red. As of today, the fingers which are appear 
healthy have the polyps out, but about 20% of the branches are brown, 
thinning at the tips and have no polyps. I've noticed at night that the 
hermit crabs and amphipods have been climbing on the branches in fairly 
large numbers ( hermits usually 3 to 4, and amphipods usually 6 to 10 at 
any given time).
I'm concerned that this is spreading and will eventually kill the entire 
thing. Should I cut/break off the darkened branches? is this normal, 
maybe some sort of molting? could it have been exposed to air at some 
point? Thanks for your help in advance.
John Boiger
>>
Could well be a few things going on here... Sounds like you did the due diligence investigation, and can't fault your process... but the "critters" in your system may be eating the sea fan... and/or it may be starving (a zooplanktivore if memory serves)... or, or, or... inadequate circulation, aeration... I would move it to a different system if you had one.
Bob Fenner

Gorgonian problem help!!!!
Hi Bob!
I Hope you can help. I have a orange gorgonian I purchased from the Flying Fish. I'm not sure of its name, but it has white polyps and about seven inches high and across. It was doing great at first. I have it in a good water flow area kinda high in the aquarium. I have a 29 gallon tank with power compacts. The gorgonian hasn't shown its polyps in a month and is starting to shed its outer skin exposing its skeleton. I moved it all over the aquarium thinking it was light . Nothing seems to help. I do regular water changes Ph 8.2 Alkalinity is at 2.5 and I fed it brine shrimp. I'm afraid it deteriorating will harm my other corals and few gobies? Any suggestions?
Liz XXXX@yahoo.com
<Hmm, actually... this is not likely a photosynthetic species... likely a Diodogorgia species... and you should try other foodstuffs... Most importantly one/some of the "phytoplankton" prep.s sold for the purpose (like DT's...), administered to your system water... during different times of day... with the pumps turned off to the filters (not the non-filter pumps though) for a good fifteen minutes... And yes, sea fans, gorgonians can prove toxic to all other life if/when they "fall apart"... you may want to remove this specimen (in a bag with water in it, w/o lifting it into the air)... to another system, isolated... Sometimes the "bad parts" of the "rind" of these animals/colonies can be excised to save the remainder... Please read over the "Gorgonian" section posted on our website: www.WetWebMedia.com and associated FAQs files as well... and do endeavor to get the name, know the basic husbandry of the animals you utilize ahead of their acquisition going forward. Bob Fenner>

Pseudopterygorgia Gorgonian
Hello Again Bob,
Sorry for the long letter that follows...I know you must be busy.
<Not so much... on dive/adventure/photo odyssey in Asia... in Senggigi, Lombok, Indonesia now...>
In the past I have had a red slime problem that has since been
stopped (thanks to suggestions from you and your website FAQs!!!)
by turning down the CO2 to my calcium reactor and
installing a larger pump feeding my protein skimmer. However, I think
that the red slime injured my photosynthetic gorg. It started
when the red slime started to grow on the gorg. Then more and more
the gorg's outer purple skin died away exposing the black
under-structure
(not sure what you call it....skeleton ????).
<Yes, and not unusual to have this damage by way of Cyanobacteria problems>
The gorg still has patches of purple with white-brown polyps
but there is much more black than purple. I would like to
save the gorg and was thinking of cutting the "black skeleton" parts
of the gorg that are void of purple skin/white-brown polyps thus
making a few frags to try and propagate them. Is this a wise thing
to do....or will the purple skin and polyps eventually grow back over
the black
under-layer ?
<Both are valid possibilities... any evidence of regrowth? If not or things getting worse, I would consider the surgery>
Alternatively I was going to try not cutting the gorg and
start direct feeding and Vitamin C application. Is this a better
alternative ?
<See/read above>
Also, do you think that this gorg's demise was due to red-slime problem
or more likely black-band disease and/or bacterial?
<Secondarily bacterial>
Incidentally, the ich problem I had seems to be subsiding...after
adding beaucoup cleaner shrimp as you suggested. Two nights ago
my yellow tank had some white spots on his fins and the next morning
...viola they were gone !!! Same thing happened to my flame angel...
these guys (cleaner shrimp) should be called the "medics of the sea"!!!!
They are great...and I found that the Grabhami species is much less shy
than the amboinensis species (sorry about the spelling). Thanks for
your help on this and the red slime problem.
<Glad to be of service/help... sorry this message is late>
I also have set up a 10 gallon quarantine tank with a small 8W UV
sterilizer
and a colonized sponge from my sump. I keep it running continuously..
seems easier than tear-down/set-up/tear-down...... I think that the UV
sterilizer
is a good idea to maintain a sterile hospital tank...is there a problem
with UV
sterilizers in combination with copper therapy for ich ? 
<Possibly... some chelated formulations are taken out via UV... read the manufacturer's label>
A friend
at a local fish store told me that UV would only be a problem with
antibiotic medicines....do you concur ?
<Hmm, not with antibiotics as far as I'm aware...>
Thanks Again !
<Be chatting, Bob Fenner>
Chuck Spyropulos
PS: I will be going diving in Bonaire next month...any tips on good
diving sites ?
<A great part of the Caribbean... study up on the Internet re>

Purple Gorgonia
Dear. Mr. What you say about buy a purple gorgonian Saturday night and Monday
morning this animal totally disintegrate your skin? When the bag is open in
retailer we smell a strong odor (yes, I buy in the arrival day). Is the
gorgonian dead on arrival?
<Likely so>
I have my aquarium with soft and hard corals and I
have some invertebrates for 5 years. Thanks, Nelson
<Hopefully you didn't pour any of the water from this shipment into your system... a good idea to quarantine even sea fans. Bob Fenner>

Gorgonian question
I have a red finger gorgonian (supposedly a Gorgonia sp) that came with
slight damage on one of its branches. Now however, the damage is spreading
and is now on other limbs (the skin seems to be coming off). Also, the
gorgonian is getting overgrown by a filamentous green algae that I cannot
remove without fear of damaging the gorgonian. The Baensch atlas mentions an
algal overgrowth but does not mention what problems may be associated with
such an event. What could be causing this?
<Previous damage, infection... coupled possibly with less than optimal water quality, a lack of nutrition in your system... possibly competition, predation, chemical incompatibility with other animals... >
Does touching by hands cause
this? How can I remedy the problem and save the gorgonian?
<Some drastic measure may have to be taken (cutting away the "lost" part... moving the colony to low light conditions (like a sump)... these species are not photosynthetic...>
In my last e-mail, I mentioned a Daisy Polyp and a finger leather coral.
They are both doing good now. The coral is completely expanded (I think the
closed area might have been new growth). With the daisy polyps (or Xenia, I
can¹t tell, more on that later), I found what looked like small Nudibranchs.
I pulled these off and the polyps have seemed to improve.
<... perhaps a predator...>
I need help identifying an invertebrate. It looks like the picture of Daisy
polyps that is in your book; however, I can¹t find anything that mentions
Daisy polyps propagating by runners (which my polyps are doing). Do they do
this?
<Yes>
As I was looking through the Baensch Aquarium Atlas I noticed that
Xenia umbellata also looks similar, but Xenias pulsate and mine does not
seem to do this. Any ideas about what this may be?
<All sorts... but your description isn't specific enough to help me... Do take a look through Fossa and Nilsen's v.2 of The Modern Coral Reef Aquarium for now... Bob Fenner>
Thank you,
Kevin Cossel

Purple Gorgonian necrotic patches
Good morning everyone,
Cheers from Anthony>
I purchased a purple gorgonian (I believe it's Pseudopterygorgia bipinnata based on pix but I'm never 100% sure) from an online fish store. After I floated the bag I tried to open it to acclimate it by adding water from the tank. Being a sped, I cut the bag wrong and the whole thing busted open. It never acclimated properly (the note I got from the store said they keep their salinity at 1.017 and I keep mine at 1.023 (seahorse tank). 
<wow... not a real big deal, but 1.017 is a fish only salinity... inverts fare much better at a more natural SG (1.024-1.026). And you are correct about the seahorses favoring more saline waters. As high as 1.028! 1.023 would be the low end for me with most species>
So...... for the past three weeks the center part has been in decline. The top four inches and the bottom three inches are beautiful - purple with polyps extended. However, the center part is starting to show the spine 
<most likely stress from import, but possibly inadequate current in your display. Be sure to provide very string water flow for gorgonians>
(it looks like a little wire coming from the stem). 
<yes... it is called gorgonian>
I've been adding phytoplankton every other day to help it out but I don't think those center parts will grow back. 
<actually they may, but not very quickly>
Can I cut the top part and glue it on some rock and then cut the center part out in the hopes that the bottom will just grow better? 
<absolutely... and be sure to cut a full 1/2 or more into good tissue (away from the necrotic area). Also, if you glue... use thick super glue and not epoxy... gorgonians respond poorly to epoxy!>
Is scissors appropriate or a straight edged razorblade? 
<either, although scissors may be best to cut through the woody stem>
Should I leave everything alone? BTW, it's a 35 g hex with 56w PC.
Thanks in advance for your help and thanks for answering everyone else's questions... they're really helpful! Ted
<hmmm... if you really get into this coral propagation thing, I know of a good book <wink>: http://www.WetWebMedia.com/bkcorlproprev.htm Best regards, Anthony Calfo>

Encrusting gorgonian "problem" 3/10/03
I purchased what my LFS calls an encrusting gorgonian 5 days ago.
<Briareum is now the genus that encompasses both Pacific Starpolyp and one of the two common Atlantic "gorgonians" (the other is Erythropodium)>
It very closely resembles star polyps. Problem is, it's retracted it's polyps and it's base has turned from light pink to an off-white color. I can see bumps all over the base, as if it is trying to extends it's polyps. The rest of the tank is in hale condition. Water params are very good. How long can I expect it to remain dormant?
<without knowing anything about your water quality and other physical parameters (light, weekly carbon use, none at all, water clarity, etc) I can only speculate. The most common cause of poor polyps extension here is lack of dynamic water flow. These corals need very strong water movement, but it must not be laminar (no power head blasting it! <G>). Please do read the articles on water flow in the WetWebMedia.Com archives for more insight>
Is it dying/dead?
<not likely... you'll know it... it decays quickly>
Are they pretty hardy corals.
<very much so. In fact, they are considered a nuisance and a weed by many because they grow fast and over take rocks and kill corals. Still, I admit they are quite beautiful if kept in check (keep a rubble "campfire" around them)>
The LFS seems to think that they are hardy and hard to kill.
<agreed>
Please advice. Best, Balachandran Chandrasekaran
<with kind regards, Anthony>

Dying or Stressed encrusting gorgonian? 3/19/03
Dear WWM Crew:
<cheers, my friend>
Last week I wrote to Anthony regarding a newly purchased encrusting
gorgonian. He suggested that I install an additional powerhead to obviate laminar water flow and run activated carbon to ameliorate the lighting conditions/intensity.
Despite following his advice, the gorgonian's polyps remain retracted.
<have patience my friend... some coral even take a couple months (Lobophytum are notorious for example)>
It appears to be trying to extends it's polyps as there are bumps all over the surface.
<ahhh... good sign. Slowly but surely>
Today, I noticed that my red Lobophyllia started showing signs of
die-off and I instantly moved the gorgonian to the QT tank and did a 40% water change. The rest of the tank look a little lackadaisical.
<wow! Ahhh... I must say you need to be careful of such knee-jerk reactions. The tank overall may have a problem, but the gorgonian is not likely the cause. The gorg will be further stressed for having to deal with yet another lighting scheme in such a short period since purchase>
Question: What does a dying/decaying gorgonian look like?
<unmistakable... rotting, dissolving and foul smelling>
Please advice and thanks in advance. Best, Balachandran Chandrasekaran
<sudden or frequent moves of coral under any circumstance can kill newly acquired coral, my friend. Simply have more patience than one week for polyps extension.... even one month in a new tank. The move from QT to the display reset the clock so to speak. And now that its back, you still may not see polyp extension soon. If the tank overall looks pale, test all parameters and do a larger water change to be safe and buy time (25-50%). Best regards, Anthony>

Bubbles in my Briareum! A weekend full of "Tiny Bubbles" [sing to yourself] 4/19/03
Hey all!
<cheers, Katherine>
     I have tried searching google and thumbing through various
books on coral, but I am stumped on a current problem with my
tank.  I have a specimen of Briareum stechei in my tank,
measuring about 5.5 x 4 inches (height varies) of which all of
the polyps have remained shut for almost two weeks now.  From
where the polyps are budding, there are swollen little "bubbles"
in the tissue (looks as if an air bubble were under the tissue).
Earlier in the year (2/16, removed 3/10), I had an anemone
(Condylactis gigantea) in my tank which caused a similar
reaction.  Other creatures in tank: Aiptasia, about 6 Blue
Legged Hermit Crabs, 5 Turbo Snails (Astrea), Spaghetti worms
(several attached to coral itself recently...could this be a
cause??), several copepods, and isopods.  
<I just replied to a similar question at length to be posted on the dailies tomorrow... is has been pasted below this message for your convenience... several possibilities for trapped air bubbles>
     All parameters are within acceptable ranges, with the
exception of salinity (1.026-1.028).  However, my Briareum has
remained open through a period of 1.029 before, and I'm
extremely worried about the length of time for which it has been
withdrawn.  
<With Briareum... water flow is a huge issue! They are very sensitive to the exact amount and delivery (tend to need moderate to strong random turbulent, never linear)>
I do not think salinity is the cause of the problem,
<agreed... although getting scary high if accurate>
as the three propagated pieces in the tank (I'm experimenting
with alternating flows on the coral) are doing relatively well.
A hanging propagation is doing marvelously, with some polyps
extended at nearly 5/8"! (Thank you, Mr. Calfo, for that
suggestion!)
<all good <G>>
Any help or suggestions you might offer would be
appreciated extremely! Sincerely, Katherine Almquist
<With kind regards... Anthony>

Gorgonian parasite
Greetings WWM Gorgonian Guru:
<I guess I am a whip specialist of sorts <G>>
I have a recently acquired purple Gorgonian (thick, tree like branched version.) It's doing great, but there are 2 large parasitic-like algal growths growing out of it.
<minor concern.... opportunistic on previous old dead spots>
The algae itself looks like a regular Caulerpa type growth, the Gorgonian seems none the worse, and my Regal tang loves to
munch on this algae. Should I leave the green tag-alongs alone, or can I clip them off ? Thanks, SLC
<please do remove the algae for the benefit of the gorgonian. Anthony>

-Necrotic Gorgo-
Mr. Fenner (or one of the other WWM crew),
I recently bought a porous sea rod from my LFS. I'm pretty sure it's a Plexaura sp., but there's a very slight chance that it's a Pseudoplexaura. <The latter has pretty fat branches.> Either way, after a few days, parts of it started "melting" (for lack of a better term). Excepting these few (maybe 3) areas, all the polyps are extended, night and day. It "melted" for a day or two very rapidly, exposing the skeleton, but has slowed down now. <You may want to start by running fresh carbon and changing it frequently, as there may be some toxins released in this decay.> What, if anything, can/should I do to prevent this from spreading, and can it heal? <I would start by removing it from the tank, and in a separate bucket of seawater, vigorously shake off all the nastiness, and if there is a blatantly infected area, clip it off. Make sure that no parts of the Gorgo are touching anything, and that it is anchored firmly on the substrate (don't want it falling over, areas laying on the rock will go necrotic fast). Make sure that it gets lots of water flow throughout the whole thing, this is very important, especially when you're hoping it will heal. I must warn you, they don't always do so hot once they're pretty well infected. Just keep removing any necrotic areas so the tank doesn't go foul.>
Tank parameters are:
30 gallon
96 Watts PC
Ammonia, Nitrite=0
Nitrate=barely detectable (less than 2)
pH=8.3
I'm pretty sure it was damaged by rough handling, and not a tank condition, but I'm presenting them just in case. <Good luck! -Kevin>
Any help is greatly appreciated.

Gorgonian (it's recovering!) 10/16/03
Thanks for the help. I'd already done most of that (a lot of which I learned from your site, so I thank you for that also), but I did redirect the current. I'm happy to report that, for the time being, it has stopped dying and is even growing back parts that had decayed or been cut away. If it continues like it is, you'll be able to add another notch to your "corals saved" display.
Yours, An extremely grateful reefer
<it is a great pleasure to hear of your progress and intuition. Thanks for the update, and best of luck! Anthony>