Green Goni not opening?

[FinsUp!]

A few months ago, I bought a Green Goniopora and it was doing great until a few weeks ago when I went on vacation. It doesn't look like it's dying, it just hasn't been opening.

Parameters as of a few days ago:
Temp: 79-80
Salinity: 1.025
pH: 8.4
Calcium: 440
KH: 8
Ammonia: 0
Nitrates: 0

I don't have a Mag. test, so I'm not sure what that's at. I need to try to get one. The only thing I really notice is that my KH is a little bit low, but I wouldn't call it worrisome?

I keep it under pretty bright lighting (I have an AI sol) and in moderate flow. It used to open up great, so I'm not really sure what's up. Nothing has changed as far as its location in the tank, lighting intensity, flow etc. The guy at the LFS said to try feeding it oysterfeast or something else he gave me the name of that I can't remember. I didn't have the money this week to buy more food, but I do have lots of fish goo... Would that be good enough "food" for it? What do I do to feed it? squirt the food on it with a turkey baster? None of the polyps are out to grab the food...

 

[dannyp02908]

FWIW, green goni is a difficult coral to keep and most dont last a year in the aquarium. thats from reading. My personal experience, i bought one as a newb. it lasted 6 months. never opened more than a quarter of the way.

 

[frank180reef]

I have around 10 different goniporas and non are the green flower pot.
the green flower pot is close to impossible to keep and pretty much never live 6 months in captivity. you could try feeding each polp the oysterfeast and it might help............................. the fish goo wouldnt work, the particales are much too big. (in the absence of anything else u could try though)
Gonis in general want lots of disoloved solids in the water.

I would place it on the sand bed , elevating it off the sand.

They tend to decline fast..................They do look incredible at the fish store when u see them
See if the LFS will take it back is my advice


sorry I cant be more help

 

[frank180reef]

also if u never dosed your mag it might be low, that might help a bit

 

[dz6t]

I am keeping a neon green goni and feeding it Oysterfeast. I am not very sure it is not photo synthetic as it respond to light as much as to food.

 

[frank180reef]

I am keeping a neon green goni and feeding it Oysterfeast. I am not very sure it is not photo synthetic as it respond to light as much as to food.

Dong. what type of green goni, the flower pot or encrusting type?

 

[FinsUp!]

Well, I moved it to a new spot and it seems to be opening slightly. I bought it online from liveaquaria, so I can't really return it unless I just bring it to the lfs for credit. I'm going to try squirting some of the juice from the fish Goo on it for now, since I know we added some filter feeder food to it. I'll stop and pick up some oysterfeast on Friday as well as a mag test. I think I have the flowerpot variety as opposed to the encrusting. If it continues to go downhill I will bring it to the lfs or hand it over to another reefer who has had success with them.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[dz6t]

Dong. what type of green goni, the flower pot or encrusting type?

Do you mean the long polyp kind or the short polyps kind? Thanks

 

[frank180reef]

Dong, I mean is the base round or closer to a rock..................

Finsup, what type did u get ? does it have a round base? like a tennis ball or baseball; those do the worse.......................
Since u got it from liveaquaria,maybe it isnt the round based flower pots?

 

[frank180reef]

Finsup, as a test try lowering your flow for a while, the green gonis extend a lot more with low flow

Maybe you increased the flow to the goni area

 

[dz6t]

Dong, I mean is the base round or closer to a rock..................

Finsup, what type did u get ? does it have a round base? like a tennis ball or baseball; those do the worse.......................
Since u got it from liveaquaria,maybe it isnt the round based flower pots?

The base is round, not like a rock.

 

[frank180reef]

those are the hardest, but it would be a great experiment to see how it does especially if u feed it................I know pics are a PITA, maybe start a thread?

 

[FinsUp!]

The base of mine is round as well. It kind of looks like a golf ball when it's all closed up. I actually didn't even know that there were two types of goniopora when I bought it. If I had known that, and known that the type I got was more difficult to care for, I probably wouldn't have bought it

I moved it to a lower flow area yesterday morning, and it looks to be doing a little better. Still not open like it was, but I can actually see some of the polyps now. I may have adjusted my loc line returns and unintentionally directed more flow at it.

I will take a pic of it tonight.

 

[frank180reef]

well there are many types and colors of goniopora and then again there is alveopora which can look similiar..................Alveo is said to be easier, but I have less experience in it

even for the greens I have seen at least 5 variations
fwiw 6 years ago I had a lot of variations also, then I carbon dosed and removed all my nutrients, and lost most of the gonis.......................

they want nutrient rich water, I even shut my skimmer off on the weekend sometimes...................

 

[FinsUp!]

Funny that they like nutrient rich water and it doesn't seem to be doing well. I've been a bit slack with my water changes lately since I've been away most of july and left my parents in charge of the tank. Unfortunately that means I developed a bit of a hair algae outbreak, although that could mean that the HA is absorbing the nutrients that the goni wants and used to get? I'm hoping to get a chance to scrub the HA off the rocks this weekend.

I also turn my skimmer off every now and then because it's a pretty powerful skimmer and sometimes I think it skims too much and I've never carbon dosed. Everything else is doing great, it's just the goni that doesn't seem to want to open up.

 

[frank180reef]

How is the green goni doing? Gonis like the nutrient rich water, but I think the one u got is supper hard to keep..............IMO

 

[FinsUp!]

It's doing a lot better. Still not opened all the way, but it's looking much healthier than it was. I've been turning the skimmer down a few days a week, and not changing as much water when I do my water changes. Ive noticed my other softies/LPS seem to be doing better as well.

 

[frank180reef]

great
try to keep a log of when u got it, can u snap a picture?

 

[FinsUp!]

The lights are off for the night, but I'll try to get a pic tomorrow.