Talk to me about GSP!

[Neptunes World]

Okay, so I have a tank I want to do all GSP in with maybe a kenya tree or three sticking out of them for contrast. I see all kinds of GSP colors but this pick caught my eye. I noticed in this pic that the green part is very long. Does this variety have a name, and, even more so, is it a name thats recognized? The original seller (here on RC) way back in 09 called them "electric" GSP, well, no duh, lol, but the reason i am trying to get specific is I want to buy a mat of maybe 10" x 10" so I want to know what to ask for if I have to say it in an email or something.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y270/gary334/IMG_0307.jpg

[spazthecat]

I have the same thing in my tank now. I've always just seen them called Green Star Polyps.

--Andy

[Palting]

There are more than a dozen varieties that are commonly called "Green Star Polyps", unfortunately. Some of them aren't even green!! You'll just have to pick from the WYSWYG section of any online vendor, or wait until your LFS gets one that you like.

A caution on GSP: they are weeds!! They can overgrow your tank and suffocate some coral. If you want them, keep them on a separate rock island and aggressively prune back any wandering heads.

[hemicuda]

where are you located? if you're in social near the 818/805 i will give you some that is bright green like that.

[Neptunes World]

There are more than a dozen varieties that are commonly called "Green Star Polyps", unfortunately. Some of them aren't even green!! You'll just have to pick from the WYSWYG section of any online vendor, or wait until your LFS gets one that you like.

A caution on GSP: they are weeds!! They can overgrow your tank and suffocate some coral. If you want them, keep them on a separate rock island and aggressively prune back any wandering heads.

I have these clove type brownish GSP so I know what you mean by not so green, lol.

I know I dont have much choice, but, with WYSIWYG will be $$ for something thats a weed and should not be $$, no telling what they did to the pic to make it look good and WYSIWYG will be small, like 2"x2" or so and I need a 10"x 10" patch for a "decent" price. But, if thats all I have, then thats all I have. :rolleyes:

I planto to have my 55 rock work covered in it from one end to the other. Since it is a in wall, if it grows on the back wall, thats fine also. Like the song says "let it grow, let it grow, let it grooooow". Oh, wait, thats snow. :jester:



where are you located? if you're in social near the 818/805 i will give you some that is bright green like that.

Thanks for the offer but I am all the way over as far as you can get on the east coast. :sad2: I would however be willing to pay for a good size patch if you think it could get here unscaved to 20659.

[Michigan Mike]

You need a large patch of metallic green star polyps? I got two frags or $5 a piece and that stuff grows crazy under good lighting. It's more green than it looks here, under 6500k daylight and pink plant bulbs. Taken with iphonehttp://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o535/Mike_Mcdougald/Snapbucket/346900F2.jpg
Under 420 actinichttp://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o535/Mike_Mcdougald/Snapbucket/5902A461.jpg
There are always people wanting to get rid of these and Xenia because they grow over everything.

[wireefman]

i think this is a sweet idea... i would look for some pink star polyps as well.. that would make a nice contrast against some electric green

[MarcBergmueller]

How come I can't get it to grow. I have no problem with xenia, polyps, lps, and softies. It shrinks up and dies.

[TheGodParticle]

It's Neon Green Star Polyps... They are floating around Kansas City like crazy, seems almost everyone around here has some, stuff grows so fast and looks good. If you can't find any then you may try looking for Green Encrusting Gargonian. It's even brighter green the the Neon GSP I have both in my tank and hands down the Gargonian looks better, plus its a lot longer.

[Michigan Mike]

Encrusting gargonianshave longer polyps you can actively watch curl up food, pretty neat.

[Neptunes World]

So, THATS what I have!?!?!? Looking at the pics of Encrusting gargonians, thats it!? Though, I have what is brown with a green sliver on each finger. I guess it would be green, but, just like my torch and GBTA, its all brown, which I dont understand because they have been in the window for 5 months or so. But........ Encrusting gargonians? Cool! Slow growers but cool!

Edit: Searching google threads, I may have Briareum which is a version of gargonians?

[Neptunes World]

Okay, this is what I read "Each gorgonian polyp has eight tentacles which catch plankton" and I counted them, and, yup, they sure do have that. Well, nice to know what I do have but thats not what I want, lol.

[Voxboy]

Encrusting gargonianshave longer polyps you can actively watch curl up food, pretty neat.

I thought this was GSP...does this look like crusting gorgonian to you ??

I have not seen GSP this "flourescent" when I google pics of it. Friends of mine want this colour in GSP and are always asking me to frag some for them.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8162/7418182262_8fbb61a1af_c.jpg

[Michigan Mike]

I have an encrusting gargonia too. Mine is not green polyped but the mat is similar purple. The polyps are longer and have tiny ruffles in the polyp fingers unlike gsp which is smooth.
Here it is closedhttp://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o535/Mike_Mcdougald/Snapbucket/E8DBFC28.jpg
Here's a fun pic ( the only pic I have of it this close ) but you can't see the polyps that well.http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o535/Mike_Mcdougald/Snapbucket/E75C385C-orig.jpg

Btw that is gsp in the pic above

[Michigan Mike]

Gsp has a white dot in the center of the polyp. Another easy way to tell is target feed some plankton and brine shrimp- the gargonians will catch the food and retract the polyp with the food. If it's growing slow try feeding it more.

[joelespinoza]

Reading through some other articles it looks like when GSP is retracted it has small projections where the polyps come out and encrusting gorgonia is completely flat.

[jprime84]

Here is my GSP island. I have found that you get the fullest extension on the polyps in very high flow areas
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5464/7413777352_5fbf3891d0_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jprime84/7413777352/)
got the 75g running (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jprime84/7413777352/) by jprime84 (http://www.flickr.com/people/jprime84/), on Flickr

[jprime84]

Macro shot in different lighting
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6159/6176451947_a42160da42_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jprime84/6176451947/)
Fun my new Tamron 90mm Macro lens! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jprime84/6176451947/) by jprime84 (http://www.flickr.com/people/jprime84/), on Flickr

[breakdanc3]

<a href="http://s442.photobucket.com/albums/qq141/breakdanc3/?action=view&amp;current=100_0468.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq141/breakdanc3/100_0468.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[TheGodParticle]

I thought this was GSP...does this look like crusting gorgonian to you ??

I have not seen GSP this "flourescent" when I google pics of it. Friends of mine want this colour in GSP and are always asking me to frag some for them.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8162/7418182262_8fbb61a1af_c.jpg

The stuff in your pic is 100% Gargonian IMO. I have my Neon GSP and Gargonion right next to each other and there a noticeable difference. I can post a pic tonight if you'd like.

[Voxboy]

The stuff in your pic is 100% Gargonian IMO. I have my Neon GSP and Gargonion right next to each other and there a noticeable difference. I can post a pic tonight if you'd like.

Now it makes sense to me. It was sold to me as GSP. No wonder I couldnt find the same intense colour.

Thanks

[rrasco]

I have 'GSP' that is not green at all. It's pink. Has the white dot in the center and it didn't grow for jack until I started dosing two part. The encrusting is also pretty flat, it doesn't have those tubes that I see in jprime's pic; just a little nub for the polyp. Now that my levels are good, the thing is blazing out of control. It's growing in 5 directions. Still pink though, but that's under my crappy t5s that barely have actinic. I can't wait to get it under my LED rig on the new tank.

[Neptunes World]

Okay, so, this is what "I" have, what is it? And i am not talking about the hair algae, lol.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=6450&pictureid=44453




Yo, breakdanc3, uhm, we need to talk ma brotha, lol.


Are you all sure it is called Gargonian, the long green tenticled stuff? I keep seeing pictures of stuff like this when i pull up that name on google:

http://www.painetworks.com/photos/ez/ez1943.JPG

[Michigan Mike]

^ ya that's a gargo it's not a encrusting form, I have a book of corals ( not with me at the moment but I'll look when I get home in a little bit ) and I remember star polyps and E.C. Were similar.

Above looks like a form of anthelia to me but ec polyps look more like that compared to gsp's straight tentacles.

[Michigan Mike]

All the pictures of green polyps are star polyps not ec.If you have some try feeding it. I haven't seen a pic of ec besides the one I posted.

[Michigan Mike]

My echttp://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o535/Mike_Mcdougald/Snapbucket/1FA15122.jpg
http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o535/Mike_Mcdougald/Snapbucket/E8DBFC28.jpg

[Neptunes World]

Above looks like a form of anthelia to me but ec polyps look more like that compared to gsp's straight tentacles.

I dunno, maybe, but, it looks and encrusts just like GSP when it is closed up, same size also. Breakdac3 has the right stuff I want whatever it is, but, I need a LOT of it, lol.

What is "ec"?

[Michigan Mike]

Oops stupid IPad ...supposed to be short (e.g.) for encrusting gargonian.I see, there are many different forms that are commonly named the same thing. E.g. Ha polyps that look more like anthelia. I still think the green stuff is a gsp because it looks like the tenticles are too smooth to be a e.g.
Still the easiest way to tell is to try and feed it, gsp won't enclose the food and retract the polyps like e.g. will.
I agree whatever it is in the pic is very pretty indeed! Nice color.
Also I was gonna say I have some other gsp that looks like the stubby not long flowing kind.

[Palting]

Okay, here is my encrusting gorgonian.

It started with this, probably the size of a postage stamp.
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/ab71/Kalawing/IMG_0094.jpg

It is now about 14" wide. It is encrusting not only the rock it was on, but the substrate and two SPS skeletons I put against it. It got to this size within 6 months. It probably would easily be triple this size and have taken over my tank by now, but I have aggressively been prunning it and cutting it back to limit it. I have kept it down to this size for almost 2 years now.
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/ab71/Kalawing/Snapbucket/2A406C94.jpg

[Neptunes World]

Interesting yours is all brown. Mine has a shimmer of green in the thick part of the stalks of the fingers if the actinic-ish blue hits them just right. All in all though at this point, I would have to say I have some kind of gorgonians.

[jaschall]

[QUOTE=Neptunes World;20390226]Okay, so, this is what "I" have, what is it? And i am not talking about the hair algae, lol.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=6450&pictureid=44453

This is looking like xenia to me, kinda hard to tell but it's looking like its on a stalk to me.

[Neptunes World]

Its on a stalk just like GSP but the stalk is attached to a mat and hides in its little protective mat cover just like GSP. Anthilia and Xenia kind of grow side by side either attached to each other in some way or drop off separate.

Maybe tomorrow I will clean off all the algae and bang it around to anger it and make it retract then take a picture of it.

[Michigan Mike]

One thing I did see at a lfs was gsp all up the overflow and side of the tank. Pretty cool looking swaying back and forth. Imagine the whole back glass covered under actinic lighting. Whoa that would either be hypnotic or way too much glowing green. LoL

Ihave one of those common wood looking inserts you commnly see at pet mart in another tank and I fragged a little bit off and hope it will cover it.

[Neptunes World]

I can post a pic tonight if you'd like.

Would you? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!?!?!?

[Neptunes World]

Okay, tired of this editing snafu and made a photobucket account, sheesh!!

You have to use your imagination because the camera is not showing the pic correctly, but, all the white you see in the fingers of the coral, imagine that as a metallic green. Least that is what it is to my eyes and I have studied it hard to make sure I am not seeing things.

http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii546/NeptuesWorld/sheez.jpg

[Neptunes World]

Did you slip a picture of anthilia in there mike??


My echttp://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o535/Mike_Mcdougald/Snapbucket/1FA15122.jpg

[Michigan Mike]

Nope that's my encrusting gargonian.
Your pic looks like anthelia to me just like the other pic of the stuff that has the white face tentacles and looks like a Xenia sort off.
Earlier I meant are you looking for a large patch of gsp? Mine aren't very big yet but they do grow, grow, grow! LoL
Sorry for the confusion there and the whole ec eg thing!
See my gnarly red/orange sponge Turnicate thing in the top right of the pic? One of my first live rock hitch hikers , I also have a couple poyps that look like that pic at post #35 that I think is anthelia.

[Neptunes World]

Hmmm, thats interesting because it looks like this:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=6450&pictureid=44590



First hitch hiker? And you still have it? That makes it even cooler!

Yea, I hear they grow fast, but I need to find what you have in a big big piece so it can be one of the same type when grown out. I plan to crop dust them on my home made rock formation. I dont think I have the patience to wait for a 1"x1" piece to cover a 4 foot by 3 foot span, lol. Still might take you up on it though seeing as how that stuff with long tentacles is hard to find. Price is perfect but have to do a little more looking :thumbdown: :mad2: