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Pennoyer
10/31/2006, 08:38 AM
Anybody have success with keeping these animals long term? If so, can you share some of your experience. I've read what I can but would like some more "hands on" info.

Marcus Nitzsche
11/14/2006, 07:43 AM
Dear Pennoyer,

I'm keeping some azoo. gorgonians since more that 1,5 years. I thinks it's possible if you want to do a lot of maintenance (especially to feed every single animal).

Here you can check out some (old) pics of my tank:
http://www.aquabilderbuch.de/MarcusNitzsche

On the right side you can see a picture with the azoo. gorgonians. The yellow one is a Menella sp. and easy to maintain. I keep this animal since 2 years without any problem. The red one is a Swiftea kofoidi that i keep since 1 year. This gorginia need a lot of food. Also my Acalycigorgia sp. (the blue one) need a lot of food to avoid starvation. This animal I'm keeping since 11 month. From this one I also had some sprouts at my tank glas. They grow up from 1 to 6 polyps in 3 month. I was very proud of it but it one day it was vanished (I think it were eaten by Acanthurus leucosternon).

I feed my gorgonians 3 times in the morning and up to 5 times in the evening with frozen lobster eggs and red plankto or mixture of german filter feeder food from company Faunamarin and cyclop eeze. I put the food into a big syringe, shake a few times and spray the food in the water flow in front of the gorgonians (not directly towards/into the animal).

Best regards

Marcus

Pennoyer
11/14/2006, 06:22 PM
Thanks. I've been feeding as much as possible and trying to teach the red one I have to open during the evening hours instead of early morning.

gary faulkner
11/14/2006, 09:36 PM
Marcus Nitzsche

[welcome]

Marcus Nitzsche
11/15/2006, 02:16 AM
@ Gary,

thanks for greetings :D !

@ Pennoyer,
do you have a picture of your "red one"? Or do you know the name (latin name)?

All gorgonians I keep in my tank are not affected from day/night rhythm, only from feed or not feed. Normally they're open 24 hours a day. One more: I realized that some species do not like so much light. What about your lighting?

Best regards

Marcus

Pennoyer
11/15/2006, 07:39 AM
I'll try to get a picture of it but not the best with posting pictures. I'm pretty sure it is a diodo nodulifera. I have alot of light in the tank (MH & T5) but it is secured to the underside of a cave overhang which is under the center brace of the tank so it is out of direct light entirely and is shaded completely. It receives random off and on strong flow when my close loop is running (~12 hours split into 6 in the morning and 6 in the evening) depending on which output has flow being directed to it and random off and on moderate to slow flow when the closed loop is not runing and only the main return sea swirls are on.

Gary Majchrzak
05/01/2007, 07:13 PM
Marcus- is it possible for you to post a close up (macro) picture of your Menella sp. gorgonian? Thank you!