Blue berry gorgonian care

[gorgoniansfever]

Over the past four months, I have seen no growth in the original mother colony of my Blueberry Gorgonian. However, the basal disk has expanded with new tissue, and eight new polyps have emerged. Some second-generation polyps have already matured, and their body size is actually larger than those on the mother colony. Their tentacles are longer, and they remain open for much longer periods each day. Recently, the health gap between them has widened significantly; while the new polyps thrive, the polyps near the tips of the mother colony are showing signs of atrophy.
It makes me think: the mother colony was collected from the wild, carrying the 'memory' and metabolic inertia of its original environment. She is unable to adapt to adapt to this new setting, so it is channeling its remaining energy into creating a next generation that is more suitable to new specific environment.
I truly hope I can raise this new generation well, just like that Taiwanese hobbyist I mentioned before.

Below movie shows the current status(14/03/2026) of my Blueberry Gorgonian :

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

Over the past four months, I have seen no growth in the original mother colony of my Blueberry Gorgonian. However, the basal disk has expanded with new tissue, and eight new polyps have emerged. Some second-generation polyps have already matured, and their body size is actually larger than those on the mother colony. Their tentacles are longer, and they remain open for much longer periods each day. Recently, the health gap between them has widened significantly; while the new polyps thrive, the polyps near the tips of the mother colony are showing signs of atrophy.
It makes me think: the mother colony was collected from the wild, carrying the 'memory' and metabolic inertia of its original environment. She is unable to adapt to adapt to this new setting, so it is channeling its remaining energy into creating a next generation that is more suitable to new specific environment.
I truly hope I can raise this new generation well, just like that Taiwanese hobbyist I mentioned before.

Below movie shows the current status(14/03/2026) of my Blueberry Gorgonian :

I don't know anything about Blueberry Gorgonians, but have you considered that the mother colony portion may no longer be getting enough flow to feed the polyps and remove waste? I know you target feed polyps, so that may not be an issue, but polyps still need waste removal. Don't act on me saying so, but you may want to research this. Good luck!

 

[gorgoniansfever]

I don't know anything about Blueberry Gorgonians, but have you considered that the mother colony portion may no longer be getting enough flow to feed the polyps and remove waste? I know you target feed polyps, so that may not be an issue, but polyps still need waste removal. Don't act on me saying so, but you may want to research this. Good luck!

I find your reasoning very sound. Given the three critical requirements for Blueberry Gorgonians : high flow , heavy feeding, good water quality, and considering that my current flow is a bit too gentle, I’m inclined to believe that increasing the flow will have a positive impact on the whole coral.

 

[gorgoniansfever]

I modified the water flow one week ago, doubling it (nearly 100% increase). Since then, all polyps are staying open 200% longer. In my latest video, it’s clear that the tentacles of the polyps of both the basal disc and the top tip have grown much longer. I feel so lucky that I don't have to do this all by myself. Thank you so much for your vital advice to boost the water flow and for always caring about this coral.

Below movie shows the new status(21/03/2026) of my Blueberry gorgonian:




Below movie shows water flow speed with some tools. My plan is to recreate the same flow speed and movement pattern when I set up my new tank:

 

[gorgoniansfever]

Less amount of feeding fish
Increase amount of GFO
new water quality of my tank :
No3 =4.6 ppm
Po4 =0.006 ppm
Temperature = 23--24 °C

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

Less amount of feeding fish
Increase amount of GFO
new water quality of my tank :
No3 =4.6 ppm
Po4 =0.006 ppm
Temperature = 23--24 °C

I understand from this thread that Blueberry Gorgonians suffer with high PO4. Has "high" been defined? One successful case had "undetectable" PO4. Do you know the test method used? I also know Blueberries are non-photosynthetic and have little or no direct need of PO4.
However, I am concerned with PO4 so low as you have now. Don't you have a big risk of dinoflagellate explosion with nutrients bottoming out?

 

[gorgoniansfever]

I understand from this thread that Blueberry Gorgonians suffer with high PO4. Has "high" been defined? One successful case had "undetectable" PO4. Do you know the test method used? I also know Blueberries are non-photosynthetic and have little or no direct need of PO4.
However, I am concerned with PO4 so low as you have now. Don't you have a big risk of dinoflagellate explosion with nutrients bottoming out?

Thank you so much for your good advice; you are like a mentor and a friend to me!
In fact , my tank's sand and rocks are covered fully with gha + brown algae(not dino) .Such algae consum a lot of n+p.
Do you think such algae can surpress dino ?

Below photo shows mentioned gha+brown algae

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

I am no expert, but I think at least one may be a dino. It is in the 1:00 position in photo above, about 20% of diameter from outside edge.
@ReefSquad

 

[gorgoniansfever]

Recently, I increased and improved the water flow. Thanks to this, the polyps that were previously atrophied and had shorter tentacles have started to flourish again and gain volume. Their tentacles have also regrown and become much longer.

Below movie shows blueberry gorganian updated status :

 

[gorgoniansfever]

Due to my Redsea tank's silicone seals are showing signs of erosion, I buy a new tank(600x600x500mm),about 230L.
The flow settings for the new tank are similar to the old one: two 20W wavemakers at 80% power.

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

Due to my Redsea tank's silicone seals are showing signs of erosion, I buy a new tank(600x600x500mm),about 230L.
The flow settings for the new tank are similar to the old one: two 20W wavemakers at 80% power.

Very nice. It looks like your animals are happy in their new home. How long has the new tank been stocked? So sorry to hear about your Redsea. I'm happy you caught the erosion before a catastrophic failure occurred.

 

[gorgoniansfever]

Very nice. It looks like your animals are happy in their new home. How long has the new tank been stocked? So sorry to hear about your Redsea. I'm happy you caught the erosion before a catastrophic failure occurred.

It’s been stocked for 5 days.I'm just happy I didn't flood the house!

 

[gorgoniansfever]

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1CfPxzkEQa?t=13.7

Above link is about a nps tank , there are two blueberry gorgonians which are positioned front and center in the tank. He's had one of his Blueberry Gorgonians for over a year. He mentioned they're much harder to keep than his other sea fans and aren't doing great, as they've lost a lot of polyps since he first got them.Honestly, though, I think he’s doing a great job regardless!

His feeding (Feed once every two days):
mix includes fish meal, freeze-dried copepod powder, chlorella powder, frozen brine shrimp, and frozen copepods.(spot + boardcast feed)

His tank water parameters:
temperature : 23°C
nitrate : 10 ppm
phosphate: 0.05 ppm

 

[gorgoniansfever]

New update of my blueberry gorgonian:
Many new baby polyps have appeared on the basal disk's tissue over the past two weeks.

 

[gorgoniansfever]

The baby polyps I mentioned last time have grown much larger now. And a new batch of baby polyps has appeared!

below movie shows new update of base baby polyps

 

[SantaMonica Verified Sponsor]

Gorgs look to be a good application of the new frozen feeders

 

[gorgoniansfever]

The filtration system in this new tank set is much better than before, making it easier to export pollutants.(new bigger roller filter machine and the turnover rate in the sump has more than doubled.)

New tank water parameters:
temperature : 23-24°C
nitrate : 0.5-1 ppm
phosphate: 0.04-0.07 ppm

Many new baby polyps have appeared on the right hand side of basal disk's tissue over the past two weeks.

below movie shows new update of base baby polyps:

 

[Elisabeth GER]

Everything I see looks great!

The polyps are fully extended and multiplying.
The basal disc looks great, too.
The tissue on the branches and trunk also looks excellent. It’s very dense and not at all translucent.

Congratulations!

Elisabeth

 

[gorgoniansfever]

Everything I see looks great!

The polyps are fully extended and multiplying.
The basal disc looks great, too.
The tissue on the branches and trunk also looks excellent. It’s very dense and not at all translucent.

Congratulations!

Elisabeth

Hallo Elisabeth,
I frequently follow your valuable experiences regarding NPS tanks on the German forums. What particularly impressed me is your insight into the importance of laminar flow for gorgonians.(I have also been using laminar flow mode in my tank for nearly a month now.) . As you noted:

'In my opinion, a tank for sea pens (a lesson I learned the hard way) must offer laminar flow. This is likely also beneficial for gorgonians—at least for fan and whip gorgonians.
My reasoning: After more than two years of observation and experience, I have found that sea pens avoid turbulent flow. They will leave their designated spots and drift through the tank, eventually falling victim to the pumps or simply driving me crazy.
It is often claimed (though I have no personal experience with this) that fan gorgonians lose their fan-like growth form in reef tanks; I suspect turbulent flow is the cause of this as well. In their natural habitat, the flow comes from either the front or the back, which is clearly visible in nature photography.
Regarding my whip gorgonians, I have observed that they maintain their corkscrew-like growth if the flow always comes from the same direction; in fact, they grow very evenly in a spiral shape. Based on these and other observations of my sea pens and gorgonians, I believe that a room divider (peninsula tank) with the greatest possible length is optimal for tanks requiring laminar flow.'"

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

Everything I see looks great!

The polyps are fully extended and multiplying.
The basal disc looks great, too.
The tissue on the branches and trunk also looks excellent. It’s very dense and not at all translucent.

Congratulations!

Elisabeth

Hallo Elisabeth,
I frequently follow your valuable experiences regarding NPS tanks on the German forums. What particularly impressed me is your insight into the importance of laminar flow for gorgonians.(I have also been using laminar flow mode in my tank for nearly a month now.) . As you noted:

'In my opinion, a tank for sea pens (a lesson I learned the hard way) must offer laminar flow. This is likely also beneficial for gorgonians—at least for fan and whip gorgonians.
My reasoning: After more than two years of observation and experience, I have found that sea pens avoid turbulent flow. They will leave their designated spots and drift through the tank, eventually falling victim to the pumps or simply driving me crazy.
It is often claimed (though I have no personal experience with this) that fan gorgonians lose their fan-like growth form in reef tanks; I suspect turbulent flow is the cause of this as well. In their natural habitat, the flow comes from either the front or the back, which is clearly visible in nature photography.
Regarding my whip gorgonians, I have observed that they maintain their corkscrew-like growth if the flow always comes from the same direction; in fact, they grow very evenly in a spiral shape. Based on these and other observations of my sea pens and gorgonians, I believe that a room divider (peninsula tank) with the greatest possible length is optimal for tanks requiring laminar flow.'"

Thank you @gorgoniansfever for sharing this and @Elisabeth GER for writing it! I had no idea about this flow preference. That said, I have laminar flow areas of my tank within a generally turbulent flow design. So, turbulent flow aquarists do not necessarily need to exclude gorgonians from their stocking list on this basis; they just need to accomodate them.
Thank you for the insight!