Hey everyone,
One of my favorite corals has been the much-maligned Goniopora.
You've heard a lot over the years about how they are touchy, hard to keep, and just generally trouble. Perhaps the reputation is true, but perhaps it's also a bit outdated, based on some "early millenia" experiences with poorly collected, improperly handled wild specimens. Now, I'm not here to tell you that Gonis are "beginner's corals" or are "set and forget" specimens for your mixed reef, but I will tell you that they are not quite as scary as many have been led to believe. With an understanding of their basic needs, and a little effort put forth towards meeting their needs, they can be great species for serious reefers!
Goniopora belong to the family Poritidae, (yep, the family where Porites reside). In the wild, they are found in a variety of reef environments, ranging from high-energy surge areas to lagoons with more modest water movement. For the most part, many of the species that we offer tolerate moderate to strong water movement and moderate to bright lighting just fine. One of the keys to success with Goniopora, in our experience, and the experience of others, such as our propagator at Reef Gen, Justin Credabel, is providing proper food. We have such a great variety of foods from which to choose nowadays that it makes keeping many species once thought difficult much easier. For the most part, the species that we offer are fed a variety of small particle-size frozen and liquid foods, such as Reef Nutrition "Oyster Feast", and other phytoplankton feeds.
All of the specimens that we are highlighting in this post, and pretty much the bulk of the ones we offer, are from captive-propagated sources, which has done a lot to increase the hardiness of your specimens, as well as the success rate! We are pretty comfortable in recommending our Goniopora species to any reefer who is familiar with the tenants of good reef-keeping practice: Water quality, lighting, placement, water movement, and nutrition.
Here are a few Gonis from our collection and a few comments on each:
Goniopora stutchburyi- A very cool encrusting form that tends to do best in "SPS"-like conditions (i.e.; higher light intensity and stronger water movement)
Aussie Yellow Center Goni - We love this variety! It's surprisingly hardy, easy to feed (with the aforementioned foods), and responds quite well to propagation techniques.
UC "Golden Goniopora"- We've worked with this one for some time. It seems to really like current, and it heals rather quickly from cutting. It grows pretty fast, too, for a Goni.
ReefGen Purple "Justin's Purple Goniopora" - A great variety that is rugged, forgiving, and quite attractive. Justin has worked with this variety for years and the specimens we receive from ReefGen are typically rock-solid. In our opinion, one of the best Gonis out there for the widest variety of reefers.
This pink variety is extremely attractive, seems to feed well, and really opens up in bright light and moderate to strong water movement. We have had great success in propagating this variety, as it seems to heal pretty quickly. It really opens up when conditions are to it's liking.
So, if you are contemplating a Goniopora for your collection, be sure to read up on their care. Although much easier (in our experience) than you might think, it is still wise to not attempt keeping on unless you have some understanding of their needs. If you are ready for them, rest assured that teh specimens that you purchase from us are hardy, healthy, and encrusted before they are released for sale. We want to give you the best possible chances for success with these wonderful corals!
Enjoy your weekend!
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
One of my favorite corals has been the much-maligned Goniopora.
You've heard a lot over the years about how they are touchy, hard to keep, and just generally trouble. Perhaps the reputation is true, but perhaps it's also a bit outdated, based on some "early millenia" experiences with poorly collected, improperly handled wild specimens. Now, I'm not here to tell you that Gonis are "beginner's corals" or are "set and forget" specimens for your mixed reef, but I will tell you that they are not quite as scary as many have been led to believe. With an understanding of their basic needs, and a little effort put forth towards meeting their needs, they can be great species for serious reefers!
Goniopora belong to the family Poritidae, (yep, the family where Porites reside). In the wild, they are found in a variety of reef environments, ranging from high-energy surge areas to lagoons with more modest water movement. For the most part, many of the species that we offer tolerate moderate to strong water movement and moderate to bright lighting just fine. One of the keys to success with Goniopora, in our experience, and the experience of others, such as our propagator at Reef Gen, Justin Credabel, is providing proper food. We have such a great variety of foods from which to choose nowadays that it makes keeping many species once thought difficult much easier. For the most part, the species that we offer are fed a variety of small particle-size frozen and liquid foods, such as Reef Nutrition "Oyster Feast", and other phytoplankton feeds.
All of the specimens that we are highlighting in this post, and pretty much the bulk of the ones we offer, are from captive-propagated sources, which has done a lot to increase the hardiness of your specimens, as well as the success rate! We are pretty comfortable in recommending our Goniopora species to any reefer who is familiar with the tenants of good reef-keeping practice: Water quality, lighting, placement, water movement, and nutrition.
Here are a few Gonis from our collection and a few comments on each:
Goniopora stutchburyi- A very cool encrusting form that tends to do best in "SPS"-like conditions (i.e.; higher light intensity and stronger water movement)
Aussie Yellow Center Goni - We love this variety! It's surprisingly hardy, easy to feed (with the aforementioned foods), and responds quite well to propagation techniques.
UC "Golden Goniopora"- We've worked with this one for some time. It seems to really like current, and it heals rather quickly from cutting. It grows pretty fast, too, for a Goni.
ReefGen Purple "Justin's Purple Goniopora" - A great variety that is rugged, forgiving, and quite attractive. Justin has worked with this variety for years and the specimens we receive from ReefGen are typically rock-solid. In our opinion, one of the best Gonis out there for the widest variety of reefers.
This pink variety is extremely attractive, seems to feed well, and really opens up in bright light and moderate to strong water movement. We have had great success in propagating this variety, as it seems to heal pretty quickly. It really opens up when conditions are to it's liking.
So, if you are contemplating a Goniopora for your collection, be sure to read up on their care. Although much easier (in our experience) than you might think, it is still wise to not attempt keeping on unless you have some understanding of their needs. If you are ready for them, rest assured that teh specimens that you purchase from us are hardy, healthy, and encrusted before they are released for sale. We want to give you the best possible chances for success with these wonderful corals!
Enjoy your weekend!
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
