Goniopora not doing well

rhostam

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Be careful making a bunch of changes trying to fix this.

They can handle bright light and moderate flow just fine. But they need acclimation to the brighter lights. I kept mine at the top of my rock scape.

They are notoriously difficult to keep and they have a reputation of doing well for months and months only to suddenly retract and wither away and die.

I will say this:

I have a green and an ORA red. They both did fine in bright light and moderate flow. They did fine for months on end. I fed amino acids and reef roids on the regular.

Then I adjusted lights to preview some settings one day and that or something else ticked off the ORA red.

I kept the the ORA red where he was. It slowly began to bleach as it was clearly stressed and now starving due to not extending its polyps. However, though the base was whitish the polyps crowns even retracted still maintained some amount of red coloration. So I let it be. It never accumulated algae. The shrimp never bothered it (a sign a coral is dying or diseased).

And so it stayed that way for about three months.

I checked chemistry, but nothing stood out as problematic and certainly nothing that changed suddenly. Other than the lighting testing I did. Who knows?

Then finally the polyps miraculously started to pop out. What little color was concentrating on the polyps was more washed out once the polyps extended. And they continued to extend. After about two month they started to get their color back and today ORA red finally looks red. The polyps have yet to fully extend beyond a centimeter or so, but they clearly are happier and the coral is on the mend.

Choose a strategy, and give it time before shifting gears. If they close up immediately upon touch, o suppose it isn’t a surprise they would get annoyed by anything else that is actually stressful for it.

Good luck!
 
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Glenner’sreef

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Some say running gac will reduce the toxins in the water.
Good call! I replace my Chemi Pure ever three months like clockwork. Because again, we can’t see this stuff.
Here’s a shot of my 11” Tyree Green Toadstool Leather. Up and out of the way.
2951E31C-B0E7-4E4D-AB2F-E01D29515F87.jpeg
 
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iMi

iMi

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Be careful making a bunch of changes trying to fix this.

They can handle bright light and moderate flow just fine. But they need acclimation to the brighter lights. I kept mine at the top of my rock scape.

They are notoriously difficult to keep and they have a reputation of doing well for months and months only to suddenly retract and wither away and die.

I will say this:

I have a green and an ORA red. They both did fine in bright light and moderate flow. They did fine for months on end. I fed amino acids and reef roids on the regular.

Then I adjusted lights to preview some settings one day and that or something else ticked off the ORA red.

I kept the the ORA red where he was. It slowly began to bleach as it was clearly stressed and now starving due to not extending its polyps. However, though the base was whitish the polyps crowns even retracted still maintained some amount of red coloration. So I let it be. It never accumulated algae. The shrimp never bothered it (a sign a coral is dying or diseased).

And so it stayed that way for about three months.

I checked chemistry, but nothing stood out as problematic and certainly nothing that changed suddenly. Other than the lighting testing I did. Who knows?

Then finally the polyps miraculously started to pop out. What little color was concentrating on the polyps was more washed out once the polyps extended. And they continued to extend. After about two month they started to get their color back and today ORA red finally looks red. The polyps have yet to fully extend beyond a centimeter or so, but they clearly are happier and the coral is on the mend.

Choose a strategy, and give it time before shifting gears. If they close up immediately upon touch, o suppose it isn’t a surprise they would get annoyed by anything else that is actually stressful for it.

Good luck!
Thank you for sharing your experience. I appreciate it.
 
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iMi

iMi

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Good call! I replace my Chemi Pure ever three months like clockwork. Because again, we can’t see this stuff.
Here’s a shot of my 11” Tyree Green Toadstool Leather. Up and out of the way.
2951E31C-B0E7-4E4D-AB2F-E01D29515F87.jpeg
I’ve already bottomed out my nitrate and phosphates once, causing a horrific outbreak of Dino. I scrubbed the tank too clean at some point, so now I don’t rinse the sock as often and try to maintain those two elements, even if I have to dose them. I have chemipure blue on hand, but I’m hesitant to stick it in there.
 

Mywifeisgunnakillme

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Run some carbon and dose some chaetogro, some people think (including i believe Jake Adams from Reefbuilders) that gonnies need certain traces... when i checked chaetogro had those traces (can't remember what offhand), and the chaetogro dosing isn't going hurt anything.

My gonnies were not looking so hot and started dosing some chaeto grow per instruction on the back and most recovered that were not too far gone.
 

Forty-Two

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I use reef roids on my Goni - and its doing quite well thus far. For a while I didnt feed it, and/or did some broadcast feeding. This didnt work well and was leading to bleaching and other issues.

I now use a thicker Reef Roids paste, and spot feed the Goni. This seems to work much better and its much healthier and happier now.

Other question: Where are your Goni's from? Indonesian Goni's are a problem from what I understand. Australian Goni's are much hardier/stronger and do better.
 

Mywifeisgunnakillme

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I use reef roids on my Goni - and its doing quite well thus far. For a while I didnt feed it, and/or did some broadcast feeding. This didnt work well and was leading to bleaching and other issues.

I now use a thicker Reef Roids paste, and spot feed the Goni. This seems to work much better and its much healthier and happier now.

Other question: Where are your Goni's from? Indonesian Goni's are a problem from what I understand. Australian Goni's are much hardier/stronger and do better.

They probably like feeding, but it might not be necessary IME. These ones are in a fishless coral qt. It's got some nutrients. But i don't feed them. They get tank water from another tank.



These were retracked and unhappy but perked up when i added some trace, contained in chaeto grow (or some other similar trace supplement). When i forget to dose it, i can see things i dont like regarding the gonnies, and dosing right then makes that go away. I would definitely try that, there's no harm in it. And it may work.... did for me.
 

Forty-Two

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They probably like feeding, but it might not be necessary IME. These ones are in a fishless coral qt. It's got some nutrients. But i don't feed them. They get tank water from another tank.



These were retracked and unhappy but perked up when i added some trace, contained in chaeto grow (or some other similar trace supplement). When i forget to dose it, i can see things i dont like regarding the gonnies, and dosing right then makes that go away. I would definitely try that, there's no harm in it. And it may work.... did for me.
My understanding is Goni are necessary to feed. If you dont feed them they will slowly die.
 

Mywifeisgunnakillme

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My understanding is Goni are necessary to feed. If you dont feed them they will slowly die.

Those ones that i don't feed are growing. They did like some trace. I suppose i could feed, and I'm not saying don't feed, but i have not seen the need, and i am saying try some trace (whatever you do). Another poster previously mentioned the specific elements, but chaetogro has them i believe.
 

Mywifeisgunnakillme

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Iron and manganese. See here, question by some dude:

Screenshot_20211018-020718_DuckDuckGo.jpg


Answer from these guys starting at 5:05 and elements mentioned at 6:15.



They also note that they have looked closely and cant actually see gonies feed, citing julian sprung.
 

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