I think this is a Feather Duster, but is it killing my Goni??

[TiltedReef]

Hey everyone,

Pretty sure a Feather Duster caught a ride in my Goni, but is it harming by setting up camp inside the Goni skeleton? Here are videos from a week ago with the gonis extended but now the Goni hasn't come out like it used to. the FD sticks out of the dead (darker) part of the skeleton, it came like this so i assume that's where it was fragged.

Don't know perameters, getting the water tested tomorrow and doing a water change tonight. been busy lately but my other coral seem to be doing alright.

Salinity 1.025
Ph: 8.0
Temp: 79F

 

[Reefing_addiction]

That dead spot in the center always been there?

Looks like it was a wild colony?

Those tend to be tougher to keep.

Seems like a lot of dead Skelton around the edges..


How long have you had it??

Gonis also tend to like stability a bit more
Do you dose anything?
Do you rely on WC to maintain numbers? How often?

You should get numbers before and after the WC

 

[TiltedReef]

That dead spot in the center always been there?

Looks like it was a wild colony?

Those tend to be tougher to keep.

Seems like a lot of dead Skelton around the edges..


How long have you had it??

Gonis also tend to like stability a bit more
Do you dose anything?
Do you rely on WC to maintain numbers? How often?

You should get numbers before and after the WC

I've had it for a couple weeks now. Yeah there was always a dead spot in the center but i feel the outer dead spot def got bigger.

I do dose red reef calcium and magnesium every other day as well as AB+ almost every day. My last test on 6/7 was as follows:

Alk: 174
Ph: 7.9
Phos 0.7
Ca 379
Mg 1273
Ammo .6
Nitrite 1.3
Nitrate 10

However this test was around 2 days after i finished dosing red cyano Rx by blue life and the cyano was gone at this point (dead cyano temporarily raised Nitrates)

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey everyone,

Pretty sure a Feather Duster caught a ride in my Goni, but is it harming by setting up camp inside the Goni skeleton? Here are videos from a week ago with the gonis extended but now the Goni hasn't come out like it used to. the FD sticks out of the dead (darker) part of the skeleton, it came like this so i assume that's where it was fragged.

Don't know perameters, getting the water tested tomorrow and doing a water change tonight. been busy lately but my other coral seem to be doing alright.

Salinity 1.025
Ph: 8.0
Temp: 79F

Its a tube worm which uses its fan to capture and steal food. As for goni, assure phos is not elevated, moderate light and medium water flow provided and aminos and even Manganese added to water occasionally. Mid tank or below often best

 

[Reefing_addiction]

So I do t think the feather duster is the issue

Only tried a wild colony 1 time and no success

in the video is that the most it’s ever extended?
How much par is it sitting in?

you could remove the duster but don’t think that will make a difference

Maybe try lower par/ lower flow

I stick with gonis that have been successfully grown in tanks…aquacultured. This does not always mean success.

I dose manganese…other than your magnesium your numbers are good it seems (but I wonder what swing is between water changes)

I started with only auto dosing alk supplement until all my other numbers went out of wack.

 

[TiltedReef]

So I do t think the feather duster is the issue

Only tried a wild colony 1 time and no success

in the video is that the most it’s ever extended?
How much par is it sitting in?

you could remove the duster but don’t think that will make a difference

Maybe try lower par/ lower flow

I stick with gonis that have been successfully grown in tanks…aquacultured. This does not always mean success.

I dose manganese…other than your magnesium your numbers are good it seems (but I wonder what swing is between water changes)

I started with only auto dosing alk supplement until all my other numbers went out of wack.

Very pretty gonis!
Yes that is basically as far as it has ever extended, the pics on Corals.com also show it extended as much as in my video ("Purple with Glowing Eyes Goniopora - Australia").

I can't change par cause i only have the stock BioCube lighting. However, I might try dosing manganese.

This is kind of strange as I have a wild Florida caribbean goniopora that is thriving and opening up so beautifully (albeit, this goni is on the sand bed) Should i move the pink goni onto the sand as well?

 

[TiltedReef]

Its a tube worm which uses its fan to capture and steal food. As for goni, assure phos is not elevated, moderate light and medium water flow provided and aminos and even Manganese added to water occasionally. Mid tank or below often best

Well Feather Dusters are a part of the Tube Worm family. This is likely not an average tube as it has a fan/crown

 

[vetteguy53081]

Well Feather Dusters are a part of the Tube Worm family. This is likely not an average tube as it has a fan/crown

While I agree, there are the pest type which this one often is classified as, has a calcareous housing whereas the Hawaiian duster or coco worm as an example has soft housing often built with detritus and will not cause problems or reproduce to the point of small infestations and upsetting certain corals

 

[TiltedReef]

While I agree, there are the pest type which this one often is classified as, has a calcareous housing whereas the Hawaiian duster or coco worm as an example has soft housing often built with detritus and will not cause problems or reproduce to the point of small infestations and upsetting certain corals

I have seen under the rock where my zoa colony is thriving having abandoned calcareous housings. Doubt this worm came from there but was already hiking on the pink goni, it even survived multiple Revive dips.

The goni itself does not have any white calcareous housing underneath it

 

[Reefing_addiction]

Very pretty gonis!
Yes that is basically as far as it has ever extended, the pics on Corals.com also show it extended as much as in my video ("Purple with Glowing Eyes Goniopora - Australia").

I can't change par cause i only have the stock BioCube lighting. However, I might try dosing manganese.

This is kind of strange as I have a wild Florida caribbean goniopora that is thriving and opening up so beautifully (albeit, this goni is on the sand bed) Should i move the pink goni onto the sand as well?

I would move it to the sand bed

 

[Reefing_addiction]

Can you see the tube for the feather duster? Or is it coming directly out of the Goni skeleton.

 

[TiltedReef]

Can you see the tube for the feather duster? Or is it coming directly out of the Goni skeleton.

directly out of the skeleton, one of the holes where tissue would have been coming out of. No tube, the pic in the OP is as far as it comes out. The worm only comes out when the blues begin to dim and good luck trying to remove it, it's so fast retreating back into the goni when spooked.

 

[Lavey29]

Why do you have measurable ammonia in the tank?

 

[TiltedReef]

Why do you have measurable ammonia in the tank?

That was ammonia reading two days after a lot of red cyano was killed off. I did water change immediately following that test, it should be lower now. I'm testing the water again tomorrow.

 

[Reefing_addiction]

What test kit do you use?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

This is kind of strange as I have a wild Florida caribbean goniopora that is thriving and opening up so beautifully (albeit, this goni is on the sand bed) Should i move the pink goni onto the sand as well?

The feather duster is harmless and extremely unlikely to be a cause of any issues. Personally, I'd check for other possible causes like water quality, PAR, flow, etc.

How long have you had the Caribbean goni? Any idea how its PAR and flow compare to the struggling goni's?

 

[TiltedReef]

What test kit do you use?

LFS has an API Aquaspin for 7 bucks a test

 

[TiltedReef]

The feather duster is harmless and extremely unlikely to be a cause of any issues. Personally, I'd check for other possible causes like water quality, PAR, flow, etc.

How long have you had the Caribbean goni? Any idea how its PAR and flow compare to the struggling goni's?

Have had the carib goni for about a month ill snap a pic when it’s out under whites this weekend. The skeleton is starting to spread with new polyps. My xenia and red xenia are doing amazingly and a fiji pipe organ glued to the back wall ive had for about 2 months is also growing nicely.

I moved the struggling goni to the sand bed and all the polyps came out, still not fully extended tho. Will continue to monitor

 

[TiltedReef]

While I agree, there are the pest type which this one often is classified as, has a calcareous housing whereas the Hawaiian duster or coco worm as an example has soft housing often built with detritus and will not cause problems or reproduce to the point of small infestations and upsetting certain corals

I LIED!!

I decided to look under the rock my Zoa colony is on and sure enough there are nice looking pinkish crowned tubes coming out of their calcareous housings. The worms look different than the one hobo tenting it up in my goni, no glittery feathers but still have feathered crowns. Anyway, Goni seems to be doing better on the bed with a more moderate flow. Will continue to monitor!

 

[TiltedReef]

Have had the carib goni for about a month ill snap a pic when it’s out under whites this weekend. The skeleton is starting to spread with new polyps. My xenia and red xenia are doing amazingly and a fiji pipe organ glued to the back wall ive had for about 2 months is also growing nicely.

I moved the struggling goni to the sand bed and all the polyps came out, still not fully extended tho. Will continue to monitor

Got a water test after water change yesterday. Pic of the results attached!

Here’s some pics of the Carib Goni under whites and beauty. Also a little snap of the Aussie goni, seems to be happier on the bed. (Featuring my zoa hat wearing urchin)