Let's talk blueberry

[Joseph Wrightson]

I've read in many places that blueberry gorgonian are next to impossible to keep in the home aquarium. Just curious about others experience with these guys. Also wondering why a filter feeder is supposedly so hard to keep.

I've had mine for 2 to 3 months and it's doing fine. I don't do anything special for it. I alternate between phyto feast and spot feeding with coral frenzy. As of this morning calcium is 420, alkalinity is 8.4, and magnesium is 1400. Tank is rsm c130 with mp10 power head.

Any and all info is welcome

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

So far not next to impossible , plain old impossible. Been looking at the blueberry gorg for about six years (yes my favorite) have not seen a single one last.

Science just does not know exactly what it eats. I spent time a couple years ago with a research team at macna studying NPS Gorgonians and sea fans. Besides the what it eats there’s the problem of how to supply enough of it.

Flow is the next prob. The video of them in the wild (that I’ve seen) show they live in massive constant flow. Not turbulent like acro in the surface (like a hot tub) but like standing in near gale force winds.

Most other gorgs I’ve seen wild are in low , med etc flow.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Short term success does not equate to long term success with this coral, they need almost constant flow as Salty said and they eat a variety of particulates in addition to critters such as phyto and zooplankton. The problem stems from not being able to perfectly copy their natural habitat in a glass box, they need a lot of things that we cannot easily provide 100% of the time so they generally degrade over time to the point where they just die.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Short term success does not equate to long term success with this coral, they need almost constant flow as Salty said and they eat a variety of particulates in addition to critters such as phyto and zooplankton. The problem stems from not being able to perfectly copy their natural habitat in a glass box, they need a lot of things that we cannot easily provide 100% of the time so they generally degrade over time to the point where they just die.

Google , Gorgonian bacterial farming.
Also Eric Borneman , the food of the reef part 5 bacteria.

 

[Joseph Wrightson]

Google , Gorgonian bacterial farming.
Also Eric Borneman , the food of the reef part 5 bacteria.

Thanks for the info. I'll check these out.

 

[Pescador]

That doesn't look like a blueberry to me. I'm 97% sure from your picture that is Diodogorgia.