We have 2 hammer corals and two red gorgonias in our 46 gallon set up. We were curious if they would get bigger, put out new "branches" or stay the same. They are doing well at this point. Thanks for all the great info for us "newbies"
how do hammercorals and gorgonias grow?
- Thread starter g. mcclean
- Start date
I my limited knowledge I know they require certain trace elements such as calcium which they use as part of their structure to grow. Gorgonians are strict filter feeders and rely on microscopic organisms to come to them in a suitable current (as opposed to some corals which can capture brine shrimp etc.) They are the more difficult specimens to keep and it is not uncommon for them to die within 6 months in an aquarium. I don't know much else, I hope someone else can add.
There are many photosynthetic gorgonians, which can be relatively easy to keep with adequate light. You have to know which species you have in order to know what they need. The bright red ones I know are non-photosynthetic. Brine shrimp nauplii can be used if they're non-photosynthetic, but it will be a challenge to get them enough food.
If you treat them well, corals will grow for you. The gorgonians will form new branches, the hammers will form new polyps. You will definitely need to keep your calcium and alkalinity at optimum levels (450-500 ppm and 3-4 mEq/l, respectively) for growth.
If you want to be successful with corals, I strongly suggest buying Eric Borneman's "Aquarium Corals," and buying or borrowing Sprung and Delbeek's Reef Aquarium two volume set (the hammer and the gorgonians are in volumes 1 and 2, respectively, so you can't just get one). Although the hammer coral is one of the "easier" corals, the books are excellent and will take a lot of the mystery out of the process of growing them.
If you treat them well, corals will grow for you. The gorgonians will form new branches, the hammers will form new polyps. You will definitely need to keep your calcium and alkalinity at optimum levels (450-500 ppm and 3-4 mEq/l, respectively) for growth.
If you want to be successful with corals, I strongly suggest buying Eric Borneman's "Aquarium Corals," and buying or borrowing Sprung and Delbeek's Reef Aquarium two volume set (the hammer and the gorgonians are in volumes 1 and 2, respectively, so you can't just get one). Although the hammer coral is one of the "easier" corals, the books are excellent and will take a lot of the mystery out of the process of growing them.
thanks for coral answer
Dave, Thank you for the response to my coral question. I have been working on the calcium and alkalinity. I use phytoplankton as suggested by my LFS. I will definitely get a hold of the books mentioned.
Dave, Thank you for the response to my coral question. I have been working on the calcium and alkalinity. I use phytoplankton as suggested by my LFS. I will definitely get a hold of the books mentioned.