New purple gorgonian

R

roadblock

AC Members
Jan 1, 2005
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Hello, I just purchased a new purple gorgonian, and the lfs said to just stick it in the sand. Is this proper way to place a gorgonian in a tank? If not, what is the proper method?

I was also told that it should never be exposed to air like a sponge, is this true?

I would appreciate any help with this matter. Thank you.
 
Last edited:
roadblock said:
Hello, I just purchased a new purple gorgonian, and the lfs said to just stick it in the sand. Is this proper way to place a gorgonian in a tank? If not, what is the proper method?

I would appreciate any help with this matter. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Amazes me that stores can give out so much bad info and stay in business. Gorgonians live anchored to rocks, not stuck in sand. The bottom part of the coral is modified into a holdfast to grip the rock. If the gorgonian is still attached to a piece of rock, this can be wedged into your rockwork, or attached with epoxy putty. If you just have the bare holdfast at the bottom, it can be superglued or epoxied to a piece of base rock and placed where you want it.
 
Well actually, the owner of my lfs is very good to deal with, very informative.
It's the butthole that works for him that is bad news.
 
Well, it's not attached to any rock, so I assume it is just the bare holdfast.
My lfs sells epoxy for just such a thing, so tommorow I will go buy some. Is it okay to take the gorgonian out of the water to do this?
 
I have heard people say not to take gorgonians out of water, not sure why. I don't make a habit of pulling them out, but have never seen any ill effects, even when they have been out several minutes for serious mounting. Sprung and Delbeek also have a great photo series about how to frag and mount gorgonians, all out of water. If it concerns you, it's not a huge problem, because you can work with the putty under water.

Regardless of how you do it, remember that the epoxy will take a few hours to set, so you may have to reduce the current to keep from blowing the coral over while the putty is soft. You may even want to rig up rubber bands or a cable tie to hold the gorgonian in place while it sets, depending on the geometry.

By the way, the $2 white household epoxy putty at the hardware store is as safe as what they sell at the LFS.
 
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