Help, sick yellow gorgonian

[amyktexas]

I got a yellow gorgonian about 6 months ago, he's the non-photosynthetic kind. I have been feeding him Invertebrate Banquet and Phytoplankton and he was doing really good. About a month ago his polyps stopped opening. I've done water testing and all is well. I moved him lower in the tank since I had put in new brighter lights. Now his polyps haven't been out in a month, the tips have a small amount of skeleton showing (although I think he has actually regrown some flesh), and he keeps flaking off his skin. What should I do? I am worried that he is going to make a rapid decline and mess up the tank, but I would like to see if I can't get him to open polyps and feed again.

 

Thanks,

Amy

12g eclipse, up for 9 months

32w supernova

20 lbs lr

10 lbs ls

2 false percs

2 peppermint shrimp

red sea star

finger leather

green star polyps

green polyps

green zoos

[reefsrule]

It might have algae growing on it. I heard that they like high flow and low lighting and are hard to care for. Most of them usually die unless the conditions are perfect. Have you been spot feeding it? How high is your flow?

[amyktexas]

I'm running the stock filter plus two 404 minijet powerheads. He's in med/high current and lower in the tank, but mounted on rock so his feet arent' in sand.

Thanks for any ideas

[reefsrule]

you could try feeding it directly with a turkey baster. Try aiming for the polyps if they are open.

[Tempest]

Make sure he's not covered with algae. If he is, a 3 minute freshwater bath (adjusted for pH and temp) will kill the algae. Do you have fish in the tank? I've noticed that since I started feeding my fish PE mysis the gorgonians have much better polyp extension.

[qfour20]

My gorgonian did not respond very well to phytoplantkon feedings. I started using cyclopeeze and he seems to be doing much better. Significantly longer polyp extention, etc.

 

I cannot figure out when and why his polyps extend. Most of the time, half of him is extended, and half not. Oddly enough, he seems to understand that it's feeding time when I stir up all the dust on the rocks. After about 20 minutes of water circulation with the crud in it, his polyps are usually out, so I target feed him little clouds of cyclopeeze. Very cool because of its distinctive color, you can see which polyps ate, and how much.

 

Just my $.02. Hope he comes back strong!

 

-q

[Whitten]

I second the cyclopeeze. That is what I have been feeding my gorgonians, and I will tell ya if the polyps weren't open before the feeding.....the were as soon as it hit the water. Also like the others said, if you are having problems getting them to open, just take a turkey baster, and squirt infront of one of the polps patches to coerce it to eat.