Description
Not too long ago, Goniopora were notorious for being difficult to keep. They would look great for months and then mysteriously die off. While there are certainly other strains of Goniopora that have been kept successfully for a long period, this strain from the Marshall Islands Mariculture Farm is great for those who want Goniopora that won’t mysteriously die on them.
Goniopora are beautiful corals with a unique appearance. They sort of look like flowers, which is why they are sometimes called flowerpot corals. They have polyps that extend from the base via tentacles that vary in size. Goniopora come from several areas in the Indo-Pacific. They can be most commonly found in Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. However, these frags are maricultured in the Marshall Islands. This means they are grown in a controlled area of the ocean, away from the reef. This species comes in greens, pinks, and yellows, and they have a branching growth pattern. Goniopora corals don’t have specific lighting requirements. They can be kept in low lighting, as low as 50 micromoles of PAR, or they can be kept in higher lighting up to 200 micromoles of PAR. However, there is no benefit from keeping them in higher lighting and you risk bleaching the coral. In lower light, the coral may not display the best coloration. Generally, the best range is 75 to 125 micromoles of PAR, but there is some wiggle room with that. If you want to keep them in the higher range of that spectrum, make sure to acclimate them to it slowly.
As for flow, the key is indirect, random flow. These corals should not be placed in front of a power-head, but should still be receiving a moderate amount of flow. Too much flow will cause die-off, but too little will deprive the coral nutrients and cause detritus buildup. These corals are best placed on the bottom or middle section of the aquascape. Goniopora contain photosynthetic algae called zooxanthellae. This algae provides the coral with some of its nutritional requirements. However, feeding this coral is important. Every so often, you should give this coral a dusting with some sort of powdered coral food. Aside from that, you can also dose amino acids and phytoplankton to ensure maximum health of this coral. Also, make sure your nutrients are in a good place. Generally, you should keep your nitrates around 1-5 ppm and your phosphates at some barely detectable level, though the phosphates can be as high as 0.05. Some will even say that your nitrates can be as high as 20 ppm, but you may run into more algae problems at that level. For temperature, keep it 72-78 degrees Fahrenheit.
Care requirements
Purchase Size: 2″
Placement: Bottom to middle.
Lighting: Medium.
Flow: Moderate.
Parameters: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, salinity 32-35 ppt
Calcium: 350-450 ppm
Alkalinity: 8-12 dKH
Magnesium: 1,250-1,350 ppm
More Information
This Long Polyp Goniopora coral is maricultured in the Marshall Islands by ORA. The benefits of maricultured corals is they come with the cheap price of coming from the ocean, while not actually being taken from real reefs.
