Gorgonians in reef tanks

Gorgonians belong to the favorite animals of some reef hobbyists. Quite a few of them favor colorful and finely branched specimens. But be careful, such gorgonians are mostly azooxanthellate species, i.e. gorgonians that do not possess any symbiotic algae. They depend therefore on the regular addition of fine food like plankton and can rarely be kept in the aquarium in the long run. In contrast, gorgonians such as Eunicea, Pinnigorgia, Rumphella, Antillogorgia or Plexaura are very robust species. Due to the symbiotic algae that reside in their tissue, a good lighting is sufficient for them as a nutrition basis. Nevertheless, they also benefit from occasional supplementary feeding in the form of fine dust food or plankton.

Keeping Gorgonians

Current is the key to keeping gorgonians. Choose a location with strong and changing flows in the aquarium. If the gorgonian sometimes does not show polyps, this could be a sign of too little flow. Elevated nutrient levels are usually not a problem. A big enemy of gorgonians are filamentous algae. You should avoid these by all means.