Flower pot not extending?

[masonicman]

I've had this flower pot for about 2 or 3 months and It has extended just a little and retracted. It's not dead, it still has its green color. My parameters are all on point so that not the issue. What other conditions should I be looking at.

[thegrun]

The long term survivability of flowerpot corals is very low. Very few have been able to keep one more than 6 months. Yours is likely on the way out.

[masonicman]

Yes I heard they were hard to keep. It was given to me so I thought I would give it a chance since most corals I put in my tank do very well.

[david pinder]

try moving it to different spots in your tank. That worked for me have 5 and mine are growing some doubled in size. That said have not had any luck with the green ones just the other colors

[nrbelk]

what type of conditions do they like? Bright lights? High flow?

[rovster]

Seems the green ones are a lost cause. I had one that lasted for months, then one day it just started retracting and never came back. Depressing really. That was the first and only time I've bought something without researching first. The LFS told me they were very hardy, just git it good flow and light.....yeah right

[aandfsoccr04]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...ight=goniopora

HTH

[masonicman]

Yeah this is a green one. I have moved it up higher, across the tank, sand bed and it just won't extend. oh well

[unclejed2]

I was instructed to turn all flow off and feed it separately and make sure all the polyps are fed at least 3 times weekly. The reason many do not make it is that it is a hassle to feed them.

[Wannabe29]

I read an article on here about the gonioporas and it gave some pretty good info. Wish I had the link. Just do a search for goniopora and you'll probably find it in one of the threads. Or, do a google search. I'm not sure which search produced the article, really.

What the article said was that different species vary considerably in their care. Also, the idea that they were a lost cause was outdated and based on the fact that the majority of the ones that were coming in early on (and are still coming in) are Goniopora stokesi, which apparently has abyssmal survival rates in captivity.

Some other things the article said was that Goniopora generally do not like to be moved around. Basically, find a spot that you think might suit the needs of the species that you have and leave it be. Some species like strong flow. Some don't. Some prefer strong lighting. Some don't. The article said you really have to narrow down what species you have in order to give it the best chance for survival since all Goniopora are not created equal.

I believe the article said that the mounding or branching forms of goniopora were generally easier to keep than the encrusting forms.

With regards to feeding, the article stated that particle size matters. Basically, the smaller the better. It said that positive feeding response was seen when feeding with oyster eggs, striped bass blood, and the fine particles left over from thawed frozen foods. It was recommended that the coral be fed at least 5 times a week. However, it did say that some will do fine with less feeding or no feeding at all. So, kind of inconclusive with the feeding issue. It more than likely depends on the species involved. One more note on feeding; the article did say to be carefull not to blast the polyps with water when feeding as they will simply close. It recommended cutting the top of a plastic soda bottle off so you have a clear "bubble" with the opening on top. Next, place the "bubble" over the top of the coral and feed it through the top opening with a turkey baster, being careful to avoid strong currents. It said to leave the "bubble" over the coral 30 min so that it could feed without fish and inverts picking at it for the food.

Hope that helps.