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Info
The Caribbean gorgonian Plexaura kuna was discovered towards the end of the 20th century, which raises the question of sufficient photosynthesis for the zooxanthellae, does sufficient light still reach such depths for the endobacts?
Recommendation - the coral should be kept in a species-specific tank.
Feeding
Gorgonians do not have zooxanthellae and do not live off light. Azooxanthellate gorgonians do not host symbiotic algae that produce nutrients and energy through photosynthesis.
The pumps should be switched off before feeding. In order for the gorgonian to survive in the aquarium, each individual polyp must be fed sufficiently, i.e. daily or 3-4 times a week. Without feeding, the gorgonian will not survive in the aquarium. The polyps need a certain amount of time to absorb the food (granules or dust food (Ultramarin, Cyclop Eeze) or frozen food (lobster eggs, mysis)). If shrimp and fish are present, they will try to steal the food, so it is essential to feed these cohabitants beforehand.
Newly introduced gorgonian sticks can be stimulated with a liquid food, e.g., PolypLab Polyp, to encourage the individual polyps to open. Only then can feeding be carried out.
The better the individual polyps take up the food provided, the better the growth and reproduction rates will be.
Azooxanthellate corals eat suspensions, marine snow, microplankton, and other organic matter, which is their natural food.
There are hard corals that still find enough light for their zooxanthellae at depths well below 200 metres. An example of this is Leptoseris hawaiiensis, which lived near Kauai, Hawaiii at an incredible depth of 470 metres at a temperature of just 8°Celsius.
The article introduces other deep-water specialists, read here:
"Community ecology of mesophotic coral reef ecosystems"
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227189099_Community_ecology_of_mesophotic_coral_reef_ecosystems
Although Plexaura kuna lives in water depths that divers can reach without much difficulty, the coral does not seem to find its way to the wholesale market, see https://shop.dejongmarinelife.nl.
Recommendation - the coral should be kept in a species-specific tank.
Feeding
Gorgonians do not have zooxanthellae and do not live off light. Azooxanthellate gorgonians do not host symbiotic algae that produce nutrients and energy through photosynthesis.
The pumps should be switched off before feeding. In order for the gorgonian to survive in the aquarium, each individual polyp must be fed sufficiently, i.e. daily or 3-4 times a week. Without feeding, the gorgonian will not survive in the aquarium. The polyps need a certain amount of time to absorb the food (granules or dust food (Ultramarin, Cyclop Eeze) or frozen food (lobster eggs, mysis)). If shrimp and fish are present, they will try to steal the food, so it is essential to feed these cohabitants beforehand.
Newly introduced gorgonian sticks can be stimulated with a liquid food, e.g., PolypLab Polyp, to encourage the individual polyps to open. Only then can feeding be carried out.
The better the individual polyps take up the food provided, the better the growth and reproduction rates will be.
Azooxanthellate corals eat suspensions, marine snow, microplankton, and other organic matter, which is their natural food.
There are hard corals that still find enough light for their zooxanthellae at depths well below 200 metres. An example of this is Leptoseris hawaiiensis, which lived near Kauai, Hawaiii at an incredible depth of 470 metres at a temperature of just 8°Celsius.
The article introduces other deep-water specialists, read here:
"Community ecology of mesophotic coral reef ecosystems"
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227189099_Community_ecology_of_mesophotic_coral_reef_ecosystems
Although Plexaura kuna lives in water depths that divers can reach without much difficulty, the coral does not seem to find its way to the wholesale market, see https://shop.dejongmarinelife.nl.
