What do the purple sea fans eat?

What do the purple sea fans eat?

zooplankton
Although a sessile animal, the sea fan is a nocturnal, carnivorous, passive feeder which develops around strong water currents. The tentacles of the polyps extend outward which allows the zooplankton to be collected and eaten (Hoegh-Guldberg, 1999).

Are gorgonians a soft coral?

A Gorgonian is a soft coral with small polyps. These corals actually have two types of polyps. The autozooid polyps function to consume plankton from the water. The siphonozooid polyps also have an oral cavity, but they consume water which supplies necessary oxygen to the Gorgonian.

Why Gorgonia is known as sea fan?

The skeleton is composed of calcite and gorgonion, a collagen-like compound. The calyces in which the polyps are embedded are in two rows along the branches. Many of the smaller branches are compressed in the plane of the fan, which distinguishes this species from the Venus sea fan (Gorgonia flabellum).

Do gorgonians shed?

Gorgonians shed to remove the algae that has grown on them.

Do Gorgonians like high flow?

Water flow Gorgonians tend to live in moderate-to-high flow areas on the reef. It will not be a surprise to you then, to conclude that they will do best, in the home aquarium, in moderate-to-high water flow areas.

What do you feed Gorgonians?

Cyclops, brine shrimp, small mysis are all taken. IMO one of the easier non-photosynthetic gorgonians to keep. Good water flow is beneficial too. I feed mine with a syringe to ensure that most, if not all, polyps are fed at every feeding.

Are gorgonians hard to keep?

This gorgonian is fairly soft and sways in the current, so it is a nice coral to add if you are looking for more movement in your reef. It is very easy to keep and will tolerate many different tank conditions. It does like strong lighting and will flourish under Metal Halide, T5, and LED lighting.

Is a sea fan alive?

Sea fans look a lot like plants with colorful, forked “branches.” But they’re actually animals, just like their relatives, the corals and jellies.

Is Gorgonia a medusa or polyp?

Sea fan (genus Gorgonia) belongs to class Anthozoa, phylum Cnidaria. It is a variety of coral composed of numerous polyp having cylindrical sessile forms that grow together in a flat fan-like pattern.

Can gorgonians be exposed to air?

All content here is available for continued discussion at the new forums. Is there any problem with exposing a gorgonian to air? Yes, avoid it if at all possible.

Do gorgonians need calcium?

Gorgonian Coral prefer the standard calcium levels between 400-450 ppm. This level is optimal for most corals and should come as no surprise.

Do Gorgonians like flow?

Gorgonians tend to live in moderate-to-high flow areas on the reef.

Do gorgonians sting each other?

Gorgonians of different species will usually sting each other if they touch, and even members of the same species will retract their polyps in places where they rub together. The sting of most gorgonians is quite weak, so they tend to lose coral wars with pretty much everything.