I've got a pure white gorgonian (never been able to ID or seen any other like it) that I finally decided was taking up too much space and cut it down into 5. I've tried attaching the frags to rocks both with underwater epoxy and super glue with various rubberband, toothpick support devices, but nothing has worked. The epoxy comes closest, but the frag usually slips loose after 3-4 days. Any suggestions? I've been amazed by the new growth on the original, so I'd really like to be successful with this.
Anchoring gorgonian frags?
- Thread starter jorcutt
- Start date
Yeah, I've seen that done before. I use those little plastic deals from sprinkler heads for my sps, and things like merleti and all, but I guess I'm looking for something more attractive here. I was trying to attach them all to nice bases with like polyps and stuff growing on them. So the epoxy was ideal, but I think the gorg. just sheds the layer of tissue held by any glues. Might just have to strip the flesh off of a little section at the bottom to get it to work. Thanks for the suggestion, though.
I have always had trouble with gorg frags myself.
I have lost so many nice frags because they just popped loose and swept away.
Recently I aquired a fresh cut frag. I found a rock that had a hole that was about 1/4 inch in diameter. It looked like a pretty deep hole, so I filled it up with super glue gel, and pushed the frag down as far as it would go. About an inch up the stalk.
So far, (about a month) it has held and the gorg is expanding nicely. It seems my super glue over kill method may work.
I have had really bad luck with epoxy and gorgonians. Every gorg I have tried to epoxy eventually fell out and was lost.
I have lost so many nice frags because they just popped loose and swept away.
Recently I aquired a fresh cut frag. I found a rock that had a hole that was about 1/4 inch in diameter. It looked like a pretty deep hole, so I filled it up with super glue gel, and pushed the frag down as far as it would go. About an inch up the stalk.
So far, (about a month) it has held and the gorg is expanding nicely. It seems my super glue over kill method may work.
I have had really bad luck with epoxy and gorgonians. Every gorg I have tried to epoxy eventually fell out and was lost.
Thanks for the tips, all. It has held tight in some pretty good current for almost two weeks now. I think the key is to scrape off a bit of the tissue at the base so the super glue has something to hold onto. Actually, the epoxy/superglue combo worked perfectly. The hardened epoxy already formed the perfect hole, so I just pumped that full of super glue, and the gorgonian held tight in a matter of seconds.
Now if only I could ID it...
http://www.seacrop.com/Cream%20Pics/Cream%2014.jpg
Now if only I could ID it...
http://www.seacrop.com/Cream%20Pics/Cream%2014.jpg
PURE white. Yeah, I've never seen anything like it either. When it first came in I thought it had just bleached out. But I had it for like 6 months before I started to frag it. I'm pertty sure it's non-photosynthetic. Amazing how fast all the frags (and the parent) have been growing since cutting.
Jurcott-
Sea of Cortez has an all white gorgonian just like the one pictured. 6 months ago, we (Cortez Marine) were loaded with em, I'll check our files and see if we shipped you (MSI) some. We've also got one that fades from red tips down to orange in the middle, then white at the base. Pretty hardy, I've had mine over 10 months now, with tons of new growth. I had a coral beauty nipping at it for a while (till he past away(5years)). It was real fun watching the bald areas regrow the tissue.
Sea of Cortez has an all white gorgonian just like the one pictured. 6 months ago, we (Cortez Marine) were loaded with em, I'll check our files and see if we shipped you (MSI) some. We've also got one that fades from red tips down to orange in the middle, then white at the base. Pretty hardy, I've had mine over 10 months now, with tons of new growth. I had a coral beauty nipping at it for a while (till he past away(5years)). It was real fun watching the bald areas regrow the tissue.
Any ideas on a name? Or have you ever seen them anywhere else? If you're better at keeping records than Mary and I are, perhaps you could at least find out what your exporter called them? I unfortunately didn't look at the time. But yeah, 6 months is about the same time frame, so I'm sure we probably got them from the same place. Thanks.
Jurcott,
We're the exporter in question (Cortez Marine). I'll look it up, I've got it on our permits (in spanish and latin) and in several books, all of which are at the shop. I'll dig around tonight for a species list I made, it still might be in an old email. Either way I'll get it to you asap.
Gresham
We're the exporter in question (Cortez Marine). I'll look it up, I've got it on our permits (in spanish and latin) and in several books, all of which are at the shop. I'll dig around tonight for a species list I made, it still might be in an old email. Either way I'll get it to you asap.
Gresham
Thanks for the lookup, but I think ours came from Indonesia, just don't remember which supplier. These are a few of the first pics that popped up for Muricea californica, "Californian Golden Gorgonian" though.
http://www.divebums.com/FishID/Pages/go ... olden.html
http://www.oceanlight.com/lightbox.php?ss=gorgonian
http://www.photovault.com/search/option ... imgid=2721
http://www.divebums.com/FishID/Pages/go ... olden.html
http://www.oceanlight.com/lightbox.php?ss=gorgonian
http://www.photovault.com/search/option ... imgid=2721
Nice pictures, but you know how exports docs go some times. You don't always get a true match of species to real animal delivered. We've got 2 different gorgonians on our list, but we get in 4 different ones. The all white one is close to the one I listed, but diffrerent in color. We'll be getting Mexico in again shortly, I'll have them get another white one and take a few pics. I seen hundreads, I almost positive thats what it is. But like I said, I'll look it up in our files, all outgoing is invoiced and saved.
Sounds good, Gresham, thanks again for the help.
BTW...back to the propagation topic, just hacked up a bunch of different gorgonians this week, attaching with superglue, and they're all holding nicely. Just find a rock with a hole big enough to fit the stalk into, trim off the "flesh" that will be touching the glue, hold it for a few seconds, let it sit out of water for another minute, and voila! REALLY easy. Didn't have to reglue a single one. So easy, I feel foolish for asking before trying. Of course it will depend on the species and your parameters how quickly it actually grows onto the rock, but I don't see any of them breaking away. And FWIW, all types I've tried now seem to really respond well...polyps that hadn't been out for a week were out (and have stayed out) in 30 min!
BTW...back to the propagation topic, just hacked up a bunch of different gorgonians this week, attaching with superglue, and they're all holding nicely. Just find a rock with a hole big enough to fit the stalk into, trim off the "flesh" that will be touching the glue, hold it for a few seconds, let it sit out of water for another minute, and voila! REALLY easy. Didn't have to reglue a single one. So easy, I feel foolish for asking before trying. Of course it will depend on the species and your parameters how quickly it actually grows onto the rock, but I don't see any of them breaking away. And FWIW, all types I've tried now seem to really respond well...polyps that hadn't been out for a week were out (and have stayed out) in 30 min!
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