purple Gorgonia

[Ashna]

i was thinking about getting some of thesepretty little sea fans! is saw them in my aunt jens tank but tey ended up dying. i know nothing about them but i asked her to test her water and the perimiters were good aside from there being a smll amount of ammonia. she has a 14 gallon bio cube. could have the ammonia been the cause of them dying? regardless i want to get some my self pending on your suggestions...any and all input is helpful :)

 

[little_fish]

It could have been the ammonia, but seafans can very difficult to keep. Most are not photosynetic, and the ones that are usually brownish. They need to be feed small photoplankton.

A 14 gal tank is probably too tiny to support a seafan, i personally would not put them in anything less than 75 gal, well matured reef.

There are some other types of gorgonias that do do well in captivity. Here is a link to one.
Purple Tree Gorgonian

 

[d2mini]

I have problems with the purple ones too. They last for a while and then slowly start to lose the purple flesh off the sticks. My brown fluffy gorgs awesome.

 

[AmberSunrise]

I have a candelebra gorgonian its white and peach and its doing really well. I love when it sucks in all its fingers and is just a white bone looking thing really neat.

 

[little_fish]

The purple tree is the same as the candelebra. Those ones do the best in our tank, i have one as well (cepts its more brown/purple) that i really like when it stays stuck to its rock ;)

 

[Ashna]

awesome thanks,i will be home today and i gotta check my water then ill think about it