Description
Sea whip cream photosynthetic gorgonian
Gorgonian corals are often called sea fans or sea whips and are an Octocoral, (meaning 8 tenticles), and are found throughout the oceans. They are a very colourful group of sessile, colonial soft corals belonging to the order Alcyonace, and in the family Gorgoniidae.
They are renowned for their tree-like, branched structures and vibrant colours, which are supported by a flexible internal skeleton made of a protein called gorgonin. They are found in oceans worldwide, with high diversity in the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific, and can be either photosynthetic or non-photosynthetic. Gorgonia are zooxanthellate and can feed on light through their symbiotic algae, but also take up dissolved nutrients and filter food particles from the current.
Difficulty: Easy
Lighting: Medium to High
Flow: Medium
Feeding: Relies on zooxanthellae and small particles of food plankton.
Aggressiveness: Peaceful
Supplements: Calcium, Magnesium, Iodine,