Drs. Odalisca Breedy & Jorge Cortés, Costa Rica
Info
The fan coral Pacifigorgia cairnsi is a really effective plankton scavenger, as the coral's dense body structures keep almost all plankton drifting by!
These fan gorgonians have been discovered on rocky reefs of Caño Island, Colombia on vertical rock walls, further specimens have been encountered on rock walls covered with sponges, bryozoans and algae.
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.
The species co-occurs with Pacifigorgia irene and Pacifigorgia rubicunda, but is the dominant species at some sites.
Colonies found in Ballena Marine National Park, Costa Rica, are smaller than those from Caño Island.
We found this species at two different rocky sites with strong currents in Ballena Marine National Park.
This species was also observed in December 2001 in the Gulf of Chiriqui, Panama, where it lives on vertical walls in deep rocky reefs.
Etymology.
This species named in honor of Dr. Stephen Cairns (USNM) for his encouragement, guidance, and valuable friendship throughout the course of this project, which began four years ago.
These fan gorgonians have been discovered on rocky reefs of Caño Island, Colombia on vertical rock walls, further specimens have been encountered on rock walls covered with sponges, bryozoans and algae.
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.
The species co-occurs with Pacifigorgia irene and Pacifigorgia rubicunda, but is the dominant species at some sites.
Colonies found in Ballena Marine National Park, Costa Rica, are smaller than those from Caño Island.
We found this species at two different rocky sites with strong currents in Ballena Marine National Park.
This species was also observed in December 2001 in the Gulf of Chiriqui, Panama, where it lives on vertical walls in deep rocky reefs.
Etymology.
This species named in honor of Dr. Stephen Cairns (USNM) for his encouragement, guidance, and valuable friendship throughout the course of this project, which began four years ago.
