
Most Goniopora will need additional feeding, though. They usually do well with very small particles of food like phytoplankton, oyster eggs, and sometimes brine shrimp. You can also try a liquid food specifically designed for these corals.
What do you feed Goniopora?
Most Goniopora will need additional feeding, though. They usually do well with very small particles of food like phytoplankton, oyster eggs, and sometimes brine shrimp. You can also try a liquid food specifically designed for these corals.
How do you care for Goniopora?
Additionally, you should place Goniopora colonies in areas where they can spread their tentacles without coming in contact with other corals. This coral does not get along well with others, and will try to sting and kill any other coral in its vicinity, especially LPS corals such as frogspawn.
How hard is it to care for a Goniopora coral?
Goniopora coral care has become dramatically easier in the recent past, but it is difficult still to grow in captivity. So difficult, in fact, that for years hobbyists thought it was impossible to keep this beautiful coral alive more than a few months.
Where should I place Goniopora in my Aquarium?
Proper tank placement is important to ensure your coral is getting the right amount of light and current. Additionally, you should place Goniopora colonies in areas where they can spread their tentacles without coming in contact with other corals.

What do Goniopora coral eat?
Goniopora are a photosynthetic coral so they derive some of their nutritional requirements from light. This is done through a symbiotic relationship with dinoflagellates called zooxanthellae that live in the flesh of the coral.
Can you feed Goniopora Reef-Roids?
Introduction. Reef-Roids is a blend of naturally occurring marine planktons, which contains a species of zooplankton that is unique to our product. It is formulated to minimize water degradation and is ideal for Goniopora, Zoanthids, Mushrooms, and all other filter feeding corals.
Do Goniopora like high flow?
It did not like direct flow one little bit; did its best very near the sand-bed well out of the way of any direct flow but with plenty of gentle water movement around it.
Where should I place my Goniopora?
The best placement for Goniopora coral is an area with moderate light intensity and water flow. This would typically be considered the middle region of the aquarium, about halfway between the most and least intense lighting and flow and away from the water flow.
Do you need to feed Goniopora?
Some goniopora require lots of food and some do not.. The red ORA goni does fine without direct feeding but seems to do better with some feedings. Some goniopora though require lots of feeding, it is the key to keeping allot of the harder to keep varieties. Some like g.
How often do you feed Reef-Roids?
How often should I feed Reef-Roids. Twice a week is the recommended schedule for feeding coral. You can start at once per week and slowly increase to 2-3 per week so long as your tank's filtration can handle the additional nutrients without an issue.
Does Goniopora grow fast?
Once the tissue reaches the plug or rock encrusting growth can be as quick as 1 mm a month. The next step in Goniopora propagation (and for all corals for that matter) is sexual reproduction in captivity.
Can you dip Goniopora coral?
I generally use Seachem's Reef Dip. I do a double dose of the Iodine in the water and leave the coral in there for double the time (20-30 minutes). I do this for the first few days twice a day.
Will Goniopora spread?
This is my fastest growing Goniopora. Tissue spreads quickly over freshly cut skeleton and then onto the mounting plug. It prefers moderate to high water flow, with moderate to high lighting conditions. I feed this species DT's oyster eggs, Cyclop-eeze juice and phytoplankton three to five times per week.
Is Goniopora a beginner coral?
Goniopora (Flowerpot coral) They're still a moderately difficult coral to care for and require intensive research and feeding.
Can Goniopora touch other corals?
They won't sting each other if they are closely related. Some sold as gonis are close, others less so.
Can you put Goniopora next to each other?
Goniopora can be very aggressive but not all are. Some can be next to each other while others are not. They can also put sweepers out pretty far if need be. It can happen fast since gonis are very touchy.
Where do you put Alveopora?
Some corals are very light demanding and can change color dramatically under different intensities or different spectrums, but Alveopora tend to maintain a consistent appearance. I would recommend finding a spot in the tank where the coral would receive a middle of the road intensity of around 50-100 PAR.
Where do I put my chalice coral?
Chalice Corals prefer horizontal placement in areas of low to medium light and water movement. Keep in mind that the Chalice Coral can readily adapt to different amounts of lighting.
Are Goniopora easy to care for?
There are no "hard to care for" Goniopora. The vast majority of the wild ones are impossible to care for in a home aquarium. It might be their diet or something chemical, but people have been speculating for 30 years and still don't know. They slowly die from the bottom up.
Where do you put the ACAN coral?
The best placement for an Acan coral is in a location with moderate water flow & light intensity, six inches or farther away from neighboring corals. Too much water flow or light will damage the coral. Acans will damage other corals closer than 6-inches.
What is a goniopora flower pot coral?
The Goniopora Flower Pot Coral is a spectacularly beautiful and delicate Large Polyp Stony (LPS) coral that used to be thought of as impossible to care for in a home aquarium but is now within reach of aquarium owners with experience caring for moderately difficult species who are willing to feed and nurture them. As their name suggests, the large, flowing polyps can look like a collection of flowers and can be an eye-catching addition to your tank.
Where does the goniopora coral come from?
The Goniopora Flower Pot Coral, like most of the coral species you would add to your tank, originally comes from a warm water tropical reef. Many of the individuals you will find in the hobby are originally from the reefs around Australia. This image helps see where the common name comes from.
What color do goniporas take?
Lighting. Gonipora Flower Pot Corals are generally thought to be LPS corals that prefer moderate lighting levels. When lighting is too high, these corals will bleach. Too low and they will slowly take on a more brown, less vibrant coloration–due to the changes in the population of symbiotic zooxanthellae in their polyp tissue.
What do gonipora polyps look like?
As their name suggests, the large, flowing polyps can look like a collection of flowers and can be an eye-catching addition to your tank. Let’s dive a bit deeper into what it takes to care for the Gonipora Flower Pot Coral.
Do goniporas need food?
Although the Gonipora Flower Pot Coral does get some of its nutrition from light (via the dinoflagellates in their polyp tissue), they are animals, and animals need to eat. Lack of nutrition from feeding is thought to be one of the factors that led to the very low survival rates experienced by early reef tank owners.
Do photosynthetic corals need lighting?
Photosynthetic coral: yes. Lighting: Moderate. Water flow: Moderate. Placement: Upper half of the tank (depends on the intensity of the lighting and height of aquarium) Feeding: Absolutely required to keep them alive: small particle foods including phytoplankton and zooplankton.
Do Gonipora corals flow fast?
In terms of water flow, Gonipora Flower Pot Corals definitely follow the Goldilocks principle there--not too fast, not too slow, but just right. What does just right mean in this case? Anyone who has seen these corals can attest that they are beautiful and almost mesmerizing when the long flowery polyps are extended and flowing in the current.
What is a goniopora coral?
Meet the Goniopora Coral. Goniopora corals are large polyp stony corals - or LPS corals - that are valued for their beautiful, flower-like appearance. These corals grow in circular clumps and have stalks with polyp heads and small tentacles at the end of each stalk.
Why is Goniopora so hard to grow?
One of the reasons for this is that people kept trying to keep colonies of the G. stokesi species, often known as Green Flower Pot Coral.
How long does it take for a goniopora to open?
They may also stay closed if you have fish that are constantly rubbing against them. It can also take a few days for Goniopora to reopen once placed or moved in a tank, so you may just need to give it some time to get comfortable.
What color are flower pot corals?
These corals come in a variety of colors. The most common are green and brown, though they can be found in hues of pink, purple, blue, gray, teal, yellow, and cream.
Can you keep goniopora in a mixed tank?
However, there have been many reports of Goniopora being successfully kept in mixed tanks as long as they are given enough space. Most varieties of Goniopora are encrusting, which means you need to be sure they have enough room to spread on the surrounding surfaces when they start to grow.
Can goniopora corals be propagated?
Now, there are multiple stories of experienced hobbyists and stores being able to keep these little guys alive for years. It's even possible to propagate them in some cases.
Is Goniopora a photosynthesis?
Goniopora coral is largely photosynthetic. Like many corals, they have a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, a marine algae that lives in the soft tissues of corals and helps them convert light into glucose, glycerol, and amino acids in order to meet their nutritional needs.

Table of Contents
Quick Facts About The Goniopora Flower Pot Coral Care
Natural Habitat
- The Goniopora Flower Pot Coral, like most of the coral species you would add to your tank, originally comes from a warm water tropical reef. Many of the individuals you will find in the hobby are originally from the reefs around Australia.
Ideal Tank Conditions and Care Guide
- The ideal tank conditions to care for the Gonipora Flower Pot Coral involves a combination of the right chemistry, lighting feeding, placement, and tank mates.
Water Chemistry
- Here are some quick stats about the ideal water chemistry for Gonipora Flower Pot Coral care: 1. Hardness: 8-12 dkH 2. Calcium: 400-450 ppm 3. Temperature: 73-84 degrees Fahrenheit 4. pH: 8.1-8.4 5. Salinity: 35 g/L A quick note here--there are ranges listed for a few of the parameters above, but a quick note of caution that the intent here isn’t t...
Two Helpful Videos
- If you have a few more minutes, check out these two excellent videos about Gonipora Flower Pot Coral care:
What to Read Next
- If you plan to keep the Gonipora Flower Pot Coral at home, you may want to learn a bit more about: 1. How to culture phytoplankton at home 2. How to feed corals The first article will save you money over the long run and can be a fun and interesting aspect of this hobby all on its own. The second article introduces a vital technique (feeding corals) you will need to master, to keep …
Conclusions
- The Gonipora Flower Pot Coral is certainly a show-stopping beauty that will be an attractive showpiece in your tank, but you have to be willing to put the time in to carefully feed and nurture this moderately difficult LPS coral if you want it to thrive in your tank. If you’re on the fence about whether you can keep up with the maintenance, it may be best to leave them at your local fish st…