Zoological Studies
Info
Unfortunately, there is very little information available about the gorgonian Pseudothelogorgia hartogi, including just two published water depth data of 18 meters and 57 meters.
The gorgonian was first described from the Arabian Sea by the coral specialist Dr. Leen van Ofwegen, who unfortunately died much too early, and named it Lignella hartogi.
The study material from 57 meters depth was collected by the R/V Anton Bruun expedition in the Indian Ocean in 1963 -1964.
Later the species was renamed by Frederick Bayer and has since been known as Pseudothelogorgia hartogi.
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.
Etymology. The species name "hartogi" was chosen in memory of by Dr. Koos den Hartog, Curator of Coelenterata et al, at the National Museum of Natural History in Leiden, The Netherlands.
Synonym: Lignella hartogi van Ofwegen, 1990
The gorgonian was first described from the Arabian Sea by the coral specialist Dr. Leen van Ofwegen, who unfortunately died much too early, and named it Lignella hartogi.
The study material from 57 meters depth was collected by the R/V Anton Bruun expedition in the Indian Ocean in 1963 -1964.
Later the species was renamed by Frederick Bayer and has since been known as Pseudothelogorgia hartogi.
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.
Etymology. The species name "hartogi" was chosen in memory of by Dr. Koos den Hartog, Curator of Coelenterata et al, at the National Museum of Natural History in Leiden, The Netherlands.
Synonym: Lignella hartogi van Ofwegen, 1990
