Dr. Odalisca Breedy, Panama
Info
Leptogorgia ignita is a small gorgonia from the East Pacific, which has been discovered only off the coast of Costa Rica in shallow water areas despite intensive search.
We would like to thank Dr. Odalisca Breedy for sponsoring a photo from her first description
"Leptogorgia ignita, a new shallow-water coral species (Octocorallia: Gorgoniidae) from the tropical eastern Pacific".
For those interested, we have attached a link to the original essay.
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.
Color of the coral: Light orange
The branches of the coral arise from a short stalk about 1 cm long and 4 mm in diameter, they have a diameter of about 3 mm at the base and taper, the thick branches are marked with longitudinal grooves.
Branching is irregular, pinnatifid branches with a diameter of 1 - 2 mm are formed, which are irregularly arranged and branch at acute angles, they re-branch up to 4 times.
Unbranched terminal branches reach up to 5 cm in length with acute ends.
Polyps are retracted into slightly elevated, dome-shaped polyp mounds that leave small, oval, slit-shaped openings; polyp mounds are distributed around the branches.
Naming: "ignitus" = fiery, glowing.
The name of this species is an allusion to the flaming aspect of the colony due to its intense orange color.
We would like to thank Dr. Odalisca Breedy for sponsoring a photo from her first description
"Leptogorgia ignita, a new shallow-water coral species (Octocorallia: Gorgoniidae) from the tropical eastern Pacific".
For those interested, we have attached a link to the original essay.
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.
Color of the coral: Light orange
The branches of the coral arise from a short stalk about 1 cm long and 4 mm in diameter, they have a diameter of about 3 mm at the base and taper, the thick branches are marked with longitudinal grooves.
Branching is irregular, pinnatifid branches with a diameter of 1 - 2 mm are formed, which are irregularly arranged and branch at acute angles, they re-branch up to 4 times.
Unbranched terminal branches reach up to 5 cm in length with acute ends.
Polyps are retracted into slightly elevated, dome-shaped polyp mounds that leave small, oval, slit-shaped openings; polyp mounds are distributed around the branches.
Naming: "ignitus" = fiery, glowing.
The name of this species is an allusion to the flaming aspect of the colony due to its intense orange color.
