Description
Black Sea Rod, Plexaura homomalla, is a shallow water octocoral that has a dark brown to black body with tan polyps. When the polyps are extended, the colony has a fuzzy brown appearance, but when the polyps are retracted, the colony looks black with smooth branches. These are a common, photosynthetic gorgonian found throughout South Florida and the Caribbean.
Most gorgonian can be successfully pruned and propagated, and will thrive in a well-established reef tank. This particular species is a little more difficult to ship and to keep, but if it makes it through the shipping process and the first week in your system, it should do fine for a long time. Photosynthetic gorgonians require good lighting, but also require regular feeding with some sort of planktonic food, similar to what you would feed corals. Most gorgonian feed best at night, but they will also feed pretty much anytime their polyps are extended, so you probably don’t have to wait until the lights go out.
We have started to also get frags from colonies in the ocean which means it is possible that you will get a gorgonian on a frag plug. It just depends where I went diving and what was available.
Nano: 1.5 to 4 inches
Medium: >4 to 6 inches
Large: >6 to 8 inches
Matt Pedersen –
This is a Gorgonian you just don’t see every day, and because of that, it is all the more cool and interesting. Got two really nice ones, not a mark on ’em. The quality I’ve come to expect from SealifeInc / KP Aquatics.