Red Sea Fan-?

Hi fellow reefers...

OK, so I broke my own rule... I bought a critter without FIRST researching the heck out of it. The red sea fan is NON-photosynthetic and has to be fed. Target feeding is not a problem for me- I do that for my other inverts anyway. I have an anemone crab that needs this, as well as a tubeworm, etc. I use Phyto-Feast and Zoo Max concentrated, alternating every other day. I also offer frozen mysis for my other inverts, and since this tank is destined for seahorses (which are trained on frozen mysis), it works out well for the rest of my critters.

But I'm concerned because last night, its little white polyps weren't out at all- and I fed it before I turned in. My husband (fellow fish-geek) is a night owl, and he observed it throughout the night, but he didn't see the polyps either. Yesterday was the sea fan's first day in its new home, so I'm probably getting too worried too soon (I hope), but that first night, the polyps were out like CRAZY- even before the lights went out!

I did view the posts from 2007 about someone who lost a red sea fan, but mine doesn't look like this. My sea fan is shaped more like the purple ones are, with a lacy/lattice-like pattern. My question- does anyone have these now and/or had any luck keeping these? Any pointers on keeping one healthy? Thanks for any advice you can provide!

 

they are tough to keep but sounds like you have a good grasp.
The polyps will probably not come out the first couple nights.
I kept a blueberry gorganiun for a while. Keep it in a high flow area (which in seahorses might be difficult) as it will help it feed and keep down the algea formation.

One thing might frustrate it is the seahorses latching on, not sure?

good luck, post pics

 

Thanks for the reply! It is in a high-flow area, and the intake from the sump is directional, pointed directly at the fan. According to seahorse keepers on seahorse.org, the horses will be fine as long as they have a "calm" area, which is the other half-2/3 of the tank, other side. Latching on, however- that might be an issue, I guess I'll have to see. However, I plan on providing them with plenty of "hitching posts" in the calmer water area, which is probably where they'll go anyhow. I will post pics as soon as I get some DECENT ones... not so easy with my camera phone. I'll have to break out the good camera. Thanks again for the input!

 

This might be obvious but just to be sure, keep an eye on nitrates if you have to dose phyto, that is an easy way to kick up the nitrate levels in your tank.
Also just in case, make sure the fan is as perpendicular to the majority of the flow as possible so the broadest surface gets the majority of the flow, this helps a lot making sure the whole thing can feed well.