Purple Sea Fan (Gorgonia ventalina)
A variant of Gorgonian Sea Fan (Gorgonia ventalina)
Representative Gorgonian Sea Fanphoto — a dedicated image of this exact morph isn't available yet.
The classic flat, lattice-like fan of true *Gorgonia ventalina*, with a deep purple to violet skeleton and a fine, net-veined mesh that orients itself broadside to the current.
📜 Backstory
This is the wild-collected Caribbean 'common/Venus sea fan,' sold under the plain name 'Purple Sea Fan' by Caribbean-collection houses such as KP Aquatics, and discussed at length on reef2reef (where keepers debate whether a given fan is *G. ventalina* or *G. flabellum*). Although the species does host zooxanthellae and is technically photosynthetic, hobbyists widely report the true flat fan is the hardest gorgonian of the group to keep — it grows painfully slowly in captivity and is quickly smothered by algae without pristine flow and supplemental feeding. It is a wild-collected species, not a designer-named line; the only 'morph' distinction in the trade is its natural purple color.
Keeper tips for this variant
Mount it on open sand or a low rock and rotate the fan so its flat face is perpendicular to strong, surging flow — water must pass *through* the mesh to keep it clean and the polyps fed. Algae overgrowth is the number-one killer, so keep nutrients low, light moderate, and offer supplemental plankton feedings.