A fan from the Indo-Pacific, first named in 1999 from animals collected around New Caledonia. It holds no zooxanthellae, so light does nothing for it, and it survives only on what its polyps catch, which means frequent feeding with fine plankton foods. One reef reference has no record of anyone keeping it successfully. Do not mix it up with the Caribbean sea fan, whose care is built around light.
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Branching sea fan. One reef reference gives up to about 27 cm; no primary size figure was found.
Lifespan
—
Social needs
solo
Native region
Indo-Pacific, including New Caledonia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea
Origin
Old World
Climate
Tropical
Water type
Marine
Family
Acanthogorgiidae
Genus
Acanthogorgia
Part of the Soft Corals
Soft corals such as leathers, colt, cloves, Anthelia, gorgonians and Sympodium. Octocorals with flexible, often swaying colonies and eight-tentacled polyps, and no stony skeleton. Many are hardy, beginner-friendly reef corals driven by photosynthesis and tolerant of a wide range of light, flow and nutrients, but some gorgonians have no algae of their own and depend on regular feeding, so check eac
Keep it in low light or shade with strong flow, out of bright lighting that would feed algae. Records place it off New Caledonia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea in roughly 16-30 m of water. One reef reference gives 23-26 °C (73-79 °F).
Otherwise keep stable reef water: SG about 1.025, pH 8.1-8.4, alkalinity 8-11 dKH, calcium 400-450 ppm and magnesium 1250-1350 ppm.
Substrate
Attach the base to rock in a shaded spot with reef-safe gel glue or underwater epoxy, placed so the current passes across the fan.
Equipment & setup
It needs no special lighting. Provide strong flow from one or more powerheads, a capable protein skimmer for the feeding load, and a regular feeding routine.
Diet
Must be fed. It does not use light. Its only food is plankton taken by the polyps. Offer fine plankton foods at least several times a week, and daily if your system can export the extra nutrients. No tested feeding plan exists for this species, so treat this as the general rule for non-photosynthetic fans and judge by how readily the polyps open.
Behavior & temperament
The polyps open to strain food from passing water, so the colony depends on current to bring its meals. Details of its behaviour in aquariums are not on record, and most of what is known comes from taxonomic work.
Health
Starvation is the most likely failure, because the colony gets nothing from light. Algae or cyanobacteria settling on the branches is the next danger. Any tissue loss should prompt a check on feeding, flow and nutrients together. Expect little published help, since captive records are so thin.
Tips, DIY & hacks
Do not treat this as the Caribbean sea fan, which relies on light and needs very different care. Commit to frequent feeding before taking it on, and record what works, since no proven husbandry exists to follow.
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Tropical
Marine