Gorgonians — the sea rods, sea plumes, sea fans and sea whips — are the shape of the reef we actually work on. They are what a Florida Keys hardbottom looks like, and we collect ours under our Florida marine life license from the water we run our boat on. Very few coral retailers can offer a locally collected gorgonian at all.
The one distinction that decides everything
This group splits into two halves that need opposite things, and buying the wrong half by accident is the most common way a gorgonian dies in a home tank. Photosynthetic species — the purple, tan and olive plumes and whips — carry zooxanthellae and live on light plus water movement, like any other coral. They are forgiving and they grow. Non-photosynthetic species — the bright oranges, reds and yellows that catch your eye first — have no symbiotic algae at all. They eat, and only that. Without frequent fine feeding they starve slowly over weeks while still looking fine, then strip from the base up.
The field rule: if the color is vivid and there is no brown or olive anywhere in it, assume it needs feeding until you have confirmed otherwise. What we stock and list as beginner-appropriate is the photosynthetic half.
Care at a glance — photosynthetic species
| Light (PAR) | 100–200 |
|---|---|
| Flow | Strong and random |
| Placement | Upright, off the sand — tissue abrades wherever a branch lies against rock |
| Feeding | Optional for photosynthetic; required for non-photosynthetic |
| Aggression | Low |
| Difficulty | Beginner (photosynthetic) / expert (non-photosynthetic) |
Keys gorgonians in stock now
Collected under license, conditioned in our systems, photographed individually.
5 in stock right now
Corky Sea Finger Gorgonian Frag (Briareum asbestinum) – 3-4"$49.99View this coral →
Purple Sea Rod Gorgonian Frag – 3-4"$59.99View this coral →
Rusty Gorgonian Frag (8") – Muriceopsis flavida$69.99Only 1 availableView this coral →Corky Sea Finger Gorgonian Colony (Briareum asbestinum) – 8"$89.99View this coral →Purple Sea Rod Gorgonian Colony – Locally Collected$100.00View this coral →The rest of what comes out of local water lives on the Florida Keys Marine Life page.
One thing to know before you order: shipping and packing are charged by the box, not by the coral. A box holds several corals for the same $15 packing fee and the same overnight ride, Florida orders under 6 lb ship overnight for a flat $30, and livestock orders over $399 ship free. If this page puts one coral on your list, it is worth seeing what else belongs in the box — start with corals under $100 or the newest WYSIWYG pieces.
Our stony corals are either aquacultured at the shop in Key West under Florida Aquaculture Certificate #AQ0254072 or conditioned in our Key West systems before they ship, and the photo on a WYSIWYG listing is the exact animal that ships. Corals ship UPS Overnight every Tuesday and Wednesday. If you are ever in Key West, come see the raceways.