Red Swiftia Sea Fan

Swiftia exserta

Also known as Orange Tree Gorgonian, Red Gorgonian, Red Polyp Octocoral

SaltwaterCoral

Red Swiftia Sea Fan (Swiftia exserta) — Biota · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 68–79°F (20–26°C)
pH: 8.1–8.4
Adult size: 7.9 in (20 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Reef safe: Reef safe
Origin: Deeper western Atlantic reefs and ledges, Florida, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean
Family: Plexauridae

Overview

Be honest with yourself before buying this one, because it needs dedicated feeding to survive, ideally several small meals of baby brine shrimp, rotifers and fine powdered coral foods every day, with a dosing pump drip working well. Place it in a shaded spot with moderate, steady flow to keep algae off the branches, and note that it comes from deeper, cooler water, so it appreciates tanks at the cooler end of reef temperatures. It is peaceful and popular in seahorse and other low-light systems, but it is a commitment, even if it counts among the easier of the truly non-photosynthetic gorgonians.

In the wild

Swiftia exserta lives in the western Atlantic from Florida through the Gulf of Mexico, mostly from around fifteen meters down onto much deeper ledges, walls and overhangs where steady current delivers plankton. Colonies are small, sparsely branched fans in vivid red to orange with contrasting polyps that stay open whenever food is passing. It sits out of direct sunlight in the wild, which suits an animal that takes nothing from light.

Good to know

This gorgonian in the family Plexauridae is azooxanthellate, meaning it carries no symbiotic algae at all, and its intense red color is pure pigment rather than anything to do with light. Every polyp is a filter feeder that must catch zooplankton and fine particles itself, which is what defines the care. Cultured colonies from Biota have made a formerly wild-collected specialist coral available without touching the reefs.

Did you know

Swiftia colonies on deep reefs off the Gulf coast were among the corals scientists monitored for injury after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which made this modest little fan part of one of the largest reef damage assessments ever run.