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Goniophyte Baby Pen:
This is a very simple procedure for
a cheap and excellent Goniophyte baby pen. It takes
an hour or less to make and will remain in its place
for many months. Your substrate will need to be around
and inch or more in depth for pushing the bottom part
of the pen down into. Also, please read the Goniophytes
section. It contains helpful information regarding
baby Goniopora care.
1.
Cup:
- You will need to obtain a plasitic cup from Wal-mart,
the local dollar store, or your kitchen cabinet. I
prefer a clear cup; although, it will eventually be
covered in coralline algae. PVC pipe may work if it
will stay in the substrate. The cup is tapered, which
I think helps to hold it in place and keeps it from
rising out of the substrate. Mine hasn’t move
now for over 4 months. The cup I used was bought at
Wal-mart for less than 50 cents and it measures 2
¾ diameter at the top. A smaller size can be
used too.
2.
Dremel tool & Bit:
- Every Do-It-Yourselfer has a Dremel tool or the
equivalent. You will also need a bit of some sort
that will grind/melt through the plastic. I used a
diamond tipped bit. It cost $6 or $7 at the hardware
store, which is a little steep for making a cheap
pen, but if your Goni is healthy and productive you
will eventually need to make multiple pens :). BTW,
you can keep several Goniophytes in the same pen.
They seem to be content with each others company.
3.
Cut cup:
- Cut (actually melt) around the mid-section of the
cup. You will need to have 1or more inches of the
cup to push down into the substrate, depending on
its depth, and about an inch to leave above for a
barrier.
 
4. Drill cup:
- Use the same bit you used to melt around the mid-section
and poke a lot of holes around the upper perimeter
of the cup. If you try to use an actual drill bit
to drill the holes, it takes a lot longer. I used
the diamond bit to poke the
holes, then went back and used a drill bit to make
them a little larger. It is much faster that way.
The holes need to be large enough to allow water to
flow through them and for small critters to crawl
through. The small critters will keep the substrate
clean within the pen.
5.
Sand & Rinse :
- Lightly sand around the drilled perimeter
with fine sand paper to remove plastic bits and shards.
Rinse it well to remove the annoying dust.
6.
Placement:
- The goniophyte baby pen should be located under
direct light and in a moderate-to-lower flow area.
It should be pushed down into the substrate far enough
so that the baby Goni can allow its polyps and tentacles
to sway around. The wall of the cup helps to keep
the baby goni from blowing around too much and also
makes it easier to spot feed. Due to its small size
and the insufficient quantity of zooplankton in the
water column of most tanks, it will need to be spot
fed regularly, so remember to place the pen within
easy reach of your target feeding device. I spot feed
a mixture of foods at least once every three days,
but usually more often than that. Please see the Foods
and Feeding section for a full description of
the foods I use and the process of spot feeding.
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