Anybody keeps non-photosynthetic corals and will talk shop?

[non-photosynt]

Does anybody keep the non-photosynthetic corals or Christmas tree worms?
Looking for those, who don't hesitate to talk shop - how to make them grow, improve filtration, make life easier.
Photos of corals before and after, do you have actual growth, spawning, larvae settlement, new colonies growing.
Photos of setup, including pumps-power heads placement and the sump.

Will ask how-to questions, beware ;-) .
Silence in response will not be appreciated, as you can guess :fu .

I know, somewhere a lot of fellow keepers, who is ready to help - respond please.

 

[Ritsuko N]

Havent played around with these too much. I have kept Tubastraea Sp. on a previous occasion and seemed to do very well with this coral over a 10-11 month period. I didnt however get a chance to frag, spawn or bud new colonies although it added several new polyp heads. I normally fed it with a pair of chopsticks little bits of homemade food that had been soaked in SeaChems Amino Acids and Vitamin supplement. They were in a 55 gallon tank with one T-8 day lamp and one Blue Moon bulb in a typical shop light fixture. It also had a skimmer which may account for not new colonies from spawning. Unfortunately I had to get rid of it when I made a cross country move.

I will be trying to attemp another one here in the next month or so. Prehaps we can trade notes? I understand that these corals will put out larva that will settle on rocks in the tank. I hope to prove that the case. I would also like to try some of the Gorgonians from www.reeftopia.com which I believe some of which, are non photo-synthetic corals.

Thats about all the help that I can offer.

 

[non-photosynt]

My apologies for not responding sooner - email notification didn't reach me, it happens.

I also have Tubastrea, it spawns without any effort from my side. Lately, I set and overflow box with surface skimmer, and changed the flow from laminar around to downward, and had seen only one spawning since then. Could be, that surface skimmer influenced this, on a new colony, that I introduced about the same time - hard to say.

Budding of a new polyps is more frequent, on twice a week feedings by mysis, ocean plankton and chopped seafood.

Also have non-photosynthetic gorgonians - red and yellow finger gorgonians, swiftia, and two thin branched with fine polyps - one is medium blue on grey branches, and another - white polyps on the sides of the red branches. Large polyped were easier - with food and resistance to algae growth.

My current problems are somehow specific:
1. Improving quality of skimming, or
2. Removing sun babies into personal grow out tank (have only very dim idea, how it will be, thought to find somebody, who already done this).
3. Have a new scleronephthya, that is very different from all others, can't make it open to eat for a week, hoped, that somebody already has it or had read about the differences.
4. Making corals grow - so far they are alive and well, but other people have an actual growth, would like to know more.
It's slightly away of the usual discussions