Grube’s Gorgonian (Pinnigorgia flava)

ORA is proud to offer a new soft coral from our collection, Grube’s Gorgonian (Pinnigorgia flava). Grube’s (pronounced Grooba’s) Gorgonian is a graceful, thin-branched octocoral that can be described as tan to pink in color with similarly colored polyps. We obtained this coral from Julian Sprung and we’ve been impressed by its hardiness and rapid growth. It has an extensive history in the Aquarium Hobby which Julian was glad to share with us:

“It was originally collected in the Philippines around 1990 by Klaus and Rosalia Grube. From their aquarium in Berlin it has spread all over Europe. So many people have it but don’t know where it came from. I got my colony from the Grubes and grew it for several years into a big bush. I gave a cutting to Peter Wilkens, who took it back to Switzerland and grew it at Wiwi Aquaria. He gave a cutting to Jean Jacques Eckert in France, who still cultivates it in his aquarium. I lost my original colony suddenly about 12 years ago, but was able to get a new cutting from Jean Jacques Eckert during a visit with him for a Récif France conference. I’ve been careful to maintain it now in several tanks. For me this coral is always a reminder of my visit to Berlin where I met Dietrich Stüber and the many wonderful hobbyists there, including Klaus and Rose Grube.”

Many thanks to Julian for introducing this cool gorgonian to the US market and helping us appreciate its extensive history! Frags will be approximately 2 inches and will come attached to a black plastic plug.

Flow: Moderate

Placement: All Levels

Lighting: Low – High

Flow: Moderate