Sun Coral Help

[discretekarma]

I got a sun coral from Mr Coral about a week ago. I really didn't want one but my wife has been really wanting one for a while. I was told and read that it is hungry and will eat when the polyps come out. The first night I got it, the polyps came out and I fed it. The polyps have not come out since. Is it eating when I feed the fish and getting food out of the water or is it dying.

 

Thanks in advance for the help.

[ReeferMan]

You need to train it to come out. They usually open at night to feed. You know its going down hill when there isnt flesh between the polps

[discretekarma]

I just took this picture. Does it look like it's dying?

 

[Mystical Lady]

Looks healthy to me....

Mine took a couple of days to start 'blooming' and then the polyps opened only when the lights went out for the night. Wait a couple of hrs after the lights are off and see if they are open........ Mine didn't do so well on the substrate....... I have mine about halfway up the tank....

[discretekarma]

I don't think I have anywhere that is half way up that is in the shade like a cave.

[jamal]

it does seem to be more comfortable in caves. also it is likely that the sand is irritating the flesh. i have mine so that the flesh isnt touching the sand

[reefhunter]

it has to be in the shade and it has to have the right conditions. we have one in a 55 reef and it sits almost on the bottom in a cave a few inches from a power head.... it comes out all the time now, but at first it didn't come out at all..

 

I want one for my 220 reef... that one looks AWESOME! I hope the polyps come out.

[discretekarma]

So if the only shaded spots are in the sand, what should I do?

 

It is a nice one. I got it from Mr Coral for $40. It has about 30 or so polyps.

 

What's the best food for them?

 

 

 

Here's another nice one.

 

http://mrcoral.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=923

[jamal]

you could put donw a small piece of rock or eggcrate. pe mysis, choppedkrill, and cyclopeeze seem to get the best response

[extreme_tooth_decay]

Your pic looks fine.

 

When I had one, I would squirt some cyclopeeze at it after the lights went out. Then wait 15 min, then it would be open. then I would feed it cyclopeeze or pe mysis.

 

tim

[discretekarma]

Is this better?

 

I moved it to the center of my tank so it is shaded by the 24" glass center brace and then again by the upper part of this rock which overhangs. It is not totally shaded but pretty shaded.

 

Will that work?

 

[Valab]

It doesn't have to be in the shade. It just doesn't need to be in the light. My advice is to put it wherever it will be easiest for you to target feed directly, or to take out of the tank to target feed.

[lanman]

If mine isn't opening early enough for me to feed it before bed, I start putting some cyclopeeze in the tank about 15 minutes before I want to feed it. That always gets the polyps to open. Then I just shoot some mysis shrimp at it. I think every polyp on mine would like to have a piece of shrimp every day - but it does fine as long as it gets a piece every couple of days. And no - I've never figured out where it puts the shrimp. Big shrimps get eaten by polyps smaller than the shrimp sometimes.

 

bob

[treesprite]

I've been wanting one of those corals. This thread is good to see in advance of me trying to keep one.

[Mystical Lady]

wow... mine is NOT in the shade and is growing quite fast and well..... its about halfway up the tank....lit with T5s'........ not shaded at all....... pic of mine is in my gallery.... I have had mine for about a yr now and has grown ALOT....... strange............

[rottloverr]

Mine is out in the open and doing great. It took a couple days after I got him before he started opening up consistantly. He opens up through out the day sometimes but mostly at night. I have baby mouths forming around the bigger ones. Nothing has fallen off that I can see yet.

 

When i first got him I would use a turkey baster and squirt the tank water / juices left over from defrosting frozen fish food right over him. About 5-10 minutes later he came out. I feed him different things ie: PE mysis, mysis and plankton soaked in Selcon. Some of the mysis he eats are huge. All the family likes watching the Sun Coral sections.

 

Here are some links with some good information.

 

http://www.melevsreef.com/suncoral.html

 

http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_net/0797/0797_3.html

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

Edited November 30, 2007 by rottloverr

[extreme_tooth_decay]

I've been wanting one of those corals. This thread is good to see in advance of me trying to keep one.

 

They often have nice ones at marine scene.

[lanman]

Mine is out in the open and doing great. It took a couple days after I got him before he started opening up consistantly. He opens up through out the day sometimes but mostly at night. I have baby mouths forming around the bigger ones. Nothing has fallen off that I can see yet.

 

When i first got him I would use a turkey baster and squirt the tank water / juices left over from defrosting frozen fish food right over him. About 5-10 minutes later he came out. I feed him different things ie: PE mysis, mysis and plankton soaked in Selcon. Some of the mysis he eats are huge. All the family likes watching the Sun Coral sections.

 

Here are some links with some good information.

 

http://www.melevsreef.com/suncoral.html

 

http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_net/0797/0797_3.html

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

 

Melev does a great job documenting his tank.

 

bo

[discretekarma]

GREAT

 

Everyone is so helpful

[Dentoid]

Believe it or not mine did better when I moved it to the sandbed! Here it is open for feeding. It opens like this anytime I feed the tank. I've had it about 9 months. I can even see tiemy little babies sprouting out from the perimeter.

 

[lanman]

Believe it or not mine did better when I moved it to the sandbed! Here it is open for feeding. It opens like this anytime I feed the tank. I've had it about 9 months. I can even see tiemy little babies sprouting out from the perimeter.

 

Looks good! If it's happy and healthy, you MIGHT find babies sprouting elsewhere in your tank. Watch for them so you can feed them, too.

 

bob

 

They often have nice ones at marine scene.

Mine was a FRAG from Marine Scene. And I haven't seen anything indicating that it's a good idea to frag them. But mine is doing fine now.

 

bob