Sun Coral Care

[Patroklos]

So I decided to take advantage of the crazy online holiday specials and bought some corals. I got four different zoas, a duncan, a chalice, a brain and the subject of this thread, a sun coral.

Now I hadn't originally intended to get the sun coral, but I needed to bump up my order about 20 dollars to get free shipping (50 dollar value), and I noticed a very good deal on sun corals (Vivid Aquariums) so I said what the ****.

Now I understand that they prefer to be away from the light a bit, either at the bottom of the tank or shielded by rockwork, and that the require pretty much daily feeding of each polyp. However, when/how do you feed? Everything I read says the are primarily noctornal, and true to description after three days I have yet to see polyp extension, so how am I supposed to get it to take food!

Right how I am hitting it with cyclopeeze and a bit of mysis, any advice on making sure it eats?

 

[Patroklos]

yeah, so another 24 hours and no activity. I did see the heads extend a little bit yesterday, but not enough to feed. I checked on them in the middle of the night last night and they were completely closed up.

So thats four days without feeding, how long can they go without a snack?

 

[melosu58]

On mine when ever I fed the fish about a half hour later they would be out in full force. Then I would feed them mysis. I never fed mine every day. Every three days will be fine. Try that and feed your tank and about half hour later check them out. Mine never came out at nite either.

 

[Patroklos]

It worked, thirty minutes after feeding the fish they are starting to come out. Now I just need to figure out how to keep the fish from stealing whatevery I feed the coral!

 

[melosu58]

Take a two litre plastic bottle and cut the bottom out and place it over the coral and sqirt the mysis or brine down the top and the fish cant get to the coral and its food. Remove bottle after feeding.

 

[Patroklos]

To tell the truth it is my cleaner shimp that is the problem. I would have to move the coral to get a 2 liter over it, will that constant handling eventually tramatize the coral?

 

[fishcrack]

We have 3 different sun coral and then do require a bit of patience at first. The effort is worth it however! The first one we bought appeared to be half starved - hardly opened and had very short tentacles. We experienced many of the same issues you have had with feeding. I've taken over the care of the sun corals when the guys were at college. The best luck I had (thriving with new polyps) was to place them in our refugium on a large live rock. I scoop out water into a plastic container and defrost mysis or Rod's Reef with a bit of garlic and let soak. I have been placing the container near the stove so it stays warm. Then I put the sun corals in the water and use a turkey baster to wash them with the mysis. It might take a day or two, but they will start to open up and extend whenever they "smell" the mixture. They get very plump because they eat so much. I've tried several different methods but this works the best. I do it 2-3 times a week now that they are healthy. They seem to thrive in the refugium but Pat has moved his back to the 12 gallon nano and it's doing beautifully. Good luck.

 

[MsBeanCtr]

Take a two litre plastic bottle and cut the bottom out and place it over the coral and sqirt the mysis or brine down the top and the fish cant get to the coral and its food. Remove bottle after feeding.

Not as nice as melosu's I'm sure but it does the trick.

My suncoral extends it's polyps about 10-15 minutes after I feed my fish (in the early evening). I then feed them - each polyp gets a blob and I promptly cover the coral with the 'feeding bell' to prevent my moose of a cleaner shrimp from pigging out.

As melosu said, you can feed every few days (otherwise you'll end up polluting your tank).

Just watch the flesh on the coral.....if the yellow flesh starts to receed you'll need to step up feeding the coral.

Good Luck!

 

[Patroklos]

Yeah I did the bottle cap thing. The thing is I can't get every head fed and the cap on before the fish and shimp steal everything from the other side of the colony! So I bit the cap over it, squirted the food in and then squirted in water to squish everthing around, I am pretty sure most of the heats got some of the mysis.

A new enemy though, nassarius snails of all things! I get the good in, most the polyps had grabes something, so I left the bell on to keep the fish away until they had fully ingested the mysis. Low and behold I see about ten nassarius snails assaulting the thing like a bunker (my snails are BIG), half alreay in through thte opening and crawling over the sun coral!

This didn't sound so hard on the internet!

 

[MsBeanCtr]

I know of a great home if you want to get rid of it! hehehe