Shrinking sun coral

[bumblebee1976]

Hi there

I don't have any up to date readings for my marine biorb but it is a 60litre tank which I have had running for about 2 years now - the ammonia, nitrite and nitrates should all be 0 but I think my test kits are not accurate so when I go to collect my RO water, the lfs tests my water so I get proper results. I bought a Salifert kit for nitrate but the lfs now recommends something else - strange as I was told Salifert were one of the best!

The problem is with my sun coral - it was healthy to begin with, purchased last June (2011) and has multiplied quite a lot since then. I have now noticed it is shrinking at quite a rate and some of the heads have holes in them. I have never added anything to the tank - I was told that the service kit (filter) contained everythine necessary to run the tank. I am wondering if I need to get a wide-ranging master kit and test for calcium and magnesium aswell as the kH. How can I maintain correct levels to provide optimum conditions for these corals? I feed them phytoplankton and brine shrimp and I've been taking them out of the tank and placing them in water from the tank to feed them because my cleaner shrimp eat everything I try to give them otherwise! The smaller, younger corals are doing better but I do think it's only a matter of time before they start to shrink aswell, given the same water conditions. I try to do a water change every 2-3 weeks and the filter lasts for 4 weeks before needing to be changed.

Please could anyone suggest a course of action to try? I thought they were starving but now I don't think that is the problem. Also, if they have shrunk such a lot, can I help them to recover or is too late? I could try and upload a pic if that would help. How do I do that?!!! Sorry, I am not so good with technical stuff.

Many thanks in advance - all help gratefully received.

 

[My Little Ocean]

Sun corals need feeding every day like a dog, you can get away with only a few times a week and need meaty foods like mysis, if the sun coral still opens and takes food then i would say alot of tlc (feeding every polyp every day) is needed as they don't feed off light at all, if the coral doesn't accept food then a liquid amino acid and vitamin supplement is needed for the coral to absorb so it can then start opening to feed. I have a black sun coral that i didn't/couldn't feed for a couple of weeks and lost all heads apart from three, I fed the three heads every day and now i have over twenty again. As long as you can feed the coral its definitely not too late, i don't take the corals out to feed as i believe this is too much stress but catch 22 not to pollute the water i have a good denitrification system. Hope this helps.

 

[My Little Ocean]

P.s feed your shrimp first or put a cap (top part of a coke bottle) over the sun coral so no one takes the food away.

 

[My Little Ocean]

Also full/actual parameters of your tank would help but i believe its a feeding issue...

 

[Flreefer]

Besides good water quality, target feeding at least every other day is necessary for Tubastrea.
I also feed mine PE Mysis and cyclopeeze.
Like above post said, these corals are non-photosynthetic, and require a heavy feeding schedule. I feel it's best to also shield them from direct light as they usually grow under overhangs, in dimly lit areas, in the wild.
Good luck with it, had mine over a year, but it's definitely a labor of love.

 

[My Little Ocean]

I believe the only reason they shouldn't be under direct light is so algae doesn't grow on them both my orange and black are under direct light and with good water quality I have no problems.