question reqarding Sun Coral

[bubblepuffer]

Hi,

I just bought a Sun Coral and housing it in a dark and not so bright cave in a Coral only tank. After 5 days, the Sun Coral still doesn't want to fully extend or open up from the skeleton. I test the water and everything turn out fine as other Corals doing fine in the tank and they all open plus the new brain I just got eat like a pig. Even after the light is off, I came to check out the Sun Coral after an 30mins to 2hrs, the sun coral manage to extend abit but only until it reach the skeleton opening and stop there.. I manage to feed 1 or 2 of the head when they are still in the skeleton opening but having problem with the rest of it.. Is that possible to get a Sun Coral that shy??? or it take a while for them to learn about the environment before they will come out

 

[Anonymous]

I will probably take a few more days to fully open. Hopefully you did not get a sick piece. Keep feeding the head you can.

 

[jumpincactus]

I believe the Sun coral is from the family Tubestria. They are a very difficult corall to keep. Some will say they can be kept and maybe they have but typically they are better left to seasoned aquarists.

Everything I have read states this fact about them. Do yourself a favor and save grief and time. Do some homework before you buy a species and study the feeding, lighting and water flow requirements of each coral. Not only will you only be buying corals that match your skill level but you will be doing your part to conserve the reefs by not buying critters that will ultimately die. Julian Sprung and Eric Boureman both have great books out for coral care and will help you with picking corals that have a better chance for survival. Dont get into the habit of buying a critter cause it looks cool buy critters that you can care for successfully and will thrive in your tank. Sorry for the lecture

 

[Kyliegirl]

i guess i was lucky, my sun coral opened up the first night to be fed, a few stayed hidden, but by the second nigth everyone was out for a feed.

Try squirting some mysis or something over them to coax them out to feed, it seems to work with mine.

the tubastrea is difficult only if you dont feed them often from what I have read, every head needs to be fed as they are their own single organism, they dont have specific bacterias in their body to feed off. I think feeding them every two days is good.

Maybe yours just needs time to adapt, give it time and feed its mouths when you see them, if they take the food then your going the right way. They will eventually shine in all their glory.

 

[Anonymous]

They are not difficult if you know what they need. Other than the normal parameters for a reef tank, they must be spot fed. They are non-photosynthetic (SP?). IF you do not pot feed them they will wither and die.

 

[jumpincactus]

How long have you both kept Suncorals???? everone even those that target feed have not had luck with them. How old are your specimens Kyliegirl???

 

[SnowManSnow]

what? sure people have success with sun coral. They just need to be spot fed, which is what makes them difficult. I think your resource book is outdated cactus

B.

 

[Anonymous]

How long have you both kept Suncorals???? everone even those that target feed have not had luck with them. How old are your specimens Kyliegirl???

I have never kept a sun coral. I am not interested in having to spot feed a coral every day. I know some who have had them for years.

 

[Anonymous]

How long have you both kept Suncorals???? everone even those that target feed have not had luck with them. How old are your specimens Kyliegirl???

I have never kept a sun coral. I am not interested in having to spot feed a coral every day. I know some who have had them for years.

Like me, LOL. Most of the species of suncorals aren't that hard to keep Jumppincactus. The trick is to train them to come out to be fed on your schedule. To do this, take a big bore syringe (pet store or vet) or a turkey baster and GENTLY blow the juice from thawed frozen meaty food across the colony (using tank current) at the same time every day or thereabouts. You can't spot feed one until those polyps come out. It may take 3 days, it may take 3 weeks but if you are consistent, the sun coral will eventually open up when it 'tastes' food in the water.

You can make a target feeder from a big syringe (I prefer that to a turkey baster because you suck up the food and it doesnt come out until you push the plunger unlike a turkey baster) and the top of a clean 1 liter pop bottle. Cut the pop bottle so it fits over the coral, and put the opening of the syringe filled with small mysis pieces or other meaty food into the neck of the bottle and GENTLY push the food onto any open polyps. I use that method, or even long forceps and hand feed each polyp. The biggest problem IME is that everything else in the tank (shrimp snails etc) will try and steal food from the polyps as they aren't the speediest eaters so using the cut off pop bottle helps that problem some. Except for the daggone nisserious (sp?) snails which burrow under the bottle and come up inside

HTH...

 

[jumpincactus]

I guess it pays to go to several sources before drawing conclusions about a genus of coral. I personally love the coral but have stayed away becuase I was led to believe it would die.

Thanx all for the clarification

 

[K9coral]

I know hiding it in a cave away from the blinding reef light is good but remember that if you cut off the circulation by hiding it that may cause it not to come out. Ive kept them in the past and never had a problem so it is probably something simple. GL