how do i get this sun coral to eat?

mill1201 · 01/12/2007, 02:18 PM

I have been spot feeding my sun coral every day at 7 oclock to get it to open, and for a while it was but now the polyps only open half way and are very difficult to feed.

They are being fed mysis shrimp and cyclop-eeze.

I also pull them out of the tank about two to three times a week and put them in a seperate container submersed in food solution, salt water and food.

Does anyone know any other tricks to getting them to open?

kipher · 01/12/2007, 02:41 PM

I do not yet have any sun coral but I did come across one of Melev's articles on Sun Corals. If you haven't read it yet it may be worth a read.

Melev's Sun Coral Article

kipher · 01/12/2007, 02:43 PM

Oh yeah. I've also read about 90% of melev's tank thread and I did see somewhere in there that he cut the top of a 2 liter soda bottle off and put it over is sun coral in the display tank and injects Mysis with a turkey baster through the open top. This helps keep the fish from stealing the Sun Corals dinner.

Der_Iron_Chef · 01/12/2007, 03:47 PM

My immediate thought is that you should just put it in a place where it will be happy and leave it alone. Don't keep moving it around, especially taking it out of the tank, etc. Find a place of low light in your aquarium. And let it acclimatize itself.

I think it will open more with time. Continue to spot feed it and leave it alone.

JokerGirl · 01/12/2007, 03:53 PM

I can't help ya

I've never had trouble getting my Sun Coral to open up and eat. About 10 minutes after food hits the water, they are out and begging. Maybe you're over feeding them, so try not feeding for a couple days then try again.

rustybucket145 · 01/12/2007, 03:55 PM

Yeah, quit moving it. Put it in a place that you can easily access it for feeding. Also you might want to check it out in the middle of the night. That's usually when mine is fully extended.

AndyB4784 · 01/12/2007, 04:21 PM

i'd also make sure that the sun coral is in a higher flow area. Lighting dosn't matter as this coral has no zooxanthelle(sp). the only issue that light could have on this coral is algae growth on it. also try squirting some of the water that the food is in into the tank about 15 min before feeding. if you still can't get it to open when the lights are on, look at it at night like rustybucket says.

musty baby · 01/12/2007, 06:28 PM

Once again, this needs to be a sticky in the LPS forum.

You can try the popbottle method, but in lots of peoples' experience, especially mine, sun corals that won't open are best dealt with by putting them in a floating container, dropping some mysis/brine/cyclopeeze in and blowing it around with a baster or a syringe. Nothing will entice them to open more than sitting in a bunch of food. With the pop bottle you won't be able to keep blasting the food around and getting it into suspension, where the polyps can most easily catch their food once open, and anything that isn't eaten will stay in your tank, with a separate container both those problems are eliminated. Sun corals are not picky corals, they won't care if they're moved so long as you're not beating the polyps up in doing so. After you get it back to eating, then I'd suggest the pop bottle if critters are stealing food.

My opinion, my experience, don't mean to rag on anyone else's comments.

The sun corals I've had, when healthy, would eventually open up within a minute of my hand in the tank.

Rustybucket does make an excellent point - I think a lot of people forget to look at their tanks at night, which for me is the most interesting time to look and for sun corals is the most common time to open.

mill1201 · 01/13/2007, 06:28 PM

Thanks everyone

01/12/2007, 02:18 PM	#1
mill1201 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Lansing, MI Posts: 53	how do i get this sun coral to eat? I have been spot feeding my sun coral every day at 7 oclock to get it to open, and for a while it was but now the polyps only open half way and are very difficult to feed. They are being fed mysis shrimp and cyclop-eeze. I also pull them out of the tank about two to three times a week and put them in a seperate container submersed in food solution, salt water and food. Does anyone know any other tricks to getting them to open?

01/12/2007, 02:41 PM	#2
kipher Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Edwardsville, IL Posts: 429	I do not yet have any sun coral but I did come across one of Melev's articles on Sun Corals. If you haven't read it yet it may be worth a read. Melev's Sun Coral Article __________________ Brian SEASL & SLASH member For the Best of both Worlds!!!! Current Tank Info: 75G reef, 95 lbs LR, 29g tank as my DIY fuge/sump w/ Quiteone Model 3000 (780gph) return pump, ASM G-2 Skimmer, 1 - 170gph Penguin 660 PH , Seio 2600, 2500gph MJ Mod, Typhoon III RO/DI, 2x250W MH (10K XM's) & 2-36" 96W VHO Actinic

01/12/2007, 02:43 PM	#3
kipher Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Edwardsville, IL Posts: 429	Oh yeah. I've also read about 90% of melev's tank thread and I did see somewhere in there that he cut the top of a 2 liter soda bottle off and put it over is sun coral in the display tank and injects Mysis with a turkey baster through the open top. This helps keep the fish from stealing the Sun Corals dinner. __________________ Brian SEASL & SLASH member For the Best of both Worlds!!!! Current Tank Info: 75G reef, 95 lbs LR, 29g tank as my DIY fuge/sump w/ Quiteone Model 3000 (780gph) return pump, ASM G-2 Skimmer, 1 - 170gph Penguin 660 PH , Seio 2600, 2500gph MJ Mod, Typhoon III RO/DI, 2x250W MH (10K XM's) & 2-36" 96W VHO Actinic

01/12/2007, 03:53 PM	#5
JokerGirl Whistler's Mother Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: That place Posts: 1,345	I can't help ya I've never had trouble getting my Sun Coral to open up and eat. About 10 minutes after food hits the water, they are out and begging. Maybe you're over feeding them, so try not feeding for a couple days then try again. __________________ 01000001 01101110 01111001 01101111 01101110 01100101 00111111 Current Tank Info: 120g Reef Tank, 60g Cube Mantis/Reef Tank, Want more info, ask me.

01/12/2007, 03:55 PM	#6
rustybucket145 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: valdosta, ga Posts: 3,707	Yeah, quit moving it. Put it in a place that you can easily access it for feeding. Also you might want to check it out in the middle of the night. That's usually when mine is fully extended. __________________ 400gals of various tanks in the same system. Current Tank Info: 2 175w MH, 2 VH0 Actinics, Lots of Live Rock, tons of copepods, a Fat Mandarin Goby, Niger Trigger, Yellow Tang, Falco Hawkfish, Bi-Color Pseudo, numerous soft, SPS and LPS Corals

01/12/2007, 03:47 PM	#4
Der_Iron_Chef Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Calgary, AB, Canada Posts: 841	My immediate thought is that you should just put it in a place where it will be happy and leave it alone. Don't keep moving it around, especially taking it out of the tank, etc. Find a place of low light in your aquarium. And let it acclimatize itself. I think it will open more with time. Continue to spot feed it and leave it alone.

01/12/2007, 04:21 PM	#7
AndyB4784 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: lansing, mi Posts: 309	i'd also make sure that the sun coral is in a higher flow area. Lighting dosn't matter as this coral has no zooxanthelle(sp). the only issue that light could have on this coral is algae growth on it. also try squirting some of the water that the food is in into the tank about 15 min before feeding. if you still can't get it to open when the lights are on, look at it at night like rustybucket says.

01/12/2007, 06:28 PM	#8
musty baby Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: over yonder Posts: 1,751	Once again, this needs to be a sticky in the LPS forum. You can try the popbottle method, but in lots of peoples' experience, especially mine, sun corals that won't open are best dealt with by putting them in a floating container, dropping some mysis/brine/cyclopeeze in and blowing it around with a baster or a syringe. Nothing will entice them to open more than sitting in a bunch of food. With the pop bottle you won't be able to keep blasting the food around and getting it into suspension, where the polyps can most easily catch their food once open, and anything that isn't eaten will stay in your tank, with a separate container both those problems are eliminated. Sun corals are not picky corals, they won't care if they're moved so long as you're not beating the polyps up in doing so. After you get it back to eating, then I'd suggest the pop bottle if critters are stealing food. My opinion, my experience, don't mean to rag on anyone else's comments. The sun corals I've had, when healthy, would eventually open up within a minute of my hand in the tank. Rustybucket does make an excellent point - I think a lot of people forget to look at their tanks at night, which for me is the most interesting time to look and for sun corals is the most common time to open.

01/13/2007, 06:28 PM	#9
mill1201 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Lansing, MI Posts: 53	Thanks everyone