Sun Coral

[Susanedw]

just got my first head of Sun corals and would love tips or tricks. Right now I'm sticking it in a rubbermaid bowl in the tank (lids holds it in place) to feed. Need to buy a drink in a bigger plastic bottle so I can try feeding that way. The bowl has the advantage of not adding too much food to the tank or I can feed the suns first and then give the fish the leftover. Some of the heads are so tiny I'm using reef roids and coral frenzy. Otherwise, various frozen foods.

I'm concerned that the tentacles are so tiny and not larger. Wondering if it was starved at the LFS and with good feedings, will they grow longer? I plan to feed once a day. I have 3 anthias that I feed three times a day so I can squirt food on it when I feed the fish for any heads that are open. I shut all pumps off when I feed the fish.

Some of the polyps have a ring of new babies around them.

Right now the sun coral is on a flat ledge in the middle of the tank so I can access it. I have a sand sifting goby so the sand bed isn't good. It seems happy there. As it has lots of heads at the base of the rock, I'm going to glue it to another rock to keep the colony on a rock that I can access for feeding and let it spread onto the new rock.

So any advice is welcome as this is a coral I have lusted over. Will admit, I had no idea just how many heads were on this frag until I got it home!

 

[DaveK]

At least you realize that this coral does not require light and needs to be fed. It's usually best kept in a dim area under a ledge. This keeps algae from growing on it. Don't keep it in a bright area, like you have it now.

To others looking at this coral, unless your willing to put up with all the special feeding needed for this coral, you best solution is usually not to purchase it in the first place.

 

[Susanedw]

@DaveK I don't really have a dim area that I can get to in order to fee each polyp. Under the ledge it would get knocked off and be hard to feed. The tang uses that swim through and down on the sandbed, the goby would cover it with sand. I'll watch it. So far it doesn't object to the light and in fact has been partly open all m orning so far.

if I glue it to another rock, I'll be able to watch for algae and brush it off. Right now there are a couple areas with hair algae but most rock is now clear. Using nopox and vibrant so it's getting better slowly.

and I def. knew what I was getting into and didn't care as I wanted this coral from the beginning.

 

[mr_tap_water]

Hi there
They do prefer the Shady areas but if you can't put it out of direct light I would just put it to one side of the tank where the light is on directly over it could even try making a small shelf to block the lights from beaming down at it,
I just thought I'd show you The one I had The first picture is in daylight The second is that night no lights on see the polyps extend much more when feeding them at night, also looks very much like yours.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Susanedw]

NIce @mr_tap_water I'll have to see what I can do. Maybe I can add a rock to the one side to get it at least 5-6 inches off the sandbed to avoid sand goby and that would put it above the elegance coral which is in that corner. Or the rock could go dead center but that might block another tang fav swim through and that is also where the gobies hidey hole is.

The other thing I could do is try to cement in another shelf lower, esp. if I can make it like a pedestal At least for now it is opening to eat

 

[frisbee]

Check these out.

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

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

HTH.

 

[Susanedw]

I did some measuring. Where they are now is approx 13" from T5 lights, 9" off the sandbed. From some of the articles I've read, lighting isn't bad as long as they are acclimatized and they can be kept in light. I'll also be replacing one white with a blue next month when I change them out. Right now I have 3 white, 2 blue, 1 pink

The most important consideration from all the articles I've read (not forums), seems to be food and ease of feeding and keeping sand and other detritus off them (my goby) This weekend I'll look at my leftover rocks and see if I can add one to the left side so it will be a bit lower. Until it is trained, and I get better at feeding I'll put it in a bowl in the aquarium to feed. I plan to feed daily and if it is open in the am when I feed fish, it'll get some then too

it also seems that if each polyp is connected by the connecting tissue they may share food. One article emphasized making sure lone polyps are feed.

 

[Susanedw]

Feeding Time. They opened about 20 minutes after I feed fish. I used a rubbermaid bowl to feed so I wouldn't have to shut pumps down again or fight fish which just ate but are little piggies.