How do I get sun corals to open during the day?

[Dave-T]

So I got two small colonies (6-8 polyps each) of sun coral 6 weeks ago. I'm struggling to get them to open during the day. What I've been doing is to try to stimulate a feeding response with Polyp Lab Polyp Booster. I turn off all flow and hit them with the PLPB. After waiting 5-10 minutes, I feed them some thawed homemade frozen. Which I think is a waste of time since they haven't opened their polyps.

Any suggestions for how I can get them to open during the day? They're beautiful when open, but not worth having otherwise. When I check on them at night (they're in my frag tank in the basement), they are open though.

They're still alive after 6 weeks though, which I think is odd since I haven't been able to feed them. I guess they're surviving off of something in the water...

 

[crazyfishmom]

So I got two small colonies (6-8 polyps each) of sun coral 6 weeks ago. I'm struggling to get them to open during the day. What I've been doing is to try to stimulate a feeding response with Polyp Lab Polyp Booster. I turn off all flow and hit them with the PLPB. After waiting 5-10 minutes, I feed them some thawed homemade frozen. Which I think is a waste of time since they haven't opened their polyps.

Any suggestions for how I can get them to open during the day? They're beautiful when open, but not worth having otherwise. When I check on them at night (they're in my frag tank in the basement), they are open though.

They're still alive after 6 weeks though, which I think is odd since I haven't been able to feed them. I guess they're surviving off of something in the water...

Is it possible your lights are too strong for them? Do you have a spot that you can put a piece of cardboard over to shade them and see if they’ll open during the day?

A friend has his inside a cave of sorts where they only get indirect light and they’re open all the time.

 

[Dave-T]

Well I could try that, but the idea is to get them to ignore the light. I've heard rumors that this can be done. They're getting 200-300 PAR right now. Has this worked for you?

 

[crazyfishmom]

Well I could try that, but the idea is to get them to ignore the light. I've heard rumors that this can be done. They're getting 200-300 PAR right now. Has this worked for you?

I don’t have any. I managed to kill mine because I didn’t feed them properly so you’re already doing something right. I am just wondering whether you might be able to get this to happen over time by them being at let’s say 50 or and slowly moving them to where they stop paying attention to light.

 

[Dave-T]

Thanks. That might work. But I'm hoping to get some suggestions from people who have actually done this.

 

[VintageReefer]

200-300 par is crazy high for them imo. They are nps and like dark areas. Most lps are happy in 100-150 par

I did get them to stay open in the day, it took weeks of effort attempting to feed them during day hours, failure after failure. Eventually they would open about 50% in the day. I had them in 100 par. I traded them and was never happy

You should get dendro coral instead. They are open all day long and are the bigger better version of sun coral

 

[i cant think]

Well I could try that, but the idea is to get them to ignore the light. I've heard rumors that this can be done. They're getting 200-300 PAR right now. Has this worked for you?

2-300 PAR is stimulating day light, these corals aren’t going to enjoy this and stay open.
Having them in a cave or darkened area is best for getting them opened in the day.

I’ve got chilli that don’t open in the day - I’ve not seen them open at night but this may be because they’re opening in the middle of the night more than the early hours of the morning or evening.

 

[VintageReefer]

Been doing this many years and here’s my advice based on experience, 100% guaranteed to work

Vintage Reefer’s Step by Step Guide to Adapting Sun Coral to Stay Open in Daytime V2.2

1) ensure water is in 1.025-1.026 salinity

2) being nps and naturally in slightly cooler environments, ensure water is 76-78 degrees F

3) Have a variety of meaty foods available on demand for when they open

4) Get rid of the sun coral - trade to LFS for credit

5) use credit to buy various dendro corals. Bring home and put in tank

6) after a few hours dendro will open. Feed it. Then feed 2-3x a week

7) enjoy your new dendro, sun coral’s less annoying, less finicky cousin

 

[Dave-T]

Haha. I have come to the exact same conclusion myself. Now to find some dendros.

 

[Naekuh]

Man, even manually feeding my Anthias several times a day is annoying.
If i had to feed each head of a NPS, i can see myself exiting the hobby really fast.

I give you guys who can keep NPS alive a lot of respect.
You have commitment thats for sure.

 

[m0nkie]

IMO switch to live food. I feed these on different days daily:

11 blend live phytoplankton 5ml/gal
live rotifier 5ml/gal
pns bacteria 1ml/gal
pns yellowsno 1ml/gal

After 5 minute all the polyps extend. Then i broadfeed tank with frozen food for fish. They randomly catch some. Not much. 4-5 times a day.

I also feed benereef, reef chili and other dry food x2 a week.

I have yellow and orange sun corals, they stay open almost all day long. And i see new polyps growing. Dendros open on and off during the day. But always peaking out with the tip

That top sun coral colony, even tho under the rock arc, is about 6 inch from water surface. Gotta be hitting 400 par on some parts. No issue opening all day

Tank also need high flow and high nutrient. My PO4 at 0.17 NO3 at 25

 

[VintageReefer]

Your dendros are upside down

 

[m0nkie]

Lol ya. A friend mentioned to take advantage of the shade since my rock arc was very bare at the bottom. I have about 20 dendros and balanophyllia all over the tank

Sun corals naturally grow upside down tho

 

[VintageReefer]

Lol ya. A friend mentioned to take advantage of the shade since my rock arc was very bare at the bottom. I have about 20 dendros and balanophyllia all over the tank

Sun corals naturally grow upside down tho

Sun coral yes

My dendros like to be open all day in the top of my tank pointing up. They don’t feed off the light, but they seem to like it

There’s 3 plugs of Aussies and a Fathead (3’d Aussie plug is behind the fathead)

 

[m0nkie]

Very nice! Is your aussie one same color as the fathead?

I do have a few yellow aussie dendro that stay open all day. My others are all fathead. I guess mine reacts more based on their position in the flow. I have some in complete dark but at a flow zone, upside down, open most of day time. The ones at the bottom with least flow facing up opens least

 

[VintageReefer]

Very nice! Is your aussie one same color as the fathead?

No lol I was scammed by well known vendor. I bought two wysiwyg listings. Aussies was supposed to be yellow
1 yellow head frag
4 yellow head frag



They send me instead…
A single pinkish one


And a triple that is super pale yellow, almost clear


Fat head is nice, but I bought a 2 head and they sent a 1 head :/

 

[shootingstar_reef]

you need to smother them with food. They are never healthy when they come in, and rarely have time to adapt to aquarium conditions. They aren't super light sensitive. At this point, since it's been awhile, when you catch them open at night, feed them so that they become healthier. If they are well fed, they are more likely to be open all the time, and are much more responsive to food during the day.

You can try feeding them something small like bbs/dried rotifers/frozen calanus (I have found across a couple specimens they respond well enough to calanus) during the day. However, in the "training" stage, you have to keep feeding them until they're open or nearly open. Once their tentacles come out, throw ur standard food and they should become more responsive. Do this a few times and they'll eventually open up during the day, or at least fully open when you start feeding. Good luck

 

[m0nkie]

Dang.. i have this love hate relationship with aquaSD.. they have lot of variety of dendro and sun coral. Sometimes they send me healthy stuff, sometimes barely alive..

The aussie yellow dendro i got from them are very yellow, but barely alive. I sent them an email complaining they mailed me some dead branches.. they convinced me to give it a chance. Took over a month to grow some flesh out

The fathead dendros i buy from deepblue aquarium are always healthy and no damage on flesh

 

[JAS927]

I haven’t had any in a long while but with my previous tank I had them under a ledge in very dim lighting and they were open during the time the lights were on through the day so at least I got to enjoy them even if in their own little dark cave.

 

[JoJosReef]

I have my dendro underneath a monti cap. Open all day long. Maybe put the sun coral under a plating coral?