Is this level of bleaching recoverable ?

Omarcrown · Aug 14, 2025

I foolishly bought a coral before doing a full inspection and noticed what seems to be bleaching on the tips of some of the heads and this streak on its stalk. Is this level recoverable or should I go get a refund and never shop there again?

All my parameters are looking good and every other coral in my tank is happy and healthy.

iseethruyou2 · Aug 14, 2025

Should be fine. Just make sure to feed it. Looks like a sun coral, which I think isn’t photosynthesis.

troublemaker · Aug 14, 2025

Put it in the dark and feed it. Theses can live is caves as long as they have food.

Omarcrown · Aug 14, 2025

iseethruyou2 said:
Should be fine. Just make sure to feed it. Looks like a sun coral, which I think isn’t photosynthesis.

Thats good to know because the guy at the shop said it was a duncan but every image search i did for it came back as Sun Coral. I also have 5 funcan frags in my tank and they look nothing like this so I was real confused.

How often do you recommend feeding it. I have both zooplanktpn and phytoplankton along with AB+.

Omarcrown · Aug 14, 2025

troublemaker said:
Put it in the dark and feed it. Theses can live is caves as long as they have food.

I currently have it far from the light as my tank allows and there is a small cave type situation in my tank but the rock its attached to also has 2 other encrusting corals so I can't fit it under without negatively impacting those. Is it safe just to keep it outside semi distant from the lights? It'll get anywhere between 12-16 hours of darkness.

JohnNYC8 · Aug 14, 2025

Omarcrown said:
Thats good to know because the guy at the shop said it was a duncan but every image search i did for it came back as Sun Coral. I also have 5 funcan frags in my tank and they look nothing like this so I was real confused.

How often do you recommend feeding it. I have both zooplanktpn and phytoplankton along with AB+.

Well I know who I wouldn’t ask and it’s that guy at the store

Zooplankton should work. They’ll actually eat shrimp like brine and mysis when the heads get bigger. If it survived in the care of the guy who thought it was a Duncan it’s a pretty tough coral.