Question about Green star polyp

[Gratefyl]

Hi there #reefsquad and other members. I have a quick question (maybe). We bought a larger frag of green star polyps and they were out for about a week (Pic 1) and have been non-existent (Pic 2) ever since. I had a couple folks talk about scrubbing it down with a toothbrush to get off debris, but it seems to me that it would just brush them all off the rock so I'm nervous to do that. I read these are supposed to be super easy, but clearly not for me. Everything else in the tank looks pretty darn good. These guys (Pic 3) aren't really opening much, but we have all kinds of other creatures (torches, anemones, fish, mushrooms, etc) that are doing great. Any advice?

 

[krash7172]

Be patient. GSP is super easy but they may be shy for a while. I removed my first couple of frags when they didn't come out for about a week. Now, I believe they would have been fine if I had just left them alone. Maybe try a different location in the tank but try not to disturb the coral.

 

[Gratefyl]

Thanks! It's been over a month or month and a half but I'm going to try different locations to see what happens! Thanks!

 

[Mical]

Depending on your tanks parameters, if there's large swings daily GSP will stay retracted. When I first started one my tanks and after it cycled I added GSP and it took almost 6 months before it showed signs of life. I had a purple mat on a rock. Once things leveled out - boom they exploded. Be patient, they'll come out.

 

[jaxredsoxfan]

Mine didn't extend for 8 days or so. I keep them in low light but pretty good flow and they are happy. They are a pretty good first indicator of water quality, so I would do a set of tests to make sure levels are where you think they are. They're like an early warning system. Good luck!

 

[reefwreak]

Don't scrub them with a brush, if you need to remove detritus or other settled matter, use a turkey baster. And stop moving them around, it'll only take them longer to settle in. We don't have info on your tank, but if you have other corals, then you can probably just leave this low in your tank or on your sand bed, and give it time to open up.

Then once it opens up and starts growing, and you start collecting other nicer looking corals, you'll be asking us how to remove them all. There are a few secrets to removing GSP, but if you're not careful, they'll definitely take over.

 

[LesPoissons]

Mine were out for months and then decided "NOPE" and havent been out for weeks. They peeked out yesterday for a water change and then went right back. My paramenters are fine (higher mag this week but before that stable for months, tons of other corals doing great). I think they just dont do well for some tanks, they have never really shone for me.

 

[Gratefyl]

We have some other corals and most everything else in the tank looks good. We'll see how it goes and if I keep fretting, I'll post more particulars. My fella knows more than me about this stuff, but I'm learning quickly and I'm totally excited!!