Sun Coral Help/Dying

[Kiui1849]

Sun corals need to be direct fed multiple times per day.

I feed them 1-2 times a day (depending on how much time I have in the morning and how clean the water is) and sprinkle zooplankton or finer foods on their mouths and turn off pumps for a bit. I haven't seen them outstretch any "tentacles" since I've bought them so I don't know how much they're actually eating.

 

[twentyleagues]

Mine seem healthy but they simply dont open very often. They are under one of my big leather corals so it is dark. Their skeletons look fine tho. Is there any things I can put on the coral to encourage them to open or should I move them to a cave

Not really. if they are happy they will start opening when you feed the tank once open feed them directly with mysis.

 

[Kiui1849]

A lot of the time they are found growing on the underside of the top of arches and caves. The underside of the arch below the clown might be the best spot for it if you can glue it there. But that may cause issues with you feeding it. Moderate flow is best think hammer coral.

Thank you! I'll try making a small shelf under that arch to glue it to so no sand gets on it. :)

 

[thebigfryfry]

I feed them 1-2 times a day (depending on how much time I have in the morning and how clean the water is) and sprinkle zooplankton or finer foods on their mouths and turn off pumps for a bit. I haven't seen them outstretch any "tentacles" since I've bought them so I don't know how much they're actually eating.

I have the same problem they seem happy but only 1 out of my three colonies opens :/

 

[twentyleagues]

Google pic

 

[twentyleagues]

Thank you! I'll try making a small shelf under that arch to glue it to so no sand gets on it. :)

If you can glue them polyps facing down (upside down) under that arch but on the arch.

 

[thebigfryfry]

If you can glue them polyps facing down (upside down) under that arch but on the arch.

I might try that as well how do you go about feeding them while they are upside tho. Also do you have to feed every polyp or do they share energy / nutrition between the colony

 

[twentyleagues]

I might try that as well how do you go about feeding them while they are upside tho

you will have to get them to open up so their "tentacles" will catch the food. Just like other lps corals. Typically if they are happy they will be out, At first you may have to chum the water a little after lights out to get them to open, then feed them.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Parameters aren't out of normal which is good. KH could be higher and No-3 spiked but I'm doing a water change tomorrow anyways.

I'll try a dip, 1/2 water bottle when feeding, and moving them back to the sand bed. Do you know if the polyps can clean themselves of sand? When on the sand bed they fill up quickly and I worry they'll get super irritated or worse which is why they're higher in the tank.

I haven't noticed anything touch them except maybe a hermit crawled on it. The yellow reminds me of this post:

https://www.nano-reef.com/forums/topic/336005-yellow-stringy-stuff-on-sun-coral/

Sorry for the delayed response, that's exactly what they are. Mesenterial filaments. They are digestive tissue deployed when the coral is stressed, damage or (not in your case) feeding

 

[twentyleagues]

Thank you! I'll try making a small shelf under that arch to glue it to so no sand gets on it. :)

post pics of how it goes! Hopefully you can get them back to happy, one of my favorite corals.

 

[Lavey29]

I feed them 1-2 times a day (depending on how much time I have in the morning and how clean the water is) and sprinkle zooplankton or finer foods on their mouths and turn off pumps for a bit. I haven't seen them outstretch any "tentacles" since I've bought them so I don't know how much they're actually eating.

Mine took about 2 to 3 weeks to acclimate and open up at consistent times. Typically it opened in the evening for me under moonlights.

 

[twentyleagues]

Mine took about 2 to 3 weeks to acclimate and open up at consistent times. Typically it opened in the evening for me under moonlights.

Removing mine from the mixed reef and setting up a dedicated tank with that one actinic bulb was the best thing I ever did for mine, growth exploded. They really shouldnt be in a common reef tank. I had no fish or inverts in the tank. No shrimp or fish plundering their treasures. The actinic light was on for 3 hours after all the other lights were off just for my enjoyment. They really fluoresce under that actinic lighting.

 

[DJC]

To lower phosphates gradually ,you could try lowering the level in your skimmer and removing the collection cup. This way it will still oxygenate/agetate the water yet not strip all the nutrients as it collects.

That’s a great idea I never thought of doing that

 

[thebigfryfry]

That’s a great idea I never thought of doing that

Great I am happy to help :)

 

[thebigfryfry]

Ok lights turned off and I turned off all the flow it took about 30 minutes for them to come out but I fed all 3 colonies thankfully. They seemed to like fish pellets a lot and didn’t really care for reef roids but mysis went down a treat let’s hope I can keep these amazing looking corals thriving. I also bought a nice pink carnation and fed that a mixture of nannochlorpsis and roids seems to take it so that’s good :) if anyone had any care tips for pink carnation please let me know :)

 

[twentyleagues]

I never could keep the softie nps like carnations or the blueberry gorgs or other nps gorgs long term. They need very specific foods almost all day for

Ok lights turned off and I turned off all the flow it took about 30 minutes for them to come out but I fed all 3 colonies thankfully. They seemed to like fish pellets a lot and didn’t really care for reef roids but mysis went down a treat let’s hope I can keep these amazing looking corals thriving. I also bought a nice pink carnation and fed that a mixture of nannochlorpsis and roids seems to take it so that’s good :) if anyone had any care tips for pink carnation please let me know :)

long term health. I did have pretty good luck with a corkscrew coral (form of black coral) about a year and a half before I got out last time. I was told it was photo synthetic. There was very little good info on the internet about it. Turns out not photo synthetic Got some algae on it and fragged it to save it into two pieces, I put it in the 90 nps tank and started feeding it chopped mysis and oyster eggs. Grew like gang busters. I tried the same stuff with the nps gorgs but they would slowly wither. I think you have more choices of foods now that may help. Someone on r2r has a very nice nps tank and from what I remember is quite knowledgeable also. Search them out maybe.

 

[Kiui1849]

If you can glue them polyps facing down (upside down) under that arch but on the arch.

I just tried it and the stupid base it's on doesn't fit anywhere except for side ways at the entrance of the arch.

It's looking better this morning and I don't want to tick it off too much more. I think removing it from the plug would be a bad idea but it really doesn't fit in the arch any ideas?

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

I just tried it and the stupid base it's on doesn't fit anywhere except for side ways at the entrance of the arch.

It's looking better this morning and I don't want to tick it off too much more. I think removing it from the plug would be a bad idea but it really doesn't fit in the arch any ideas?

You could try breaking it off but you may damage the coral. If you do, use coral/bone cutters and break the glue holding it

 

[twentyleagues]

I just tried it and the stupid base it's on doesn't fit anywhere except for side ways at the entrance of the arch.

It's looking better this morning and I don't want to tick it off too much more. I think removing it from the plug would be a bad idea but it really doesn't fit in the arch any ideas?

you need to be very careful. I used to remove most corals from their plugs less chance of getting unwanted things in your reef. Bone cutters, flathead screwdriver by itself or tap it gently with a hammer. Try holding on to the frag not the plug you dont care about the plug.

 

[thebigfryfry]

If it is a frag plug they sometimes have a tube that comes out of the bottom. If you can cut that off with bolt cutters so the underside of the plug is all flush then you maybe able to glue it.