Sun Corals

[Susan Edwards]

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!

 

[Paullawr]

They are not fully extended. The polyps will extend more when-

A the corals settle
B as the lights dim
(Or both)

You can train them to come out during lights on though.

I recommend target feeding twice weekly. If you have a cleaner shrimp or something that steals food feed them first.

Remember to keep a check on water quality.

Otherwise enjoy one of the nicest corals you can own.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

One of my favorite NPS coral. Congrats!.

If you feed them at particular hour during the day (lights on) it will program itself to open during that period. It will bloom from time to time when they sense some food in the water as well. Target feeding of meaty stuff to keep this magnificent creature long term. In a well established tank (naturally occurring foods) direct feeding is not necessary.

p/s: I would move it somewhere with less light, preferably under rock shades. It might bleach and die being exposed to tremendous amount of light where it is now.

 

[Susan Edwards]

@Paullawr and @Donovan Joannes Thanks for the tips.

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.

 

[ReeferDave01]

Where did you get these? I've been trying to buy this coral but haven't found a place to get them

 

[Donovan Joannes]

@Paullawr and @Donovan Joannes Thanks for the tips.

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.

No worries. If lights is not that intense, it is probably okay keeping her on that spot, but that spot might be good for a more demanding corals soon. Happy reefing!

 

[Susan Edwards]

@Donovan Joannes I was going to use that spot for monti's. If I can devise a way to put it on a rock below and maybe try the bottle method of feeding, that's what I'll do. I figure I have some time to get it situated and see what will work. Right now I'm going to try a wine bottle cut off for feeding on the shelf--a clear one. Oh darn, need to go buy a bottle of wine..

@ReeferDave01 I got it at a lfs in Hayward CA I was surprised they had such a nice piece for 45 bucks. And it is pretty healthy I think, though it should get even better with good care

 

[BlueCursor]

They don't need any light so a shaded spot would be better. They come out more and have less algae issues.

I feed mine with a turkey baster twice a week. I feed at the same time I feed the fish to keep the fish from trying to steal the food from the sun corals. Just squeeze the food out gently so you don't scare them in.

Another thing I feed is SPS pellets. This is much easer to feed because my fish don't like the pellets.

 

[Susan Edwards]

@BlueCursor I have some spectrum pellets I'm also using and using a turkey baster. I'll be seeing if I can add another rock to the side of the tank so they are lower. I can't put them on the sand due to my sand sifting goby.

No shade except inside my deep cavern and I can't see or access anything inside that.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

I stop feeding mine many months ago after discovering that they feasting on something every night. It start blooming as early as 7pm and usually last several hours and totally closed before my lights turn on the next day. At least 3 new heads have popped up since then.

 

[Susan Edwards]

@Donovan Joannes Very nice!

 

[Donovan Joannes]

@Donovan Joannes Very nice!

Thank you

 

[Susan Edwards]

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.

 

[Susan Edwards]

I'm so pleased the sun coral is doing so well. I'm feeding twice a day--once in the tank after I fed fish to keep them occupied. This is the first morning feeding and the coral is still open. I just hit the heads open still. At the 300 feeding it opens about 20 minutes later but I don't go back to feed. At the 7pm feeding I put some coral frenzy or reef roids around it with the flow and wait. then I put it in a bowl and target feed heavy. The polyps don't even have to be all the way open. I use a pipette and just drop mysis onto each head and they gobble it up. This picture is 4 hours after I feed and lights out. The extra feeding seems to be getting it back in better health. Seeing more extension of the tentacles. Has a way to go but seems very happy

 

[ludnix]

Beautiful coral Susan. This page was a great resource for me when I first kept sun corals, though it sounds like you're doing a great job already.

 

[Susan Edwards]

wrong thread

 

[Susan Edwards]

@ludnix thanks for the link

 

[Susan Edwards]

ugh

 

[MiguelCS71]

Beautiful Suncoral Susan!!!
I saw 2 on Friday afternoon that I wanted so badly at a LFS but were outta my price range due to the amount of heads....but after seeing your pics, I'm definitely saving to make this my NEXT CORAL!

 

[Tautog]

Great coral, very resilient to the lazy reefers.