Unravelling the challenges of Scolymia

[uniquecorals]

I got a scoly online during a live sale got a pretty good deal on it so I had to jump on it and now found more information I was looking for. I saw the first couple of nights the feeding tentacles coming out but never got a chance to spot feed it. I've had it a little less than a month. I have to say I did try to "force feed" it during regular feedings tried to squeeze some mysis shrimp onto it but my cleaner shrimp just jumps on top and steals the food. Tomorrow I'm going to cut a 2 L and try that but don't wanna waste food if the tentacles aren't out.
Here's my scoly. Will it last you think?
Before

The other day

Hard to say...I think that you just need to hang in there and see how it goes...Just keep trying to feed it when polyps are extended, and be sure not to blast it with flow or allow lots of crabs or fishes to pick on it while it's recovering.

-Scott

 

[EdansClownHouse]

Thanks for the great article Scott. I always love reading your info. When you cut your Scoly, how many pieces did you do?

 

[uniquecorals]

Thanks for the great article Scott. I always love reading your info. When you cut your Scoly, how many pieces did you do?

Thanks for the kind words! It's fun to share this stuff!

When we frag Solys, it's usually done in 3-4 pieces max...Usually 3..

Hope this helps!

-Scott

 

[TommyP]

Thanks Scott. It's hanging in there. No fish pick at it at all and my hermit crabs leave it alone. Only my cleaner shrimp jumps on it when I was trying to feed it. I looked last night again, no feeding tentacles were out. Ill keep trying

 

[Birddog]

Truth be told I continue to view myself as a newby, although I have been reefing for almost four years. I purchased my first Scoly from my LFS for pennies on the dollar due to the incredible damage it had incurred from a chalice that fell onto it. When purchased it only had about 25% of its flesh with the other 75% being just exposed skeleton. The photo below is after approximately 4 months of care and feeding on average every other day.

I "force fed" it as Scott refers to in his article. Today I feed it and all of my corals before I go to work at 3:30a. IMHO they all benefit from this night time feeding and seem to have better growth rates, color and are fat. My Scoly today...

Scott, like everyone else I enjoy your articles and always look forward to them. TommyP feed it, feed it, feed it and keep the CUC away!

 

[TommyP]

Truth be told I continue to view myself as a newby, although I have been reefing for almost four years. I purchased my first Scoly from my LFS for pennies on the dollar due to the incredible damage it had incurred from a chalice that fell onto it. When purchased it only had about 25% of its flesh with the other 75% being just exposed skeleton. The photo below is after approximately 4 months of care and feeding on average every other day.

I "force fed" it as Scott refers to in his article. Today I feed it and all of my corals before I go to work at 3:30a. IMHO they all benefit from this night time feeding and seem to have better growth rates, color and are fat. My Scoly today...

Scott, like everyone else I enjoy your articles and always look forward to them. TommyP feed it, feed it, feed it and keep the CUC away!

I will thank you! Nice recovery!

 

[nwkermit]

Great info. Looking forward to applying it to this beauty!

 

[beachsider]

I see scolys placed atop cut pieces of pvc, and or on rocks. I have mine directly on the sand bed. Do you think it is better to have them slightly elevated? Hopefully thats not a silly question. Ive had this guy for around 2.5 years

 

[uniquecorals]

I see scolys placed atop cut pieces of pvc, and or on rocks. I have mine directly on the sand bed. Do you think it is better to have them slightly elevated? Hopefully thats not a silly question. Ive had this guy for around 2.5 years

I'm more of a "Scoly-on-the-sandbed" kind of guy, but they do come to us attached to rocks...I think it's really a matter of which placement you think will be best for the coral!

-Scott

 

[Ryans85]

Scoly i bought from you 8months ago and doing great. Thought you might like to see its doing great thanks again and great read as allways

 

[beachsider]

Scoly i bought from you 8months ago and doing great. Thought you might like to see its doing great thanks again and great read as allways

Beautiful scoly. I am partial to those scolys with colors that are real tight together.

 

[beachsider]

And this little blues areas are awesome. As long as that is not an effect from the camera used. Either way. ... Nice piece

 

[Singlefin]

Great read. I'll start feed if it at night when it's tentacles are out instead of "force feeding" it. Mine looks a little transparent during the day. I had it in the shade. Now it's in full led lights. Ill try move it to a shaded area with more flow. Thanks

 

[Viperdoug]

Good read....Scott is right. I have had a few Scolys over the last couple of years and I finally feel like the one i have now is doing the best. I target feed it 3-4 times per week around 5-6am. The tentacles are always out at this time and the coral seems to love it. I also made the mistake of too much light initially. I have had it in a shadier spot and the coral is thriving. Color looks great and it is puffy during the day.

 

[Mihana]

I'm new to this scoly world, but fortunately for me (and my three scoly's), I work at a nightclub, so I don't make it home until about 3:30 am which seems to be the witching hour these guys. I LOVE feeding them. Makes me stay up even later than initially intended, but oh so rewarding. Thanks for the write up! Great read. I uploading a pic of the bleeding Apple I'm trying to rehab. (Blind leading blind), but at least it lets me know it's hungry!

 

[gettaReef]

That is awesome! I think the key to having healthy scolys is to feed them often (preferably at night when they're most used to eating). Keep it up!

 

[spectra]

I love scolys and have a few. I just drop some krill or bigger chunks out of the thawed food I use. They open right up when the food is on them. They do open at night but at 5 am I am heading to work so......

 

[Triggreef]

I had a nice war paint for a while but lost it in a partial tank crash.

Great write up. I'm wondering about the recent button scoly hitting the market. Are they just young scoly or completely different? I have 2 button scoly now for a few months. They seem pretty simple and just like the war paint scoly I before as far as it's feeding.

 

[Ron83]

Great read. Thank You!

 

[JP79]

Awesome read. Here my mini scoly. I've had since June and it's doing well and it has grown. It's gotten kind of big to be honest. It might about an inch and half across now. When I got it was maybe the size of a quarter. It's fat and happy. Thinking about getting another one soon. It might be one of my favorite corals. But I love a lot of corals so it's hard to pick.