Sun Coral Feeding

[GeorgeAmos]

Hi All,
I haven't posted in a long time, but I always check out the site for info. when I get on the computer. Ya'll have vast knowledge that I don't, and I was hoping that you could help me with my Sun Corals. I have two. The first one is really fairly big and has gotten bigger! I've had it for about a year now and it has produced new polyps. My problem is the feeding of him. I know that he needs to be fed and I've tried several methods, but I'm scared they haven't helped. I've used a turkey baster and I've floated him in a food bath, but I know some of the older polyps have receded and are close to dying. I just fed him a little while ago and his polyps extended again within a few minutes of feeding. I do enrich his food with Selcon and use DT's, although I have been without DT's for about three weeks, LFS has been without it.
I was wondering if putting him in a 5g hospital tank with live brine shrimp might help? I had some eggs and was goofing around, and hatched them in that tank. They're still babies, but ... I try and feed but can't get all the polyps fed and don't want to hurt him, so any advise would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!

[greenbud]

I would highly recommend you purchase the 60-100 micron and next sized up (rotifer sized) Golden Pearls from http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com. That should do the trick for ya. I have a sun coral and the response to these foods is terrific. FYI one bag keeps about 6 months in the refridgerator so don't go too crazy ordering the largest size. HTH

[This message has been edited by greenbud (edited 09-06-2000).]

[horge]

Feeding Tubastrea sp.?
I don't have access to 'Golden Pearls' and the like (grrrrr...) and so I make do with hand feeding random polyps with tiny morsels of fresh shrimp twice or thrice a week. I do wind up having to block out thieving shrimp and fish while the polyp takes it's excruciatingly sweet time ingesting.

Also, I stir up some mulm once in a while and watch the colony trap stuff with filmy mucus nets, and reel it in for ingestion. HTH

horge

[This message has been edited by horge (edited 09-08-2000).]

[rogue1]

I have had great luck feeding mine baby brine shrimp. I just hatch them then turn off all the power heads and feed them with a turkey baster. I also suplement their food with DT's and have heard talk of a new DT product that is more concentrated but havent seen it yet. HTH
Rick

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So many corals so little cash lol......

[Martyn]

George This is my method of feeding and IME of the sun coral.
I have great success with Tubastraea spp and it seems too bud spread of every where.
One time when I had just one I got a bit lazy and only fed it a couple of times a week for a few weeks and the polyps started receding.
Some people have no problems with them when only feed twice a week But IME with them mine need feeding every day or else they recede slowly over time.
You can feed at day or at night or both.
If you squirt some food at the coral when the polyps are closed up with a turkey baster all its polyps will fully open expanded after 10 min to an hour after this.
Once polyps are fully open feed all crabs shrimps fish etc first at the other end of the tank and while they are engaged in feeding at the other end of the tank you can feed each polyp of your Tubestrea.
A good few blasts with the turkey baster over the whole colony see to it that all the polyps are fed.
Keep the turkey baster around the coral to push off any critters that tries to steal the food.
And push of any critters that try to steal this food until the Tubestrea polyps have fully inflated and closed around the food.
Once the polyps just starts to re-open it is ok to let any critters climb on it as the food has by then been digested by the coral.
Foods to feed brine shrimp/mysis shrimp/frozen plankton/ chopped up lance fish/Golden pearls.
In fact try any thing so long as it will fit into the polyp even long and narrow foods will work.
Mine are greedy and I think they would feed all day and night if I was prepared to do that.
I feed them once during the day and once during the night and never get lazy and forget nowadays http://www.thereeftank.com/ubb/wink.gif
I should say that when I did neglect to feeding only twice a week I did not have as much natural plankton in my Aquarium as I have now this could make a differents to the amount of feeding and times needed.
A refugium will help towards more natural plankton as will a live deep sand bed this I feel helps as well.
I also have have them positioned where some of the water flows regular that takes floating food and natural plakton to it.
I am so used to my regime now I have not thought about changing it.
Martyn



[This message has been edited by Martyn (edited 09-14-2000).]