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LPS Coral Forum Discuss "Large Polyped Stony" corals here


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Old 03-05-2007, 08:51 PM   #1
XeniaGirl
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calling all SUN CORALS


I saw some frags of sun corals the other day at the LFS and I just think they're beautiful. Does anyone have any pics?- what can you tell me about how to keep them? - i.e. compatibility, flow/lighting, feeding, etc.????
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Old 03-05-2007, 09:47 PM   #2
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Lowish/med flow.

Lighting is irrelevant. They are non photosynthetic. In the wild many times they hang upside down in caves.

They typically will only open at night but can be trained to open in the middle of the day if you feed them at the same time every day.

They need fed regularly. Not a difficult coral as long as you do not slack on the feeding.

This isnt the best pic.......i swear i have another one in my photobucket pics that is open more......but couldnt find it........i need to clean some pics out so i can find stuff...lol

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Old 03-12-2007, 12:43 AM   #3
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It's LPS, not a soft coral
The main problem will be water quality - it requires twice a week feeding, 1-2 ocean plankton to each polyp (it seems, that everybody agrees, that every polyp should be fed, or it will die - I just don't want to risk and follow routine).

Has very bright color, comes in yellow, orange, greenish-black and rare red colors, quite hardy (IMHE), looks good in actinic-lit low light tank:

in usual tanks too - daytime shot:


Mine is now in a big tank with the fish, fed 3x daily - opens every time after feeding to catch leftovers.

When buying, try to choose the "meaty", or plump coral, like this:

not with the the thinnest skin, covering the sharp edges of skeleton.

The good article is here http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/s...d.php?t=195870 , Tubastrea - Everything you want to know.

Feeding tactics:

- if opens polyps to feed - give the food (thawed mysis, ocean plankton, something of this size), by turkey baster, ot tweezers, by hand, by syringe, attached to the rigid air tubing. Flow is off during feeding. If you make web search on feeding sun coral - there are a lot of illustrated threads by different people.

- if don't opens at beginning - may try to remove it in a separate container and add food there, let the coral to be in contact with food fo may be 40 min (cover from the bright light, mix the water time from time and watch for temperature of the water - it drops pretty fast in the winter, may want to use one container inside the other, with the warm water in-between). Should open to eat. After finishes - return to the tank. Container feeding:


- some prefer to cut the top of appropriate-sized bottle, and use the top half to cover the coral, and feed it inside. Then remove cover.


With time it spawns (the video is on LPS forum, thread like "Sun coral spawned"), babies attach themselves to the rock, start to grow side polyps, making own colonies:


Eventually, if the tank has sufficient filtration and nitrates and phosphates reduction, it should look like the tank of Daniela Tornsten, pdf file in the links below this article: http://www.marineaquarium.nl/februari-2006english.php

Similarly looking coral, but branching, is Dendrophillia, more rare.

Compatibility: non-aggressive, can be stung by hammer of frogspawn (or other stinging corals), no problems with xenia, mushrooms, capnella, gsp, bsp, yellow polyps (without touching). Not reef-safe fish (Chaetodermis, valentini puffer) tried it once, then left it alone, no concequences of any kind. Tolerates bad water quality, temperature drops in case of power failure - a week ago it was 73F in the tank for hours.

The only problem is the keeping water quality.
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Old 03-12-2007, 12:56 AM   #4
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beautiful pics reefyone & very useful information, on a additional note, foods should include, Brine shrimp,Mysis Shrimp,Krill, cyclop-eeze,Oyster eggs,& phytoplankton foods. & as noted above, use a turky baster or special target feeders when feeding,it reduces waste in your tank greatly.
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Old 03-12-2007, 01:03 PM   #5
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thank you for all the information, it was quite helpful. At this point it honestly sounds like they are too high-maintenance for me. I'm moving in a few months to a bigger house (thus, will get more reef tanks) and I might consider getting one later. But I don't want to buy one just for the sake of having one, and not be able to give it the pampering that it deserves.
Thanks again!
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Old 04-08-2007, 08:10 PM   #6
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Great info, i have also been looking into these corals for myself but havent found much until now.
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Old 04-09-2007, 09:04 AM   #7
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I'd like to know...from those that have these guys....

are they worth it? I mean, I know they're beautiful...and at first, probably fun to feed.

But I'd think after a while, it'd be a royal PITA.

Just curiuos if those of you who've had them for a while still like them.
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Old 04-09-2007, 10:59 AM   #8
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Must admit, sometimes getting them to open in the first place can be more annoying than actually feeding them to keep them open.

These took about 3 weeks to get fully open, but I can now almost tell the time of day by looking at them.

They'll be open all day and then at around 7pm they will close, half an hour or so later they will re-open and that is when they are expecting to be fed.

I must admit to feeding them more often than has been mentioned on this thread, these are fed every day of the week with either a full block of Brine or Mysis shrimps thawed in a little tank water with Cyclopeeze.

As for them being a PITA, mine are in a virtually all LPS tank, so everything gets fed daily or every other day. It just becomes a routine after a while.

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Old 04-09-2007, 01:32 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skeety View Post
I'd like to know...from those that have these guys....

are they worth it? I mean, I know they're beautiful...and at first, probably fun to feed.

But I'd think after a while, it'd be a royal PITA.

Just curiuos if those of you who've had them for a while still like them.
Answer to your question if they are worth it........ NO....not any more for me

Its the only thing in my tank that requires regular attention and I for one am over it. lol

First person to my house gets mine for FREE
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Old 04-10-2007, 11:36 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skeety View Post
I'd like to know...from those that have these guys....

are they worth it? I mean, I know they're beautiful...and at first, probably fun to feed.

But I'd think after a while, it'd be a royal PITA.

Just curiuos if those of you who've had them for a while still like them.

My answer would be,, how much do you want it ? how much do you care for the coral?, do you care for the survival of the species ? this is what keeps me going with my filter-feeders. (the only goal i have left) if you really dont see much reason for keeping them dont buy one.
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Old 04-10-2007, 11:39 AM   #11
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have you ever kept filter feeding corals before ?
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Old 04-10-2007, 11:37 PM   #12
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They are pretty!

<----------------------------- mine is my avatar!
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Old 04-11-2007, 08:35 AM   #13
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i keep a Red Gor. which i have to feed about every other day
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Old 04-11-2007, 10:11 AM   #14
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have you ever kept filter feeding corals before ?
not sure who you're asking. but in case it's me.

ALL corals are kind of filter feeders, aren't they?

I've kept feather dusters, and things like that. But nothing I've ever had to hand feed specifically. I feed the tank, and support whatever life can be sustained from that.
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Old 04-11-2007, 11:28 AM   #15
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Answer to your question if they are worth it........ NO....not any more for me

Its the only thing in my tank that requires regular attention and I for one am over it. lol

First person to my house gets mine for FREE
you took the words right out of my mouth !! except for the FREE part.
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black sun coral , feather duster , feather dusters , filter feeder , filter feeding corals , low light tank , lps coral , micron sock , mysis shrimp , photosynthetic corals , red mushroom , red mushrooms , sps corals , sun coral , sun corals , valentini puffer , yellow polyp



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