Feeding Sun Coral????

NOTORIOUS LEE · 12-19-2004, 03:51 PM

Hi,

My recent addition to my reef is an orange Sun Coral of which I know prefers shade & have situated him just under a large piece of rock on the bottom & he's been in the tank now for about 8 hours but is only slightly showing signs of coming out.

I appreciate it could take days for coral to adjust to the new water parameters but my concern is that I know they need target feeding with brine shrimp, etc, & if it doesn't come out how can it feed?

I believe you feed it when all it's polyps are extended so it can take the food preferably at the same time each day.

Can someone please clarify this & give me some advice?

Thanks.

Tasher80 · 12-19-2004, 04:14 PM

First of all you are correct they do need food. They are not light sensetive. I have mine out in the open in my tank. They start fully extending after the lights go out but I have been feeding them earlier in the day to get them to come out more. What I do is mix some bio plankton and cyclopeeze in a cup. I squirt a little at their colony to arouse them> I usually wait about 20 minutes until they fully extend. Then I use a turkey baster and shoot the mixutre at them. I make a very large cloud around them that they grab and suck in. I do this about 3 times a week. Mine get huge when they fully extend. Then I figure they eat all night with the leftovers in the water.

reefkpr391 · 12-19-2004, 04:20 PM

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...Np=1&N=0&Nty=1

Get this zooplankton. The polyps usually come out at night, but you can train them to come out during feeding, you will have to feed the tank or blow some of the zooplankton over the coral to stimulate the polyps to open. Each and every individual polyp is it's own animal therefore each polyp HAS to be fed. I believe it should be fed daily to keep the polyps stimulated and fed. Brine shrimp is of no nutritional value. If this coral is not fed regularly and each individual polyp...it WILL die.

FR · 12-19-2004, 10:47 PM

they look so cool when open but i have to admit it sounds like more work than im cut out for.

Tasher80 · 12-19-2004, 11:21 PM

Its really not that hard or time consuming. It takes me 2 seconds to mix up the stuff. One squirt. Do tank stuff for 20 minutes then shoot the rest of the stuff on the polyps. Not really that bad at all and they look awsome when they are out during the day.

Loverotties · 12-20-2004, 06:36 AM

Tasher80 do you feed them everyday and do you squirt each polop(spelling?) or over the hole coral?

atzak · 12-20-2004, 07:35 AM

The sun coral doesn't need to be in a dark cave, the most important thing for placement is that it's somewhere you can feed it easily.

Tasher80 · 12-20-2004, 07:19 PM

I feed 2-3 a week. I start out by shooting close to the polyps then after they seem to be fed I shoot the whole colony and anyone that didn't get fed the first time gets fed. I use to use a 3 litter pop bottle with the bottom cut out then squirt it in there and cap it. But now my colony is too big around to even fit a 3 litter over top of it. I need to find a bigger bottle.

FR · 12-21-2004, 01:38 AM

milk jug?

wanareef · 12-21-2004, 03:23 AM

No, not a milk jug- a 2 liter soda bottle with the bottom cut out. JUst make sure it's above the coral - but you can adjust the height of it. Just place it over the coral and squeeze in the food - don't have to really target feed this way as the food will be all over the coral but not all over the tank. I ahve heard of feeding with mysis as well, but small pieces of course.

FR · 12-21-2004, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wanareef

No, not a milk jug- a 2 liter soda bottle with the bottom cut out. JUst make sure it's above the coral - but you can adjust the height of it. Just place it over the coral and squeeze in the food - don't have to really target feed this way as the food will be all over the coral but not all over the tank. I ahve heard of feeding with mysis as well, but small pieces of course.

dude if his colony won't fit in a 3 liter bottle then what makes you thing a 2 liter one will work any better?

reefkpr391 · 12-21-2004, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FR

dude if his colony won't fit in a 3 liter bottle then what makes you thing a 2 liter one will work any better?

I was thinking the exact same thing.

Tasher80 · 12-22-2004, 11:26 AM

I don't know why I didn't think of cutting the bottom of a milk jug though. My colony would probablly fit in there. See my colony is large but then each polyp literally expands about 2-3 inches out from the main colony making it almsot 6 inches wider around. With the 3 litter the little guys were squished against the side of the bottle. Mysis work just crush them up a lot and make them really fine.