Sun Coral advice & placement

[Rooty]

Hi all,

just wondered where bouts best place is to put sun corals as I've just got one, (finally sucumbed to pressure from Lyn who wants colourful corals).

I've read all I can about them so well aware about feeding and have empty bottle of coke on standby if I need it!

I've read that you shouldn't put them on sand but seen quite a few members pics with these on the sand.

Also lighting, I've got T5s but should they be in a cave (ie no/little light) or can I put them in the middle of the tank?

The actual polyps look okay but the base that they are on is mostly white, the pics I have seen (healthy ones on the forum) have orange bases, I am guessing that this will happen in time and with some TLC.


Ruth

[evilervin]

Hi Ruth:wave:

I've read that you shouldn't put them on sand but seen quite a few members pics with these on the sand.
Sand can irritate the polyps that expand to touch it, causing them to slowly expand less and less which will lead to the loss of the irritated polyps… use a wee piece of LR to raise the colony off the sand and you should be fine.

Also lighting, I've got T5s but should they be in a cave (ie no/little light) or can I put them in the middle of the tank?

The actual polyps look okay but the base that they are on is mostly white, the pics I have seen (healthy ones on the forum) have orange bases, I am guessing that this will happen in time and with some TLC.
There is no need to place the coral in a cave, the middle of the tank should be fine, BUT, due to the skeleton being exposed (your white base) you have to keep an eye out for algae growth as this will hinder the re-growing of the coenosarc (the corals ‘skin’ / tissue).

If you heavily feed the coral (daily if poss) with good meaty food such as white fish, mysis, frozen zooplankton etc (not brine shrimp) the tissue should re-grow in time. During the recovery I would suggest that you keep the coral in as low light as possible, purely to inhibit any potential algae growth.

HTH:)
Roger

[MagpieCott]

If it needs feeding up, just make sure that it is somewhere that you can access easily for target feeding. Some people also have also had success in the past with particularly emaciated ones, by removing them into a small bowl, for a short amount of time, which is filled with the same tank water, and saturated with food. Obviously, don't leave it there so long that it gets cold etc, as you don't want to have to reacclimatise it back into your tank.

[Rooty]

Hi,

just an update, sun coral is doing well and opening up to feed and boy is it hungry!
I am now trying to train it to feed when I am around ie in the evenings.

Ruth

[the dogs]

Rooty,just brought one of these yesterday,do you feed yours during the day ?and did you place it in the light,as was told by LFS that it is ok with light,mine would not feed last night but that is what i would have expected am going to try again tonite..

[Rooty]

Hiya,

it didn't open for 2-3 days and didn't want to open during daytime at all.
As I am around evenings I wanted it to feed then, plus I feed it just before my lights go out so I can target feed each one the polyps are open and take any left overs floating around the tank.
I've got T5s and yes its under the light and seems to be okay.

What i did eventually was use frozen 'coral food' in the tank and coral snow it made the polyps open slightly and then i target fed mysis.

I think in the end it got hungry and now its behaving very well, I need only put flake in the tank and the polyps open out slightly, enough so they are ready for mysis.

HTH

R