View Full Version : Sun Coral
Sorry, I've read through all the threads, but can't find an answer to my question!!
My new SC arrived this morning, so I know it's still settling in - but it hasn't opened properly yet, instead it keeps opening the 'mouths' in turn and then closing them.... should I try and feed it whilst it's like this or wait til it's opening properly??
I don't think it's in the greatest of health as it has a bit dying off towards the back of the rock, but I hope with a bit of TLC it will pick up!!
Here's a pic of how it is at the moment...
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k18/tdowning_01/DSCF2222.jpg
From what I've read Suncorals are almost always in a similar way when you first get them. Have you any cyclopeeze you can use to entice the tenticles out? You may find for the first few feeding sessions the tenticles will be very short and may not be able to catch food in which case you can use tweezers to carefully put food into each mouth.
After a couple of feeds they perk right up. Mine looked worse than your's when I first had it.
I have cyclops... cyclopeeze is stuck somewhere in the Christmas post!!
I've been dropping mysis over it to get it to that point, but it hasn't taken any... also tried a little coral frenzy around it but again no interest!! - I'm just defrosting some cyclops so will try that in a bit, was just worried that it was at the point of no return, but have no intention of giving up with it at all... everything else in the tank is due to be moved into the new tank over the next few days, but will leave this in my nano on it's own to recover a bit!!
ChrisBFish
20-12-07, 18:29
Even in good health, ours takes about 15 mins to open well enough to feed from when food goes into the water, so make sure you give it time. Something I did for the green SC when I got it - since it needed rather more feeding up than I was happy to do in the main tank! - was put it in a jug of tank water for feeding. That way, it could have a high concentration of food in it, and I just swirled the water around every so often to make sure the whole colony got a good amount, but the tank wasn't polluted by any uneaten food.
HTH
benribbans
21-12-07, 08:29
Top of a 2l water bottle with a hole in the lid, inject the food into the hole and eventually they will begin to open, they will get some food even in the semi closed position. This method ensures they are surrounded by a high concentration of food for a much longer time than if you simply put the food in the main water column. Looks to be in resonable health but hasnt been fed in some time so important to get food in ASAP.
HTH
Ben
Have you read the sticky at the top of this section;
Everything you need to know about Tubastrea (sun corals)?
Some great info in there.
HTH
Chris
Yours looks a lot better condition than mine was, and even is now!!
Thanks everyone... have read the sticky, was just worried that it was opening it's mouths but not opening anymore than that!!
It didn't take anything last night despite me wafting various foods over it, I've got a pop bottle all ready and will give that a try tonight, but it is looking slightly better already.. the little yellow fronds are just begining to show themselves - I was also trying to feed with a pipette last night, have a baster now so should be able to get the food moving around it nicely!!
Fingers crossed.. and thank you!
Well, the bottle worked... has taken me the best part of an hour, but well worth the effort, it's now out further than ever before, so hopefully it'll just keep getting better!!
dendro982RC
05-01-08, 02:32
Container feeding, even once, may help, until Cyclop-eeze arrives. Try to keep light dim during feeding, or shade coral.
Well we didn't wait for the Cyclopeeze to arrive, got my OH half to drive me over to STM and we've been feeding a mix of that, mysis and artemia nightly ever since!!
We've had to upgrade to a 3 litre pop bottle now that all the heads are opening which means I've had to re-position it, but it's worth all of the rearranging and time.. I'm over the moon with it and on the look out for a black one now! :)
Here's a photo of it's worst side... there's loads of new heads appearing all over it, but this bit is much slower to recover than the rest!
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k18/tdowning_01/DSCF2288.jpg
ChrisBFish
09-01-08, 23:16
Excellent! You've done really well with that one :) I'm a real sucker for sun corals - much to my husband's dismay! - and love to see pics of them getting nice and big :D
benribbans
10-01-08, 15:14
well done crackerz, looking much better, the bottle trick works a treat doesnt it.
Just wait till those polyps really fatten up, awesome coral - every tank should have one!
:thumbsup:
Ben
It does still need to fatten up a bit, but I know that it's going to be ok now
The bottle is brilliant, even the fish have learnt it means food and I have to watch I don't trap any under it as I put it in... so funny seeing the clowns go crashing into it to try and pinch food as well - greedy pigs that they are!!
I haven't told my OH I intend to get more, he's already moaning that I spend more time feeding the corals than with him!! :rolleyes:
benribbans
10-01-08, 17:39
He sounds like my misses '...you spend more time on that tank than with me...rah, rah rah....' hope she isnt watching....:fear: :laugh:
Good job and yes, it look as though they will be fine :thumbsup:
ChrisBFish
10-01-08, 18:39
I haven't told my OH I intend to get more, he's already moaning that I spend more time feeding the corals than with him!! :rolleyes:
Mr B just moans about what the feeding is doing to the nitrates... Spot our ongoing battle! :o
Just be wary of adding a micanthra (black one)
They are far harder to keep alive generally.
They really do need to be fed every day, and you need to make more effort to make sure every polyp gets food.
Your conditions also need to be spot on. They tend to object to a much lower level of nitrates than yellows.
My yellow used to get peeved at 25ppm, but the black was unhappy with anything above 10ppm
Thank you, I'll keep that in mind!
Nitrates don't seem to be a problem at the moment, but I think most of that is thanks to the fact that I have very greedy pairs of clowns and bangaii cardinals who wait eagerly for the bottle to be lifted and then pounce on any remaining food.... and I have no problem with nightly feeds, beats having to watch the footie with the OH!!
I'm also luckier than you ChrisBFish... the tank is my baby and the only say OH has in it is whether or not he offers to pay for my latest coral/fish... and of course I'm not going to complain about that!! :p
ChrisBFish
11-01-08, 16:23
Nitrates don't seem to be a problem at the moment, but I think most of that is thanks to the fact that I have very greedy pairs of clowns and bangaii cardinals who wait eagerly for the bottle to be lifted and then pounce on any remaining food.... and I have no problem with nightly feeds, beats having to watch the footie with the OH!!
They've obviously misunderstood the term 'clean-up crew'! :)
I'm also luckier than you ChrisBFish... the tank is my baby and the only say OH has in it is whether or not he offers to pay for my latest coral/fish... and of course I'm not going to complain about that!! :p
Works out ok though - he's a bigger impulse shopper than I am, and has been known to do a tour of 3-4 shops on his day off, coming home with 6-8 new corals...! :D And of course, he gets to do all the messy jobs, maintenance etc... heh!
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