View Full Version : New Sun Coral
Hi, I've been after a sun coral for ages and after reading up on them I've taken the plunge and bought one on saturday. Below is a picture taken about an hour after adding it to the tank:
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2008Q1/blacks84_suncoral.jpg
I just wanted to know the general state of this coral, is it in good health? I've since moved it on to the sand so I can put a bottle over the top of it as my shrimp was stealing all the food :mad: . when feeding the tube part of the polyps extend about 1cm from the base.
Hi blacks84,
The sun coral certainly looks very healthy. There appears to be a very good flesh coverage and no recession. IME, Sun corals tend to prefer being on rocks rather than directly on sand. They are always found on rocks in the wild.
Unfortunately, cleaner shrimp and sun corals don't really mix. Cleaner shrimp may even try to rip out half digested food from the sun corals which can damage them.
HTH
thanks for your quick response, I was hoping I picked a healthy one but wanted to check for certain in case it needed a bit of extra care. Unfortunately the bottle is the only option I have because my shrimp is far too brave for his own good. I've even batted him away a stick (only gently!) and he came back for more. I think i've found a nice place on the rocks with plenty of shade that I can just about manouevre the bottle over so I will give that a try,
thanks for the help
p.s. how long would I need to cover the coral for before the food is safely digested. I've just been leaving it on until I can't see the food anymore
I've got a full 'ball' sun coral as above and have him in a cave. Yes, Keith is right, cleane shrimps can be a pain, but you can keep them as I have done. Feeding the sunny with mysis, krill, brine, etc. they can be a little messy and the cleaner isn't a bad thing eating up what the polyps of the sunny hasn't taken.
tigerstorm1234
14-03-08, 20:15
When i had my green and orange sun coral i found that if i fed my fish / shrimp just before feeding my sun corals they seemed to be occupied with chasing the brine / mysis around the tank. i used to mix plankton into with a brine and found that a pippet from one of my test kits seemed to be the best to place the food onto / over the coral.
beastmaster
21-03-08, 22:39
Hi
nice looking sun can be very iffy corals to keep have you got a calcium reactor on your set up ?
beastmaster
21-03-08, 22:43
PS
if you like these sun corals and you dive than the ship wreck in the carribean island of grenada called the veronica l is the place to be she is covered in them massive specimens.
thought i'd give an update.
The coral appears to be doing pretty well, this was taken last week at about 5pm so the lights were fully on. I feed it half a cube of marine mix every day and it seems to like it. I think i've got the cleaner shrimp trained now and I don't have to use the bottle method anymore which makes things alot easier. In response to questions by beatmaster, I don't have a calcium reactor and unfortunately I do not dive, thanks for the info though. Pic below:
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2008Q1/blacks84_suncoral2.jpg
Is it just me who can't see the picture?
That is a very nice coral.I am currently trying to train my shrimps to stay away from my sun coral.
Much better, can see the pic now ;)
WOW, looks mightily healthy, nice one!
BOXING SHRIMP
02-04-08, 21:06
stunning specimen mate ,good luck with the cleaners...:)
ooh nice..one day i want one..when i know a LOT more about them.
Thanks for the positive comments, hopefully I'll be able to post an even better update in a few weeks, it seems to be getting better every day.
For the cleaner, I used the stick technique, cognitive behavioural therapy and all that!
Love diving. I'll certainly look this up- thanks beast!
Yes, great update on your sunny. Would also be good if you could provide a pic after it has eaten!
:thumbsup:
PS
if you like these sun corals and you dive than the ship wreck in the carribean island of grenada called the veronica l is the place to be she is covered in them massive specimens.
time for another update i think! this was taken just now under actinics so the colour is a bit duller than in daylight. Really pleased with how healthy it is (ps ignore the caulerpa :mad: )
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2008Q1/blacks84_suncoral0608.JPG
Looks good, very good.
If only I could get mine looking like that.
Are you still feeding Marine Mix? Half a cube daily? I might try that.
Do you add vitamins or anything else like that?
Ben
I've resorted to one cube every other day and about once a week I chuck in half a teaspoon of cyclopeeze, I always spray the cube with new era vitamin spray before putting it in the tank.
I sometimes don't have a chance to feed it for up to 5 days due to work et al but I haven't noticed any problems when I do, as long as I get back to the normal regime it's fine.
hmm, thanks Blacks, do you think, with my sun coral, I should start feeding little and often? Rather than currently, no set regime, just when I have the time? So atm, its like big feeds, once/twice a week.
Yours looks stunning, do you have any coenosarc (tissue) loss? I have loads and it won't recover, so maybe upping the feeding (number) but lowering it (amount), :thumbsup: :P
Ben
I think little and often is usually the best way forward for most things. Not had any tissue loss so hopefully it's gonna stay healthy.
It takes me less than 10mins to feed it and I usually give a bit to the fish and sometimes my other LPS corals so everything gets done.
I'm not an expert by any stretch so maybe I've just been lucky!
I think little and often is usually the best way forward for most things. Not had any tissue loss so hopefully it's gonna stay healthy.
It takes me less than 10mins to feed it and I usually give a bit to the fish and sometimes my other LPS corals so everything gets done.
I'm not an expert by any stretch so maybe I've just been lucky!
Then that makes two of us - I've been doing pretty much the same with the sun coral I bought nearly 2 months ago. It was a bit sorry for itself when I got it, but fed it every other day on a variety of foods (mysis, cyclops, brine shrimp, chopped mussel, whatever was in the freezer!) and it's really come on well and is putting out new polyps.
Yeah I get new polyps, just the tissue loss.
Will try little and often.
Cheers :D
Meant to say as well (but got interrupted by lost and helpless delivery man...why do APC employ complete idiots?!!) that I'm also starting to get spread of tissue over a couple of gaps between the polyps, and it might be creeping down round the edges of the colony, but I can't make my mind up on that yet.
Brilliant!
Well its up for sale currently, so I'm feeding it up so it looks healthy for the buyer when they collect.
I'll try the every other day feeding regime, and see if it helps in anyway :D
Ben
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