Sun coral? black or orange

[beginnermatt]

Has anyone had good luck with this type of coral. I think it looks good and it requires low light. Are there any other low light corals like this? Thanks.

 

[viper_930]

It doesn't need any light at all. But you do have to hand feed each and every polyp whenever they open. Could turn into a bit of a hastle.

 

[beginnermatt]

That is a hastle. Any other corals that require extreme low or no light with less hastle. Thanks.

 

[eg_hatch]

What kinda light you got?, Good beginner corals are zoanthids, or mushrooms, they dont require any maintenance besides pruning.

 

[beginnermatt]

I just have two 48" flo bulbs over a 33 long. The sun coral interested me because of the low to no light. Are zoanthids and mushrooms similar? thanks.

 

[ninny]

I have an orange sun coral and it is very easy to care for. I have it in like a cave in my rock work, because I have some pretty powerful lighting for mt reef tank. I do not feed each individual head every day and it is growing just fine. I do target feed DT's with cyclopes mixed in every couple of days. I am looking for a black sun coral because I like my orange one so well.

 

[beginnermatt]

this site sells the black sun coral

 

[beth]

I do feed my suncoral just about every day. And, I actually enjoy doing this. They actually respond to the feeding. You really have to wait til lights out, though.
Mushroom do require some light and I don't see them doing that well with NOs.

 

[stuckinfla]

Pick up a 20k's & actinic (or 2 50/50) from the fish store. I have kept Elephant, watermellon and green stripped under these for quite a few years.

 

[soupysteve]

Just my two cents on this one - I have noticed that mine (the orangish-yellow kind) DO come out at night and STAY out at night BUT, I've "trained" mine to come out when I feed the rest of my tank. I have a switch for my return pump and I flick it off before I feed. Seems like EVERYTHING in the tank now knows that when the water isn't swirling, it's time to eat. Within 5-10 minutes of switching off my pump, the sun polyps have opened up. I feed mine a mix of brine and freeze dried cyclopeeze with a turkey baster. The only problem I've had with this method is that my Pajama Cardinals recognize the turkey baster and cannot be scared away with a flick at them with the turkey baster, To get around this problem, I've cut the bottom off of a 20oz soada bottle and I put the turkey baster's nozzle through the neck of the bottle. I can then selectively feed three or four polyps at a time (and the bottle keeps fish from swiping the food away). Sorry to by so long-winded, but I feel that I have been successful in keeping sun corals without spending a fortune or too much time.