Sun Coral Dieing???? Please Help!!!

[peef]

I bought some orange sun-coral about 2 days ago. When purchased it was closed but "Perky" looking. I put it in my tank, 24g nano, and tonight it still has not opened....and looks very droopy. All of my levels are as close to "perfect" as can be. Being, salinity, PH, Calcium, Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, Alkalinity, and I add the iodine and such through a mixture from LFS. I figure this is not a good sign. I have tried spot feeding, Snow, but all food seems to just drift away to no prevail. What should I do? I am at a loss. Please help me, I love this coral and do not want to lose it!!!!

My LFS did tell me to only run my lights for around 4 hours the first day adding one hour a day until back to 12 to help acclimate, I got a moon coral at the same time. Maybe I should have full 12?

 

[sudc]

Lighting doesn't matter. It's a myth that they need to be shaded. They don't need light but it wont hurt them.
You need to get it to open its polyps to get it to feed. Usually they can be trained to open with some food or additives. Do you have any selcon, zoecon, frozen cyclopeeze or zoe? If so, if you put a few drops of that in the water it should get them to open.
If they don't open, keep trying a 1-2 times a day until it opens. Once it does open, feed it something MEATY. Don't panic, you need to get it eating but you have time. It may take a week ot more. I wouldn't worry until about 2 weeks or its flesh starts receding.

 

[reefernana]

I just purchased a Sun Coral a couple of weeks ago, too, and just wrote to the person I bought it from because mine has not extended it's polyps but one time. They do like to be in a low to no light area as they live in caves with no light in the ocean. Though they can take some diffused light okay. The best way they say to feed them is either to cut a 2 liter soda bottle to cover them with and then feed with a turkey baster thru the cap end. This way the food stays in their area and others in the tank can't steal it very easily. The other way is to put the coral in a plastic container with tank water by itself and then put the food in by eye dropper, injector or baster. Another thing to keep in mind is they apparently like to eat about an hour or so after the lights go out and they prefer to eat at the same time each time. Now, I've heard some feed their's daily and I've heard others feed them just 2-3 times a week. The person I bought mine from said that they sometimes take a few weeks to get used to their new environment and to first try to feed them some phytoplankton to get them to extend the mouths out for feeding. After they show response for that, then to try some cyclopeeze or mysis shrimp. If they start eating those then you can probably try some other meaty type fish. Anyway, this is what I plan to do and I thought it was great information to pass along. Hope it helps!

 

[peef]

Thanks alot, still have a question though...I have marine snow, and I feed my clown Mysis shrimp. What do you mean by "meaty" Should I try to give it little chunks of shrimp or something?

 

[mscarpena]

Light does not matter my friend kept his under 150 MH and it did great. Yes feed it meaty frozen treat such as mysid shrimp, table shrimp, scallops, blood worm, brine shrimp. Good luck is the tissue receeding or is it still attached to the skeleton. Also be careful how you handle it do not damage the tissue.

 

[peef]

The tissue is fine looking, No problems that I can see. Should I go with the 2 liter over the coral to feed? That sounds like a good way to solve the food floating away problem.

 

[reefernana]

Originally Posted by peef
Thanks alot, still have a question though...I have marine snow, and I feed my clown Mysis shrimp. What do you mean by "meaty" Should I try to give it little chunks of shrimp or something?
Yes, after it is eating the smaller mysis and such. But you still have to cut up the larger fish pieces so they are small enough to fit into their mouths.

 

[bronco300]

i have one that when i first bought would not come out for a good week or two....then i started feeding clyopeeze and now it comes out whenever i even stick my hand in the tank...i feed just a bit of cyclopeeze to get it to come out, then just baste the coral...they grab the food very well and does not need a bowl over it in my opinion.

 

[reefernana]

Originally Posted by Bronco300
i have one that when i first bought would not come out for a good week or two....then i started feeding clyopeeze and now it comes out whenever i even stick my hand in the tank...i feed just a bit of cyclopeeze to get it to come out, then just baste the coral...they grab the food very well and does not need a bowl over it in my opinion.
Do you use the frozen or freeze-dried? And, what do you mean exactly by baste the coral?

 

[bronco300]

defintely frozen...and i have a turkey baster...i turn off all my pumps and they spread a little in the tank(to get them to come out more if they already are not out)....then once out I take the turkey baster and shot em up with cyclopeeze, they tenticles they have grab onto everything amazingly, so i have no need for using a cup over it...that in my opinion is too messy to deal with, that way i can put the suns where ever i want to

 

[reefernana]

Okay, gotcha, I use a turkey baster, too. Do most lfs carry the frozen cyclopeeze? I have yet to look for it because I was told they love to eat the frozen mysis as well and I do have that. Thanks for the info!

 

[bronco300]

im not sure, i know the one i work at does...has a tiny 2oz cube that wouldnt last long, and then a giant block of it which is what i got...very nice and has lasted a long time for me already...and i have those two suncorals as well as feed 3 candy canes colonies with it and some mushrooms/rics.

 

[peef]

Thanks for all the info guys, I appreciate it. I am trying everything I can possibly do to get these dudes to eat. Soon I hope.