Sun coral trouble

[rara12]

So i have a very nice sun coral and when its open its beautiful. But it opens up at the worst times. So i am not always able to feed it and it started to die in some places. Is there a way to teach it to open at better times??? Im really just ready to sell it. So much for my first coral LOL.

 

[gene80]

I'm having the exact same problem. What are your setup specs? What do you feed them? I use brine, mysis, other frozen foods and I have them in a 14 Biocube under 70 mH. Like yours, it's turning brown in a few lower edges.
Hopefully you figure it out before he's too gone...

 

[mx#28]

Sun corals are nocturnal by nature but can be trained to some extent to come out at different times. I would recommend placing them in an area of good flow and using a well established refugium to supply some food when you can't spot them.
To get them to come out during the day long enough to eat, I usually 'wake up' my sun coral with cyclops. That almost always gets them out and then I can spot feed larger items.
Remember, these are not photosynthitic corals and they rely on cathching food. You're responsible to get it to them.

 

[becky913]

I have had mine for six months and just learned that they need to be spot fed. He opens up a lot now. I have fed him silversides and clams.

 

[rara12]

Well its fully open before lights on. But not when im able to feed it. So when i feed i melt the cube in some tank water. Let the shrimp or plankton fall to the bottom and turkey baster the water at the top off and shoot it at the coral. This gets to open up (it takes like 20 minutes) i then feed it the rest of the food. The only trouble i have doing this is when my emerald crab (Godzilla, i have never seen one as big as him) steps all over it. It never turned brown, it had some white areas that i couldnt remember it having or not.

 

[shrimpi]

give godzilla his own peice of food, like a nice chunk of silverside or shrimp over by his cave- or wherever he lurks. This will keep him occupied. I do this whenever my critters get too nosy, all my hermies, crabs, and shrimp run right up to the turkey baster when it goes in the tank... looking for thier 'fix'