Sun Coral?

[paintballer768]

Okay, so recently Ive been looking for a new piece to add to the tank. Its under 32 watts of PC lighting (32 daylight and 32 actinic). I realize that this isnt good for most corals, and I have most available placements for corals taken by mushrooms or zoas already. So I want to get a kind of non photosynthetic coral. Ive ruled out a tube anemone, and a gorgonian. So I decided, I want to get a sun coral. I spot feed my rics and my zoas every three days, frozen brine shrimp is what they get.
So to prepare ahead of time, I would like to know from anyone whos had em or knows alot about them, would this be a good idea? Any horror stories? Any good stories about them? Would mysis shrimp be sufficient for them every 3 days? Thank you!

 

[ric maniac]

i love them. just feed it 3-4 times a week and it should be good, however i suggest cyclopeeze or another filter feeder food.

 

[paintballer768]

Thats cool. Cyclopeeze is freeze dried right? Just mix it with water and magic? I read someone took a bowl and floated it in the tank with water in it, and put the coral in there and mixed it. Recommended or no?

 

[zoie2]

I always found moving the coral to feed it to be a pain in the but. I read about using the soda bottles, but I couldn't even fid a soda bottle in my tank. I had good luck with mysis shrimp and frozen formula 1. I diced up the formula one in small bits and used a wooden ka-bob stick and fed each little polyp.
It only took a couple minutes and it was cool to watch them eat. I lost my sun coral when my tank crashed last year. (Due to a dead cleaner shrimp that I thought had just shed his skin)
I'm getting another one when I see one. I had it for about a year in my 12 gal. aquapod with stock PC lighting and it was starting to spread.
Here's a pic.

FTS

close up

 

[paintballer768]

Sorry to hear that. Looks like you had some intense bubble algae too. Thats a really pretty sun. Im going to get one as a present to myself for the holidays, as this will be the most expensive addition yet.

 

[peef]

You shouldn't really pay more than 30 bucks for one. They are readily available and not a rare coral that should cost alot. Sun Corals do need a meaty food every few days and will not survive long term with only filter feeding on small particles like cyclopleze or phytoplankton. You will need to let it get comfortable in your tank before it will probably come out to feed. So don't fret if for like a week it looks terrible and doesn't extend tents all the way. I feed mysis shrimp every other day and mine is HUGE now (over 65 polyps)!!!! I wouldn't recommend taking it out of the tank to feed it, just turn off your PH and get a little pipette and squeeze some on each polyp. Don't try to just feed one piece to one polyp it will take FOREVER. If mine get 3-4 each thats just all the better if you ask me. I also feed my tank some mysis at the same time to occupy them so they don't steal the food. Here is a pic of my sun about 3 months ago or so, it is twice the size now and WAY better looking. Oh, also you can't let any sand or junk settle on the tissue as it will kill the tissue it lays on.

 

[paintballer768]

Your sun just looks incredible. Its a shame sun corals dont respond too well to fragging, or you would be able to make a small bundle from yours. My friends dad buys directly from a place in Miami, as he has an aquarium maintenance business. He told me he wouldnt charge me over what they charge him, but he said at absolute most it would be like 40 dollars retail, and from him around 30-35, so peef you werent too far off.
Heres one last thing Im concerned about, calcium. This is going to be my first LPS coral. I do not have a calcium test kit, but I do perform 15-25% water changes every friday using water from the LFS. Its not RO/DI, its the stuff from the ocean that they work their magic on and make it ok for aquariums. There should already be calcium in it in the right proportions. Should the sun coral be okay just taking these steps? Id rather prepare ahead of time then have it come up and jeopardize my new piece.

 

[peef]

I would think it should be alright, ask them to do a test on their own water for you so you know. If they won't do it I would say something is up. But yeah with tanks our size for the most part doing 15-20% weekly WC should be sufficient. When you start getting a full tank though you will probably have to dose a little bit of cal.

 

[grabbitt]

I'm jealous.
I paid just under $60 for my sun coral

 

[paintballer768]

Originally Posted by GRabbitt
I'm jealous.
I paid just under $60 for my sun coral

Man, prices are out of whack in some places.

 

[paintballer768]

Originally Posted by peef
I would think it should be alright, ask them to do a test on their own water for you so you know. If they won't do it I would say something is up. But yeah with tanks our size for the most part doing 15-20% weekly WC should be sufficient. When you start getting a full tank though you will probably have to dose a little bit of cal.
Okay awesome. Then I should be ok for a while. Thanks peef.

 

[peef]

No problem!

 

[zoie2]

I paid $60.00 for my suncoral too. The place is a little high, but I've seen places higher in the area.
And that's not bubble algae in my tank it's some kind of grape something that eats nitrates or nitrites. The guy didn't want to sell it to me at first (he's kinda a friend) but I really liked it. IT grows like crazy and I was cutting it out like 3-4 times a weeks so finally I had to take it ouit and scrub down all my rocks.
I should have listened to the guy when he said I didn't want it.

 

[paintballer768]

Originally Posted by zoie2
I paid $60.00 for my suncoral too. The place is a little high, but I've seen places higher in the area.
And that's not bubble algae in my tank it's some kind of grape something that eats nitrates or nitrites. The guy didn't want to sell it to me at first (he's kinda a friend) but I really liked it. IT grows like crazy and I was cutting it out like 3-4 times a weeks so finally I had to take it ouit and scrub down all my rocks.
I should have listened to the guy when he said I didn't want it.
Oh cool, Ive never seen such a thing.

 

[nate487]

Originally Posted by peef
You shouldn't really pay more than 30 bucks for one. They are readily available and not a rare coral that should cost alot. Sun Corals do need a meaty food every few days and will not survive long term with only filter feeding on small particles like cyclopleze or phytoplankton. You will need to let it get comfortable in your tank before it will probably come out to feed. So don't fret if for like a week it looks terrible and doesn't extend tents all the way. I feed mysis shrimp every other day and mine is HUGE now (over 65 polyps)!!!! I wouldn't recommend taking it out of the tank to feed it, just turn off your PH and get a little pipette and squeeze some on each polyp. Don't try to just feed one piece to one polyp it will take FOREVER. If mine get 3-4 each thats just all the better if you ask me. I also feed my tank some mysis at the same time to occupy them so they don't steal the food. Here is a pic of my sun about 3 months ago or so, it is twice the size now and WAY better looking. Oh, also you can't let any sand or junk settle on the tissue as it will kill the tissue it lays on.

peef i have sun corals 2 pink looking ones which im assuming are orange ones and a black one but mine never open up like yours does. theres no sand or anything on them and all my zoos, polyps, leathers etc. look great so i was wondering is it possible to just get bad corals or what?
Salt. 1.028
amm. 0
trite. 0
trate.0
calcium ? but i do a liquid dose every other day

 

[grabbitt]

I think some sun corals just open more than others. That's the whole reason why I didn't hesitate to buy mine for such a high price tag. My LFS always has at least 3 sun corals in their tanks for the same price or sometimes slightly less, however, the polyps are never out when I see them. This one, however, had all polyps out (about 60 heads). I asked one of the guys working there and said it barely ever recedes, so I picked it up immediately

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by nate487
peef i have sun corals 2 pink looking ones which im assuming are orange ones and a black one but mine never open up like yours does. theres no sand or anything on them and all my zoos, polyps, leathers etc. look great so i was wondering is it possible to just get bad corals or what?
Salt. 1.028
amm. 0
trite. 0
trate.0
calcium ? but i do a liquid dose every other day
Not necessarily a sun coral you may have a Dendrophyllia if they are individual polyps and not orange. But more importantly is your tanks water chemistry. Your SG is very high, you should be around 1.024 to 1.026 IMO. and you say you liquid dose every other day? Do you test for Ca? Relying on trace elements alone for nonphotosynthetic corals is not going to make yours thrive. They need to be spot fed to be healthy. Meaty diets, and frequent feedings.

 

[paintballer768]

Yea they need to be spot fed, every head. You may have a Dendro like PD said. Try it. IMO I would get a calcium test kit and you may find your calcium through the roof if you arent careful.

 

[peef]

Originally Posted by nate487
peef i have sun corals 2 pink looking ones which im assuming are orange ones and a black one but mine never open up like yours does. theres no sand or anything on them and all my zoos, polyps, leathers etc. look great so i was wondering is it possible to just get bad corals or what?
Salt. 1.028
amm. 0
trite. 0
trate.0
calcium ? but i do a liquid dose every other day
I agree with PD, your Salinity is very high. You also should feed a meaty food every other day. Liquid is not enough. For substantial growth and extention they neat the chunky food. Feed Mysis shrimp. GOOOOD stuff

 

[nate487]

Originally Posted by PerfectDark
Not necessarily a sun coral you may have a Dendrophyllia if they are individual polyps and not orange. But more importantly is your tanks water chemistry. Your SG is very high, you should be around 1.024 to 1.026 IMO. and you say you liquid dose every other day? Do you test for Ca? Relying on trace elements alone for nonphotosynthetic corals is not going to make yours thrive. They need to be spot fed to be healthy. Meaty diets, and frequent feedings.
its for sure a sun coral it looks just like all the pics. i dont have a cal. test yet but am getting one this weekend. i try to feed it but i can barely see the yellow little polyps down in the hole but ill keep tryin to feed and lower my salt level. thanks for the info.