Tube Coral??

drex

drex

Member
hey all i have been doing reading on these but it will be my only "low" light coral. right now i only have power compacts on my 90 so im not sure how deep they actually go into the water.can i leave this kindave out in the open? or should it be completely under a cave with no light. any help on care for this would be great.thanks!
 
mx#28

mx#28

Active Member
Okay, I'm with you now

Tubastrea aurea, aka Sun Coral. They are totally non-photosynthetic and so don't require any light. However, they do occur in the open on the reef and can be kept in the light as long they aren't out competed by algae.
The biggest issue with these is that they have to be a fed - A LOT. Mysis shrimp are a good way to go, but they take a lot and will need feedings when their polyps are out at least 3-4 times per week for long term health. They are nocturnal by nature, but can eventually be coaxed into comming out somewhat during the day.
 
drex

drex

Member
what do you mean "out competed" by algae? i have never done anything like this im trying this and sps for my first time here haha. i just re-did my rockwork so i have big caves but their is still light..its not dark, its just dim in the caves. so i was hoping it would be alright? i will do the feeding"i know they dont do well if they arent fed i looked at my LFS for an example of crappy quality
" but i would just like to know exactly what im doing before i buy one.they are great looking and not common from what i have seen..thanks for the help !
 
mx#28

mx#28

Active Member
Originally Posted by drex
http:///forum/post/2559197
what do you mean "out competed" by algae? i have never done anything like this im trying this and sps for my first time here haha. i just re-did my rockwork so i have big caves but their is still light..its not dark, its just dim in the caves. so i was hoping it would be alright? i will do the feeding"i know they dont do well if they arent fed i looked at my LFS for an example of crappy quality
" but i would just like to know exactly what im doing before i buy one.they are great looking and not common from what i have seen..thanks for the help !
Algae can be pretty nasty. Actually, everything on the reef can be - it looks pretty, but it's like a warzone. It's a fairly common scenario - without regular feedings, sun corals won't open - then they begin to starve, lose tissue, and eventually succumb to algal overgrowth.
It's really only going to be an issue if the coral is unhealthy, but a lot of the sun corals I see locally have already lost a bit of tissue or worse. It shouldn't a problem for you, just be sure to feed it, feed it, and feed it.
 
drex

drex

Member
haha alright i will do that...i got into an argument today iwth my old boss at the LFS the one they had there was a rock about 6 inches wide and it used to be full of polyps,BUT they were all white or dead.only 1/3 of the polyps were alive and he said NO they are fine thats how a sun coral is supposed to be...i didnt think so and even with my discount it was 40 bucks..so nah..i passed.thanks for the help, i will do my best.my whole tank is going to be re acclimating all over again basically, going from PC's to a 6 or 8 bulb tek t5 fixture in a few weeks to add sps/clams. we will see how it goes.
 
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