First Corals

[meanmachine]

I just added my first corals to my tank today

a sun polyp and a green zoo.

Any NEWBIE advice on caring for them?

the guy at the LFS said to add some frozen brine shrimp to the tank to feed them? Is this a good idea?

 

[Ti]

keep the water good and give it some flow and good lighting

 

[ACBlinky]

Sun corals need to be spot fed regularly, as they're not photosynthetic. I'd use things like mysis (or even better a blend of frozen foods) rather than brine, it has more nutrition. Each polyp needs to receive some food (I'd use a feeding tube/stick to spot feed, rather than just putting something into the water column). If you do a search you might be able to find some successful methods of keeping these guys well fed without overfeeding the tank.

 

[markandkristen]

if not mistaken sun corals do better under less lighting . possibly a spot under a overhang in your tank.

 

[bertoni]

In nature, they occur in shadier areas because they can't compete in the sun, but this coral seems to be okay with lighting in general, IIRC.

 

[meanmachine]

DO I need to add any additives to the water...Calcium or Iodine?

Right now my calcium is just under 500, but i haven't added anything to the water

 

[turbodiesel01]

They can handle most lighting levels. They are found under overhangs because thay CAN compete/ survive were other corals cannot. In nature they are mainly open at night. I prefer cyclopese for feeding mine. I you have trouble controlling nutrient levels you can remove and place in a bowl of tank water with heavy food concentration for 10 - 15 minutes and then place back in tank. This is a popular method but not my favorite. It works in smaller tanks though.

 

[sundance1]

Welcom the the world of reefing! Now your hooked!

 

[bertoni]

You'll want to watch calcium, alkalinity, and probably pH fairly closely. This article is a good place to start:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

For that size tank, B-Ionic or an equivalent product is an easy way to get started with managing calcium and alkalinity. There are DIY recipes that can save some money, and other approaches, too.

 

[TippyToeX]

[ericsbook]

Do get this book to. So you can research the animal before you buy it.

The sun coral needs to be target fed at least 3 times a week for long term survival.