How far will sun corals spread?

75gal

New member
I bought a yellow sun coral about 4 months ago and I'm starting to see tiny polyps at far reaches of the tank that have that bright orange base and clearish yellow polyps very simpler the the coral I bought. Are these some kind of rock anemone? Or do sun corals really spread across an entire tank?
Note: they are not aptasia...
Thanks
 
Post a pic of the suspected "baby" coral and what you think to be the mother colony that way you will get an accurate ID from someone, also Suncorals (tubastrea) are very hard to keep long term in typical reef tanks, Ideally need to be kept in a NPS tanks.
 
Unfortunately my camera sucks. The coral itself has grown since purchase but they look exactly the same just tiiiiny
 
If it really is a Tubastera sp. spawning in a tank thats a pretty big achievement esp if it is not a NPS reef, and regardless if its a potato camera, you should post pics.
 
photos
 
I can't see your pic either, some times it's easier to just attach it to your post by hitting the "go advanced button" and scrolling down to "manage attachments." That's what I usually do because uploading to the net is a pain for a quick snap.

In any case, congratulations!
Suncorals have two ways of spreading: out from the base and by shooting out babies. I think it means they are happy. I really like mine and I don't think they are that hard at all to keep if you do a few things right. It was one of my first coral and is still a fave.

Your timeline is on point. If they are well-placed and cared for it's about 6 months before they start sending out babies. Once the babies land, it takes kind of a long time for them to get going, as they have to start from scratch, but eventually they will make a new colony of the spot they found is amenable. You might want to pick a couple that you think have a good chance, and you like where they are, and start feeding them.

If you want to confirm your ID without a pic, I would just look at some pics of aiptasia and mojano to make sure it's not that. If you want to go a little deeper, this link has many Hitchiker nems that could look like a sun coral http://chucksaddiction.thefishestate.net/ but I wouldn't worry too much since the time is right for yours to breed and you have a good comparator right in the tank to see if it looks the same.
 
Thanks for the positive response. Not sure how to upload pics :/ it's definitely not aptasia or mojano...just surprised to see it doing so well. I do feed just about everyday. Soon as they smell food they open. Definitely one of my healthier corals
 
Suns are a favorite of mine. I've had them spawn several times - it's rewarding but beware they can darn near take over a tank if you keep up on feeding them. I saw a before-n-after spanning (I think) 2 years where a couple dozen heads became hundreds. They grow quick if you feed them.
 
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