sun coral hardiness

[tibob32]

I know they can be a pain to feed, but how hardy are they? I mean in regards to chemicals fluctuations

 

[stunreefer]

IMO very hardy if healthy compared to many corals.

 

[mak3mydae]

They're reletively hardy. IMO the reason corals get bleached and die is because there are nitrates and such, but they bleach because the zooxanthelie leave and the coral has no more forof gaining energy and they die. Sun corals are non-photo meaning they dont have zooxanthelie and wont bleach, they'll just.. die. Not sure if this is scientificaly proven....

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

If healthy they are pretty hardy.

 

[JeF4y]

+1 for VERY hardy. And feeding isn't really that much of a pain...

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

I feed mine every other day.

 

[mtothet]

mine have been pretty hardy so far

 

[OldNemo]

Do you keep them in the light even though no light is needed? Or more shaded spot in tank? I've seen both.
Thanks

 

[stunreefer]

Do you keep them in the light even though no light is needed? Or more shaded spot in tank? I've seen both.
Thanks

Do They Have To Be Mounted/Kept in the Dark?

This is a common misnomer regarding large polyp NPS coral, and the answer (with some restrictions) is no! Most of the large polyp NPS coral we see (Tubastrea and Dendrophyllia) are outcompeted by photosynthetic coral in that they grow sooo much slower than their photosynthetic counterparts and are overgrown by them, therefore they must reside in the depths. I have personally seen Tubastrea faulkneri while diving with polyps fully open in bright sunlight in only ten feet of water! Also, in nature these corals are obviously not spot fed by a turkey baster, they rely on Zooplankton and other small critters to feed on, which only come out of the rocks at night! This is why many newly imported large polyp NPS corals will only extend their polyps at night. On that note however, surprisingly some NPS are light sensitive, take Balanophyllia Sp. for example. Any of them that are light sensitive should be kept in a very low light tank, or under overhangs so you can still enjoy the beauty of them when they open. One well known hobbyist even stated that her Balanophyllia closes up (after open once the lights are off) if she turns the TV on in the same room!

 

[OldNemo]

many thanks!

 

[UgoneBannas]

Mines been through 3 tank switches and its going strong. Very hardy corals

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

I've seen sun corals in the most nutrient dense aquariums, with nitrate and phosphate through the roof, looking happy as ever. High phosphate levels should interfere with calcification of new skeleton, but I've never observed a problem with it. However, algae that results from high nutrient levels can become a serious problem in certain cases. That's why a lot of people like to keep them in dimly lit tanks.