Sun Coral Pylops

[L8ndeb]

Hi Gang,

Got a frag of Sun Coral a week ago Saturday. I tried feeding them on the third day in the tank. I read about the 2 liter plastic jug method, and tried it. Primed the water with some Marine Snow, they open a little, then followed by some mysis.

That was the last day they opened. I have tried the Tupperware method, of course the 2 liter bottle method again, and just squirting some of the mix directly on them while feeding the tank. They are puffy, like they want to open, but that is a far as they go.

I'm starting to get worried, as I know they are not getting much nutrition. What can I do? BTW, they are located on the bottom of a 36" tank, just under a ledge. TIA

 

[L8ndeb]

Anybody have any suggestions?

 

[Hdhuntr01]

We just had a discussion about this very subject in our club. Here is an excerpt from some of the post which might answer sho e questions for you. The individual who posted this is our resident expert on this very subject...

"I find that one good meaty feeding once a week will keep the colonies very healthy. I usually feed my colonies either whole frozen silversides 1" to 1.5" long or table shrimp (Raw) that I blend up with a little RO water you can even add in some vitamins and then I will take the sludge and freeze it in a pan about 1/4 inch thick slabs. One half of a blender will last you all year. For those of you who don't want to make your own food just get Frozen mysis or silversides. You will be amazed at how large of a chunk of food one polyp can devoir. Also don't think that each polyp needs to be feed. One good meal to one polyp will feed the nutrients. As long as you feed a meaty meal you can get away with once a week. I take a frozen chunk and directly give it to the open polyps of the colony. The colony will immediately grab ahold and start consuming. If you are squirting with a turkey basted which I do not recommend you will have to Feed almost daily. Most of the tanks that I see people using a turkey Blaster and spraying them with food seem to end up over feeding the tank and only a fraction actually goes to the Sun Polyps.

I have a colony that is about 15" across and has easily 1500 heads. The rare moment that I have a fish die, I don't waste the fish, I will feed it to the sun polyps. I will just lay the dead fish even if it is a larger fish 4,5 or 6 inches onto of the open polyps. By next morning all that will be left is the bones. It is quite amazing."

 

[L8ndeb]

We just had a discussion about this very subject in our club. Here is an excerpt from some of the post which might answer sho e questions for you. The individual who posted this is our resident expert on this very subject...

"I find that one good meaty feeding once a week will keep the colonies very healthy. I usually feed my colonies either whole frozen silversides 1" to 1.5" long or table shrimp (Raw) that I blend up with a little RO water you can even add in some vitamins and then I will take the sludge and freeze it in a pan about 1/4 inch thick slabs. One half of a blender will last you all year. For those of you who don't want to make your own food just get Frozen mysis or silversides. You will be amazed at how large of a chunk of food one polyp can devoir. Also don't think that each polyp needs to be feed. One good meal to one polyp will feed the nutrients. As long as you feed a meaty meal you can get away with once a week. I take a frozen chunk and directly give it to the open polyps of the colony. The colony will immediately grab ahold and start consuming. If you are squirting with a turkey basted which I do not recommend you will have to Feed almost daily. Most of the tanks that I see people using a turkey Blaster and spraying them with food seem to end up over feeding the tank and only a fraction actually goes to the Sun Polyps.

I have a colony that is about 15" across and has easily 1500 heads. The rare moment that I have a fish die, I don't waste the fish, I will feed it to the sun polyps. I will just lay the dead fish even if it is a larger fish 4,5 or 6 inches onto of the open polyps. By next morning all that will be left is the bones. It is quite amazing."

Thank HDHunt for that. However, it seems that those statements will apply once you get the coral to open. I will when (and if) the corals open use the suggestions you supplied. Thanks.

 

[Hdhuntr01]

i have coaxed them to open up before. first they neeed to be well shaded where no direct light shimes on them. Once the lights haave been off the Polyps for about and hour you need to use a Turkey Blaster or something similar to spray the stalks with some juices from the food or very small amounts of brine shrimp. Give them a bit and they will open up.

 

[L8ndeb]

i have coaxed them to open up before. first they neeed to be well shaded where no direct light shimes on them. Once the lights haave been off the Polyps for about and hour you need to use a Turkey Blaster or something similar to spray the stalks with some juices from the food or very small amounts of brine shrimp. Give them a bit and they will open up.

I tried two nights ago removing them from the tank and putting them into a tupperware bowl. Cowver the bowl with a papertowel to filter the light. I doused the water with some Marine Snow and water from the mysis shrimp. TWO hours later, they decide to pop out, but only to the point of having maybe a 1/16" of the polyps showing. I then showered them with mysis. A few took them....most did not. I don't know what else to do. Just keep doing this?

 

[Hdhuntr01]

No, don't remove them from the tank for any reason. Leave them in the tank and after all the tank lights are off for 45 minutes or so, try to entice them to open. It is best to use brine or a puree made of blended seafood. You should use meaty products not veggie. If you do not have moonlights on then you can use a flashlight with red lense to see what you are doing. The concept is that you want to train the polyps to open for feeding during the day. You do this by associating the smell/taste of the food with actual feeding at night. Once they get use to opening up to feed as soon as they sense the food, you can start doing so with the lights on. once you train them you will be able to get them to stay open practically all day. In nature they are always feeding at night.

 

[L8ndeb]

Thank you Hd for the advice. We'll give it a try and report back. Man, who would have thought I would be "training" corals!

 

[saliva911]

sun coral

sun coral

you have to be patient mines are high on top. reef stores don't feed them so they'll take a while to open. but when they do open feed them a lot. then the next night again .until they look healthy then you can feed them once every two or three days.but don't take them out of the water.

 

[Hdhuntr01]

L8ndeb, I dont think we could emphasize this any more than already. DO NOT remove the Sun Polyps from their spot in the tank for any reason. Like many corals, these do not favor being moved around. Even if you move them to another spot in the tank, they will go through a small acclimation to get use to where you have moved them. They will readjust to light, flow and temp when you move them. Its not a major adjustment for this coral however, it will slightly prolong the time before this coral feels comfortable and readily opens up. Just place them in an area of mixed flow that does not receive direct lighting and leave them in that spot. Once you have them trained you can move them to a more desireable spot if you need to but never in direct light if possible. Don't misunderstand me here. They will survive direct light. It is just better for the long term life of this coral not to be in direct light. If you need something to blast them with to entice them, you might pick up a small bottle of DT's OYSTER EGGS. I have always found the stuff to work very well.
Good luck with them and keep us posted....
David

 

[Rafastank]

Great info. Im planning on getting a small colony so this helps a lot.
Thanks
Sergio

 

[L8ndeb]

Success last night!!

 

[Hdhuntr01]

Awesome. Just take it sow an easy. Feed them every three days and let them get use to it. The polyps will actually start anticipating food and open up when they are hungry. That's when half the battle is won. Once they start opening up for routine feeding, you can start moving the feeding times slowly until they readily open in midday.

 

[L8ndeb]

Thank you for your help and suggestions. Will do on the slow and easy.

 

[MarineSniper]

The only issue you may have, feeding them during the day, is your other inhabitants. I have about 1000 heads now and would love to feed during the day, to help eliminate any hitting ths bottom, however; certain fish will aggressively go after any food, even to the point of taking it out of the corals. Feeding at night will prevent that until you decide which animal you'd rather have

 

[L8ndeb]

Marine,

Yes, I am already having slight issues with "other inhabitants", namely hermit crabs. I have several that are approaching the size of a half dollar. Currently, I stand guard and shoo them away while the polyps are eating.
Frankly, I am considering taking most of the hermits out. Feeding the suns either day or night doesn't matter to them. I'll will wait however and see how it goes.

 

[bockscar1]

That's awesome !!! can't wait for my sun polyps to arrive this is pretty good info especially when there are no reef clubs around our area.

 

[sqwat]

Remove the hermits I find they are not at all good as a cleanup crew and cause more probe then they are worth.I love mexican turbo's theft eat everything from all algeas / dietris /and uneaten food mine even clean the sand bed just amazing cleaners only ones worth it. The mexi's and white macro serpent stars pluss bristtle worms keep my tank perfectly clean I gave up on hermits years ago after I saw they did very little and the so called safe ones tearing my zoas apart.medieval also eat cynosure.my friendhad A tank loaded with hair algea and I saw just adder to the tank go across algea coated rocks like a lawn mower besides cucombers Wichita are dangerous no other snail orhermit crab could come near to doing that. You would need 50 Blue leggers to clean a medium algea coated rock and they wont do that well feather.