sun coral questions

[Jason7504]

ok i got a sun coral a few weeks ago and about every other night i take it out an put it in a small tupperware container filled with tank water and put some mysis in there and blow it around so it sticks on its tentacles. I keep it about mid way down in my tank under my 150w MH. i know its a myth that they dont like light because they dont really care about having light since there non photosynthetic but i think the outside is turning whiter, has that happened to anybody else?

and they open at night but last night it didnt, the polyps stayed closed and kind of puffed up..so i took it out to feed it like i do and some only opened a little..and i saw 3 little red balls come out and float to the top..are they spawning or something?

anybody know why there staying closed?

my water perams are good and tank is almost 8 months old

 

[NANOYED]

I don't know what the red balls are? It's not a myth, in the wild you will find the corals in a cave or shaded areas. I have mine hung upside down on a rock overhang. I have had it for about a year and a half. I target feed 3 times a week.

 

[Jason7504]

yeah i know they live under overhangs and stuff in the wild but in an aquarium those places are usually offering less flow, which isn't good either...

is it possible that they haven't opened the last few days because there still full and aren't hungry to open there tentacles?

 

[Jason7504]

bump

 

[stunreefer]

I've seen Tubastrea faulkneri in only ten feet of water in full sunlight while diving. The reason they're many times found in caves and such in nature is do to the fact that:

- other fast growing corals outcompete them for space and room
- they settle in these areas after being spawned
- there's generally food available consistantly here rather than on the very top of a reef crest, however they are still found there on occasion.

Some non-photosynthetic corals are light sensitive, but IME/IMHO most Tubastrea sp. are not.

The little red balls you're witnessing are larvae; That is them spawning. They'll do this while VERY happy, or sometimes as a last ditch effort to survive (reproduce) in poor conditions. Here is a link to a pdf presentation by Daniella Stettler showing the larvae: http://www.korallenriff.de/Sindelfingen2005/daniela_torsten_2005.pdf It is in German, but there's great pics.

What part of the coral are you witnessing "turning whiter"? Is it the tissue between polyps receeding? On the coralites, or the polyps? Recession between the coralites (the base) is commonly seen on freshly imported specimens, but after some TLC (ie, lots of food) they come around.

IME even when heavily feeding everyday their polyps will still open. If you can get their polyps to open in the main tank, do not remove them to feed. Removing them, or the "tupperware method" as I refer to it is a great means of getting them to open initially, however it doesn't exactly make them happy to be moved very often long term.

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

I think the main reason why a lot of non-photo corals are not fans of the light has to do with having a susceptibility to algal overgrowth, not necessarily a sensitivity to light. Many non-photo gorgonians suffer from this problem. This doesn't seem to be too much the case for Tubastrea IME, although some algaes, particularly cyano, can overgrow them. They do like enough flow to keep them free of detritus, so keeping them in the open is often the best way to go.

 

[Jason7504]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15737457#post15737457 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stunreefer
I've seen Tubastrea faulkneri in only ten feet of water in full sunlight while diving. The reason they're many times found in caves and such in nature is do to the fact that:

- other fast growing corals outcompete them for space and room
- they settle in these areas after being spawned
- there's generally food available consistantly here rather than on the very top of a reef crest, however they are still found there on occasion.

Some non-photosynthetic corals are light sensitive, but IME/IMHO most Tubastrea sp. are not.

The little red balls you're witnessing are larvae; That is them spawning. They'll do this while VERY happy, or sometimes as a last ditch effort to survive (reproduce) in poor conditions. Here is a link to a pdf presentation by Daniella Stettler showing the larvae: http://www.korallenriff.de/Sindelfingen2005/daniela_torsten_2005.pdf It is in German, but there's great pics.

What part of the coral are you witnessing "turning whiter"? Is it the tissue between polyps receeding? On the coralites, or the polyps? Recession between the coralites (the base) is commonly seen on freshly imported specimens, but after some TLC (ie, lots of food) they come around.

IME even when heavily feeding everyday their polyps will still open. If you can get their polyps to open in the main tank, do not remove them to feed. Removing them, or the "tupperware method" as I refer to it is a great means of getting them to open initially, however it doesn't exactly make them happy to be moved very often long term.

wow some good info there! thanks

well i hope its larve because there happy but they dont seem happy. they were opening before shortly after i got them but aren't opening as much now. last time i tried the tupperware method, they still didnt all open up..its like the top is swollen but not opening

the stalk or outside is kind of turning white

 

[AMW]

My sun polyps do not open too frequently, even at night.
How are they to be fed if the polyps are not opening?

 

[stunreefer]

My sun polyps do not open too frequently, even at night.
How are they to be fed if the polyps are not opening?

Well if they open at all, feed them then - eventually they'll begin to open more frequently.

If they do not open at all, you'll need to coax them to do so. Remove the colony from your display and place it into a tupperware container with tank water. Take some "stinky" food, like Mysis or brine shrimp and place it into the tupperwarer. Allow the colony to sit in the tupperware with the food for 15-30 minutes, and eventually you'll see the polyps to at least slightly extend. When they do, feed them, and feed them well. You can allow them to eat the food, they'll re-open, then feed them again. Remove the colony from the tupperware container once it's consumed the food (make sure to gently shake the colony so the polyps close up) and place into your display tank. When you begin to add food to the display (feeding fish, etc.) they will likely open there and you can spot feem them. If they don't you will have to continue the tupperware method for a while.

See this thread for a pic of what I've described: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1528186&perpage=&pagenumber=2

 

[AMW]

Thanks for the feedback, Stunreefer.
I just followed your directions and sure enough every polyp in the colony opened up. I made the water in the tubaware container mucho stinky with mysis and photoplankton, thus the polyps could not resist coming out for dinner!

 

[Imzadi]

Mine have JUST started to come out, but not as fully as some of the pics I have seen of them. I was getting fresh recession, and mis-shapen thingies... but now he is eating regularly, and heartily. It has been a good two weeks now, and I do see the flesh starting to reclaim the bare areas. I have mine in a small tuperware type dish, with a little substrate under it (mainly so he doesn't slide around) and I bring the whole tub out, and feed that way. Then when I put him back in the tank (in the sump, actually) the food not eaten gets pulled back to the DT for a snack. It is not a good longterm solution... a beautiful coral like that hidden in the sump... hopefully I can figure out how to get him in the DT again. Under a rock in a cave top would be cool...

 

[stunreefer]

Thanks for the feedback, Stunreefer.
I just followed your directions and sure enough every polyp in the colony opened up. I made the water in the tubaware container mucho stinky with mysis and photoplankton, thus the polyps could not resist coming out for dinner!

Awesome, so glad to hear it! They love the stinky foods :thumbsup:

Over time they'll associate feedings in your main tank when they smell food hit the water (when you feed your fish for example) and the polyps will begin to open, where you can then spot feed them there without moving them

It is not a good longterm solution... a beautiful coral like that hidden in the sump... hopefully I can figure out how to get him in the DT again. Under a rock in a cave top would be cool...

Glad to hear tissue has began to grow back. Keep up with feedings and it will grow back surprisingly fast! Over time your colony will exhibit what I call "full glory" polyp extension as you've seen in pictures

Once your Tubastrea has regained much of it's strength, it will begin to open when it smells food enter your display tank where you can spot feed it there. Once it begins to regularly open at these times, feed the heck out of him! You'll be able to move him back into your display as well.

To keep them open 24/7, feed little bits frequently. They'll remain open more consistantly than if you're gorging them every few days. Freshly imported specimens should be fed when the lights are on (once they extend their polyps when lights are on) to "train" them to stay open all the time.