SUN CORAL

[Flame-Tail]

Hi all. My sun coral looks like this whenever it's feeding time. Just one question. Why don't the tentacles come out? It just looks fat but this is always the case, no tentacles.

Anyone knows the reason why this is so and what can be done to rectify the problem.

[Mr CRABS]

your water paremeters might not be right...or

Did you just buy the coral..if yes it would take sometime before it can get used to the enviroment.

Just my 2 cents

[cityofangels]

Can it be the water flow? Do sun corals require low, medium or high water flow?

[iantoh]

hi bro flame tail,

try this out. take a cube of frozen mysids and dissolve it in some tank water. utilizing a syringe (30cents at pharmacies) and some hard airline tubing ($1), squirt some of this mysis mixed saltwater over the sun coral colonies. the sun corals can sense the scent of the mysis shrimps in the water squirted over them, and will consequently extend their tentacles. you might have to wait for twenty or so mins for their tentacles to fully extend before target feeding each polyp with some mysid shrimps using the same syringe/tubing apparatus.

this works really well for me, and as opposed to just dumping in some cyclopeeze and hoping the sun corals catch some, this method minimizes wastage of food as mysids are easier to target feed than cycopeeze, and do not get blown into crevices to decay.

hope that helps,

cheers,

ian

[Flame-Tail]

your water paremeters might not be right...or

Did you just buy the coral..if yes it would take sometime before it can get used to the enviroment.

Just my 2 cents

My water parqameters are fine Mr Crabs.If my water parameters are not ok , I think none of my corals would be open at all.

Everything else is doing ok and some of the stressed corals that I got off other reefers are even recovering well.

My sun coral has been with me for abt 2 mths now. is healthy and feeding,even growing new heads. but just that The tentacles are not comin out.

[Flame-Tail]

Can it be the water flow? Do sun corals require low, medium or high water flow?

That's why. Can anyone enlighten me on this part. Thanks.

[Flame-Tail]

hi bro flame tail,

try this out. take a cube of frozen mysids and dissolve it in some tank water. utilizing a syringe (30cents at pharmacies) and some hard airline tubing ($1), squirt some of this mysis mixed saltwater over the sun coral colonies. the sun corals can sense the scent of the mysis shrimps in the water squirted over them, and will consequently extend their tentacles. you might have to wait for twenty or so mins for their tentacles to fully extend before target feeding each polyp with some mysid shrimps using the same syringe/tubing apparatus.

this works really well for me, and as opposed to just dumping in some cyclopeeze and hoping the sun corals catch some, this method minimizes wastage of food as mysids are easier to target feed than cycopeeze, and do not get blown into crevices to decay.

hope that helps,

cheers,

ian

Bro iantoh. I target feed my cyclopeeze in the very same manner.Using the syringe .only diff is that instead of the hard tubing i'm using a balloon stick.

I have also tried it with mashed mysis, mashed brine shrimp and it always results in the same outcome as what you see in the picture.

Maybe given time the tentacles will start to grow as there are tentacles on those baby heads.

[iantoh]

oh cool. if the baby heads have tentacles then things should be fine. i find that of 100% of the cyclopeeze fed, only maybe 10% is actually captured, so in my opinion its kinda wasteful. plus the key is to target feed only when their tentacles are fully extended. try squirting the water the cyclopeeze is mixed in over the colonies first? then leave them a while to extend before feeding?

also, i find that moderate flow is necessary for good tentacle extension.

anyhows, all the best ya.

cheers,

ian

[Diablos]

maybe u can trying placing e suncoral in a high flow n low light area.

everytime during feeding, i juz throw my mysis shrimp w/ some 'juices' in e direction of e pump outflow and e 'smell' will automatically go to e sun coral. within 10min, e tentacles are out

i also observed that without feeding, sun coral tend to open in e nite when there are little/no light rather than daytime.

[Skipper32]

i actually placed some of mine on e sea bed where e flow willbring the 'melted' brine shrimps to them...for those who get a bite...will target feed then...try changing the location and observe any changes...cheers..

[Copperband]

another thing is that.. suncorals are nocturnal creatures.. means that they expend their fullest at night...... ie when ur tank lights are off.....which is also the best time to feed ur sun corals......... hope it helps

[zephyros]

bro, is the sun ALWAYS like that or it did open up after lights off?

ur feeding time does not mean their feeding time lar .. u got wat i mean?

or if they refuse to open up during YOUR feeding time, then u had to feed

during THEIR feeding time lor

cheers

[Flame-Tail]

thanks for all the advice. Will give some of the suggestions a try and see what's the outcome.

[Skipper32]

a pic of my black sun....during feeding time in the day.... for the blur pic....e biggest of e poly is slightly smaller than a 20cent...

agree that in e begining, they only open in the nite after dark or under blue lights....have patient and result will show...

[hammy]

try feedig the sun with meaty food such as prawn or silver fish. normally it will open after light out .

i dun keep sun as i think it is troublesome.

they need to be target feed .

moderate light flow will do.

hope it help.

[Elune]

Feed like this:

This picture belongs to Cakepro of Huston, in Reef Central Online

This way, you dun have to bother about water current sweeping your food away, or your fishes ripping the food off the polyps mouths...

Also, Sun Corals are non-photosynthesis, so they do not really require lighting.

Sun corals are frequently found in caves, overhangs, jetties-under, and the like, mostly dark or shaded areas, so lighting is not an issue.

Current and water flow wise, depends:

1) If you want to target feed like the above picture, water flow is not the issue.

2) If you want to feed phytonplankton or any other food and let the current bring the food to the sun corals, then water flow moderate will do.

But take note, method no. 2 more suitable to feed micro food like planktons, letting the current bring the plankton naturally to the sun corals. As other food will most likely be eaten up by your fishes before they even reach your sun corals.

Just my 2 cents...

[Flame-Tail]

Feed like this:

This picture belongs to Cakepro of Huston, in Reef Central Online

This way, you dun have to bother about water current sweeping your food away, or your fishes ripping the food off the polyps mouths...

Also, Sun Corals are non-photosynthesis, so they do not really require lighting.

Sun corals are frequently found in caves, overhangs, jetties-under, and the like, mostly dark or shaded areas, so lighting is not an issue.

Current and water flow wise, depends:

1) If you want to target feed like the above picture, water flow is not the issue.

2) If you want to feed phytonplankton or any other food and let the current bring the food to the sun corals, then water flow moderate will do.

But take note, method no. 2 more suitable to feed micro food like planktons, letting the current bring the plankton naturally to the sun corals. As other food will most likely be eaten up by your fishes before they even reach your sun corals.

Just my 2 cents...

very interesting method you have going there.

[Skipper32]

re located two of my Black sun and bon them onto LR so that they are higher (used to be on SB) some of e polys kana sand....poor thing.... also adjusted e flow to bring food to them too....

but the bottle thing is good if ur other LS is snatching e food from the suns...

[jewelking]

where u get your black sun coral from ? n how much ?

thks

[Elune]

bro jewelking, i know u are excited about this black beauty here,

pls pm our bro skipper32 instead.

anyways, such sun corals are dependent on the harvest. no guaranteed place that always sells them. one min you see them, the next min could have been snapped up by other sharp-eyed reefers.

[Skipper32]

jewelking, got it free from one of the pillars in SG but the place in not open to public....

but i do agree with elune...black and green suns are rather rare for sale...i'm trying to get some orange or yellow suns....still looking around for them....

but some of my black and green are in quite bad share..not really sure e problem..cos they are feeding (target frozen brine and mysis) but they strinking day by day

[Skipper32]

got this yesterday.....just join e gangs

bond it on a rock of zoos

[Skipper32]

another shot after dosing e tank w mysissssss

starting to shine....

sory for e blur pic...using hp camera...

[barnacle]

skippper32..thats a nice piece...where u get that??? same place??

[fishtalk1517]

hi skipper,

was it a pink sunnies u got there? Swee