Sun coral not opening much

[angry]

Hi fellow reefers,

bought a sun coral few weeks ago and now its not opening much. I semi hide it among the rocks crevices and feed twice a week only to realise its not opening much:( Any idea or sound advice?

[shiraz]

try to tickle it with brine or something and it should open...

it might even open if u feed cyclopezee

[sinner]

wats your lighting like?

[Nic a Jon]

I thot lighting for suncoral not v impt...need to be in the path of good water flow?

[khtan]

Not qualified to advice, but can share my personal experience.

I think you should give it more time, assuming other parameters are ok e.g. water or nothing is harrassing it. Also, you can try finding a better position in the tank, pretty much just try and observe. I used to hide mine under shade thinking it simuates natural conditions, but for some reasons mine loves the open, under normal lighting and high current flow...

I feed it with 'cyclopeze'(kind of zooplankton) everyday, and it opens up nicely and stays that way for quite some time. See attached pic I have recently taken, although I think it has not reached its full potential yet.

Hope this helps. BTW, my sun coral is two month's old...

<removed the mega big pic>

Edited December 5, 2003 by bawater

[sinner]

i thought all corals need lighting to strive?

[derf]

not for sun corals tho...

contrary to it's name, t shld be kept away from strong light.

[FuEl]

You will need to target feed each individual polyp. You need strong smelling foods to entice them to open.

You should try feeding newly aquired colonies after lights out. As they normally open at night in the wild. Over time you might be able to entice them to open during the day.

[garan]

yes, i ahd keep my sun coral for about 2 mths. at first it did not want to open. so i took it out from the tank and place it into a container and target fit every poly. it dit trublesome, but after which i place it under shade and mine with min current flow, it started to open at light times, sometimes when i feeding the fish, it also open up and grad for food.

so IMO, you should target feed him until its would open by itself.

[blacknails]

you should target feed him until its would open by itself.

Yup and try using the scent of brine shrimp to entice it. Feed your fishes frozen brine shrimp and your sun corals should open up after detecting the brine shrimp juice. This might take a few days but mine always open when I feed my fish frozen food..

[bwilly]

I kept mine. it open after I feed it cyclopeeze.

now it automatica open when I feed my fishes.

but no food for it..!!

my techique is

- place in path of good flow

- feed by leting the current flow bring the brine shrimp to each of its polyp, not too near the sun coral, slightly further. funni too near, can never caught one shrimp. but further can stick on its polyps.

- shelter from light secondary

[Lawrence]

Hi All,

May i ask the cyclopeeze that u guys feed is deep frozen type or freeze dried type. Thanks as I just recently bought a yellow sun coral but not open yet too!!

[scarab]

Use a syringe and target feed frozen cyclopeeze at night. And I mean every night. Once it got use to feeding regime it will open when white light go out even without food. also keep it at the position where the current is strongest and sheltered from light as much as possible.