Sun coral question

smork81 · Post by **smork81** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 8:29 pm

What is the proper way to feed a sun coral? I have been trying to use the cup method i think it is called. Where you take a small cup and place it over the coral and put the food on the inside. I have cyclopeeze, sweetwater zooplankton...2littlefishies zooplankton...and kent chromoplex.. Which of these will this coral thrive on? Or do i need something else? And will it only open up when it filters cause this one has been closed since i got it yesterday. I see a little bit of yellow comming out of its centers but it hasnt fully opened up yet. Any comments or info would help alot. Please post any and all suggestions.
Thanks in advance
-nika

marinebiologist · Post by **marinebiologist** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 8:34 pm

I have not or dont currenty have any sun coral but check out these sites for some ideas

http://www.melevsreef.com/suncoral.html

http://www.atlantisaquatics.co.uk/suncoral.htm

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dendrofdgfaqs.htm

http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=76743

just a few for your check them out may help

Amphiprion · Post by **Amphiprion** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 9:21 pm

Your best bets are likely going to be mysid shrimp (chopped if they are the larger kind) and cyclopeeze. These corals are completely carnivorous, so foods like chromaplex and other phytoplankters will do them no good. Also be sure to provide them with brisk flow. If they are fed well, they do fantastically--but you have to stay on top of it.

smork81 · Post by **smork81** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 11:45 am

I need Mysis...Where can I get some cheap? I have not seen any on ebay or anything like that to buy which is where I usually buy all food and supplements. Also I need a recomendation on vitamins for my fish and corals. I usually soak flake, cyclopeeze, zooplankton and garlic all together for feedings along with some homemade frozen fish food. I am thinking I need vitamin suplements for them also. Anyone have suggestions please state them. I would appreciate it.
-Nika

Amphiprion · Post by **Amphiprion** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 11:51 am

There are plenty out there--selcon, vita chem, etc. I personally have never used any. I can't really think of a place to get decent mysids cheap--you are going to pay for them for sure. My preferred brand is Piscine Energetics (PE Mysis), but the Hikari brand seems to be very good also. I honestly wouldn't use anything else other than these, but my seahorses had spoiled me with the quality of these brands.

smork81 · Post by **smork81** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 1:28 pm

do you guys sell them at B&B ? If so how much are they? Or if you know any other places tht sell them let me know the names of the stores please

reefman8471 · Post by **reefman8471** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 5:44 pm

We do carry them, I think they are Ocean Nutrition brand. They are alright but the shrimp are chopped up. The Piscine Energetics brand is sold locally by Progressive Marine locally and is much better in my opinion. They are nice whole shrimp and my fish love them. I don't believe we carry the Hikari brand either but you should be able to find it online. Sun Corals love Mysis Shrimp, or at least mine did.

James

sb1227 · Post by **sb1227** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 7:53 pm

Hikari Mysis are fine, I've used it for years. You can also find it at most Petsmart stores. I use a mix of chopped frozen food, mysis, Cyclopeeze, oyster eggs, krill, prime reef...whatever I'm feeding everything else.

It would be nice to see a pic of your Tubastrea if you can get one. When they're small they do need to be fed every day if possible. They will train if you feed them the same time each day or evening and will begin to open up around that time. Since you just got it, it'll take it a few days to get comfortable and then it'll start to open it's polyps on and off thru the day and they'll be open most of the night. (If I'm repeating the info from the links sorry...I didn't read them. This is just my experience) An easier way to feed it if it's small that won't put so much food in your tank is to dip a plastic cup or bowl into the water and place the coral in it to feed outside the tank. I think I did that for the first two years or so until mine got so big I had to change my method. Now it does fine with food every two or three days.

You'll have to decide, depending on how small the polyps are, whether to feed chopped foods or not. If they're tiny it'll be a little hard for it and stick with the Cyclopeze until they get a little bigger. They're sweet corals, a little high maintenance but worth it.

smork81 · Post by **smork81** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 8:19 pm

I just recieved a whole free bag of mysis hikari brand from my lfs.
And here is a pic of my beauty! I don't know if thisis considered small or not though so hopefully you guys can tell me. Oh and a new arrival today! my plate coral..It is approx. 6 inches diameter..

sb1227 · Post by **sb1227** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 8:40 pm

Sweet! Both of them, that Tubastrea looks very healthy and fat. That's good, all to often they are starved by the time you get them. It is small, but looks great. I would chop the food fairly fine for awhile. They are pigs, and will take food in amazingly large pieces, but it's hard on them to digest it. Good flow is essential as well.

Watch the tentacles on that plate, they can get fairly long and will sting the Tubastrea. It wouldn't hurt to move it a little farther away.

smork81 · Post by **smork81** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 9:19 pm

Thanks!! I bought both of these at Custom reefs in goula...The Tubastrea...(spelling on that one prolly wrong) or sun coral as i call it was 20 bucks...And the plate was 40 bucks..I thought that was a great deal on both so i couldnt resist. Im glad to know it is a healthy specimen. You can see in the pic it is allready eating mysis it has one on the left and right it is eating. I personally have never had one of the sun's so im going by what ive read on them as to feed days or nights. I know it opens t night to filter feed but do i have to only feed it at night or can i do it during the afternoon before i go to bed?

sb1227 · Post by **sb1227** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 9:26 pm

I always fed about 5 in the afternoon. The only reason I feed later now is because my fish annoy it, so I wait till they go to bed. It doesn't matter when you feed them, it just helps to get them used to the same time every day. They'll start to open around that time once they get used to it.

Just so you know, they will release waste thru the same mouth, like most corals so don't be alarmed if you see it. They will also spit out the food if fed too much at once.

Amphiprion · Post by **Amphiprion** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 10:34 pm

Night time feedings also help. They are more trophically active at night, anyway.

smork81 · Post by **smork81** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 9:59 am

More pics!

It has one small yellow polyp poking out of the left side..What is this?

sb1227 · Post by **sb1227** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 8:47 pm

A fully extended polyp.