Sun coral help

[Courtc94]

Ok guys I need some advice! My dad got a sun coral a few months back and since he had it the thing never opened up. He fed it all the time and it would never come out to eat. So he gave it to me because it's slowly dying.. I love these corals and I want him to survive I just don't know what to do to get him to come out and eat! Iv tried the bottle over him in the tank, and Iv even tried taking hkm completely out and putting him in a cup with food. Nothing seems to be working. Iv tried the smell of krill, brine shrimp, and cycplopeeze.. I read they don't like high lighting so I put him in a cave in my tank. Any thing else I can do to make him survive? I can tell he is still alive he still has some orange and the center of him is really orange!

[laga77]

Don`t worry about lighting, they don`t care if they are in the light or not. They do need a good medium flow of water so take it out of the cave. You need to get him to eat. At night before you go to bed. Put him in a bowl and gently lay pieces of mysis on as many heads as you can. Be sure to put the juice of the mysis in the water also. If that does not work after a couple of nights use a tweezers and VERY GENTLY try to GENTLY push a piece of mysis just into one of the largest heads. Did I mention to do this very gently and only so it is just barely inside? This procedure will work better if you can use live white worms or black worms, but I know a lot of people have problems getting them. If after all this, he still does`t open, then you may be out of luck. All you can do is keep trying until it`s too late.

[homer1475]

With the 2 I have, to get them to eat, I pulled them from the tank, put in a bowl with some LRS reef frenzy, or reef chilli(something real stinky). This would get them to at least extend their heads, but never their tentacles(they would just stick their heads out of the hard skeletons). It may take an hour before they extend. Then I would very gently place a couple mysis in my tweezers and hold it on the mouths until they accepted it. I tried to feed every day at the same time so they got used to a feeding regimen.

After about a week or 2 of pulling them every day(a lot of work and a huge PITA), I would get home from work and they would be fully extended and waiting for food. I have also found with the 2 I have at least, after about a month of constant every day feeding, they would stop accepting food. Now I only feed them about 3 times a week and they are fully extended every day, and readily accept any food I feed them.

Good luck!

[Hermannsae]

Just my two cents: locate them in the flow of a small (!) powerhead
I never had luck with moving them outside the tank. I think they got too much disturbed. So in my case the flow was the trick.
Foodwise like the above.
I got the impression they a tough little guys. But I agree sometimes it is difficult to get them to open.
Good luck!

http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o588/hsae/SunCoral1_zpsa4dc5717.jpg

[Courtc94]

Those are so pretty!!! I will continue to feed him at night still. I just can't get him to come out... I will move him out of the cave and into more flow and see if that helps him as well! Thank you for all the advice! I will try everything and see what happens! I really hope he decides to come out...

[Courtc94]

Can to much light freak him out?? My lights are pretty strong and my power head is at the top of my tank.. If I put him up high closer to the light and more flow will that bother him?

[Courtc94]

This is what he looks like right now...

[homer1475]

Light shouldn't matter, although with that being said, mine only come out a few hours before lights out, and close up right after the moonlights come on in the morning.

I think having a decent amount of flow over them is more important. I remember reading when I was first looking into sun corals, that they like heavy flow. In the wild they are found on the leading edge of reefs, and caves ( the black species in particular) where water is constantly rushing in and out, or where there is the most turbulent flow. Since they can't move, and need actual food(no zooxanthellae), they rely on the current to bring them food, hence the need for heavy flow.

Mine reside in an overhang(almost like a cave), with an MP10 directly blasting on them in 80% pulse mode. It's the most turbulent flow I could offer them. When I had them in low flow up on the rocks, they barely opened. Now they open every night, shortly after my whites go out, and seem to really like the heavy flow(any scrap left in the tank gets blown directly onto them).

These things take time, just keep offering it food every day and be patient. It took my first black sun nearly two weeks before it would actually open and accept food on its own.

[laga77]

Light does not matter one way or another. This idea got started because in nature, Suns are often found in shady areas. This is because of the competition on the reef. Other corals can muscle out the Suns and this leaves the shady spots open for them. Divers have said they often see Sun coral in full sunlight sometimes.

[Courtc94]

Ok thank you!(: I moved him to the top of my tank by the power head! He will get plenty of flow there! This morning he looks a little more extended so will see if he decides to come out! Should I continue to take him out of the tank to feed him? Cuz I still haven't gotten him to eat in like a month! Unless he is coming out at 2am and catching things I have no idea but me personally have never seen him come out or eat...

[rt67ghy]

I'd drop a couple of small pellets of Coral Frenzy or Reef Frenzy onto him and leave the flow off for up to half an hour to see if he eats. If he does, then 24 hrs later I'd drop 4 pellets and see if he'll take them. When they're far gone they can't eat much and even if they do, they'll throw it out again. The trick here is to give just enough to see if there's a feeding response but not so much that he'll regurgitate. I brought some back when they were in the condition your is in now with Coral Frenzy (0.5 mm pellets). If the above food doesn't work, I'd try a different food each day until he accepts something but keep the quantity very small.

[Courtc94]

Ok I'll try it!! I hope it works!!

[laga77]

I'd drop a couple of small pellets of Coral Frenzy or Reef Frenzy onto him and leave the flow off for up to half an hour to see if he eats. If he does, then 24 hrs later I'd drop 4 pellets and see if he'll take them. When they're far gone they can't eat much and even if they do, they'll throw it out again. The trick here is to give just enough to see if there's a feeding response but not so much that he'll regurgitate. I brought some back when they were in the condition your is in now with Coral Frenzy (0.5 mm pellets). If the above food doesn't work, I'd try a different food each day until he accepts something but keep the quantity very small.

Here are the ingredients of Coral Frenzy. Coral Frenzy Pellet Contains: Squid meal, herring meal, shrimp meal, whole wheat flour, soy meal, wheat gluten, refined marine fish oil, carotenoid pigments, brewer’s yeast, spirulina algae, garlic, lecithin, vitamin A acetate, DL- Alphatocopherol (Vit. E), D-Activated Animal Sterol (Vit. D3), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Niacin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyrodoxine HCL, Calcium Pantothenate, L-Ascorbal-2-Polyphosphate (Stabilized Vit. C), Choline Chloride, Cobalt Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate.
It contains flour, soy, gluten, and garlic. All of these ingredients have never been ingested by corals or fish in the wild. They are not meant to be foods for corals or fish. Please stay with fresh, frozen, or live foods for all marine animals.

[Courtc94]

Update: still not opening :(.. Tried several foods again nothing seems to be working. I was reading somewhere about the smell of garlic??? Anyone heard of this? It's by the power head still and at night he does look a little more extended just not coming out like he should or to eat.

[laga77]

Update: still not opening :(.. Tried several foods again nothing seems to be working. I was reading somewhere about the smell of garlic??? Anyone heard of this? It's by the power head still and at night he does look a little more extended just not coming out like he should or to eat.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2213228 post #14

[Hermannsae]

Update: still not opening :(.. Tried several foods again nothing seems to be working. I was reading somewhere about the smell of garlic??? Anyone heard of this? It's by the power head still and at night he does look a little more extended just not coming out like he should or to eat.

Any updates?