New Sun Coral

rampantmarine · 11/04/2008, 07:59 AM

I was browsing the local aquarium clubs website and saw a sun coral for sale. I did some reading on it and decided to pick it up Sunday. He said he fed it Baby Brine shrimp and Cyclopeze. I had saw that the fella he obtained the frag from had trained it to eat mysis so that evening I fed it some mysis. It eats it up, please take a look at the pictures and let me know what you think of it's condition. I see from many photo's that the tentacles usually appear longer, The mysis sticks well to the tentacles when they are smaller, but when extended they don't stick. I plan to keep feeding it every day until I see it get bigger then will move to the display and feed every other day or so, there is no other food in the QT tank.

#1 First Feeding

#2 Half Hour After Feeding

#3 Before Lights Out

Tennyson · 11/04/2008, 01:38 PM

It's pretty good, but not great.
How did you get it to open before it was fed?

It looks ok, but it's tentacles could be more extended. I think more feedings every couple of days will help though.

EllieSuz · 11/04/2008, 02:08 PM

I fed mine chopped up mysis and prime reef every night for two weeks. At first the tentacles were not closing on the food and most of it floated away. Gradually it got stronger and started plumping up with ingested food. I now feed liberally every other night and it's doing great. Here's a photo of it almost completely open, right before feeding time:

rampantmarine · 11/04/2008, 07:52 PM

Thanks for your responses.

Tennyson, your response confirms my initial thoughts on its condition. I picked up some other frozen food (bloodworms and Mega Marine from Hikari) and I will keep its feeding up. It was only closed while it was transported. Once it was in the QT tank for a while it opened up very much like the first photo. It was hungry I guess...

EllieSuz: Thanks for the pic, I hope it gets to look like that. I will look up Prime Reef.

Any other food suggestions? I am going to feed every day and vary it's diet but feed lots of meaty food.

Don-Coraleone · 11/04/2008, 08:51 PM

very nice...

amithi · 11/07/2008, 07:55 AM

very nice..

rampantmarine · 11/17/2008, 11:01 PM

Thanks very much,

I took this after feeding it one meal and the tentacles were still out - but not as much as before feeding. It is almost looking like EllieSuz's photo - but about 3/4 as long. Getting better!

bheld · 11/24/2008, 09:34 PM

Feeding Rotifers work very well with mine if you are still looking for variety...looks good

goldenmacman · 11/25/2008, 02:09 AM

i heard that they remeber the last time they were fed and get onto a routine if you do

are they that "hard" to take care of?

EllieSuz · 11/25/2008, 08:12 AM

No, I don't think they're "hard" to take care of. I enjoy the feeding process and made a feeder apparatus with a soft tip so the tentacles close around it. This way I can feed every polyp individually to be sure it's getting fed properly. I don't have a picture of it right now, but you get a syringe from the drug store used to administer meds to infants, connect a long tube (hard airline tube) to the syringe with a piece of soft airline tubing, and then put another piece of soft tube on the end. I made mine long enough so I don't have my hands in the water at feeding time.

rampantmarine · 11/25/2008, 09:16 PM

I feed mine with a dropper and after feeding the tanks fish. I do feed each polyp at least one full shrimp each day It takes about half an hour to open after dusting it with the food when feeding the tank. I like Elliesuz enjoy the process. I just wonder what those who look after the tank when I travel will think of the feeding instructions. I have a page of things for the salt tank and one lone for the tropicals. Ha Ha

havingfunin08 · 12/07/2008, 12:42 PM

when you get a sun coral how often do you feed it and are they easy to keep? thanks

rcgates · 12/07/2008, 05:46 PM

I bought and acrylic tube and put it over my Sun coral to feed it, works well.

rampantmarine · 12/07/2008, 11:09 PM

nice photo rcgates!

I feed every other day for sure and try to feed each day. The feeding is freaking out my Hippo tang, so I don't like to do that. I have to come up with a tube device or "borrow" the Turkey baster.

rcgates · 12/08/2008, 09:05 AM

Thank you, that was a shot when I first got it, July 2008.

Here is a current shot, sorry for the quality, a night shot when the lights are off and with a flash isn't the best...

EllieSuz · 12/08/2008, 09:21 AM

Rampant, try making a feeder tube just for your Sun Coral. Get a syringe from the drug store of the type that is used for administering medicine to babies. Attach a length of rigid airline tube to the syringe with a piece of soft airline tubing. Then put an inch of soft airline tubing on the end of the rigid tube. My Sun closes around that tube and I give it a shot of food and move on to the next polyp. I used enough airline tubing to reach the coral without putting my hands in the water and it doesn't upset any of the fish or inverts.

rampantmarine · 12/09/2008, 09:48 PM

EllieSuz

I will try to make something like that, great idea. I will post something when I get it done. I have a couple other projects to do first then I will get on it.

11/25/2008, 08:12 AM	#10
EllieSuz Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 3,595	No, I don't think they're "hard" to take care of. I enjoy the feeding process and made a feeder apparatus with a soft tip so the tentacles close around it. This way I can feed every polyp individually to be sure it's getting fed properly. I don't have a picture of it right now, but you get a syringe from the drug store used to administer meds to infants, connect a long tube (hard airline tube) to the syringe with a piece of soft airline tubing, and then put another piece of soft tube on the end. I made mine long enough so I don't have my hands in the water at feeding time. __________________ "You can't learn this hobby one question at a time." (Mr. Tuskfish) Eileen Current Tank Info: 60 gal. reef, refugium in sump, Internal Mag 9 return, SC 302 skimmer, two Maxi-Jet 1200's modded, four bulb T5 Lighting, Reefkeeper Lite Controller with three PC4's, Little Fishes GFO reactor.

12/08/2008, 09:21 AM	#16
EllieSuz Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 3,595	Rampant, try making a feeder tube just for your Sun Coral. Get a syringe from the drug store of the type that is used for administering medicine to babies. Attach a length of rigid airline tube to the syringe with a piece of soft airline tubing. Then put an inch of soft airline tubing on the end of the rigid tube. My Sun closes around that tube and I give it a shot of food and move on to the next polyp. I used enough airline tubing to reach the coral without putting my hands in the water and it doesn't upset any of the fish or inverts. __________________ "You can't learn this hobby one question at a time." (Mr. Tuskfish) Eileen Current Tank Info: 60 gal. reef, refugium in sump, Internal Mag 9 return, SC 302 skimmer, two Maxi-Jet 1200's modded, four bulb T5 Lighting, Reefkeeper Lite Controller with three PC4's, Little Fishes GFO reactor.

11/04/2008, 07:59 AM	#1
rampantmarine Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 165	New Sun Coral I was browsing the local aquarium clubs website and saw a sun coral for sale. I did some reading on it and decided to pick it up Sunday. He said he fed it Baby Brine shrimp and Cyclopeze. I had saw that the fella he obtained the frag from had trained it to eat mysis so that evening I fed it some mysis. It eats it up, please take a look at the pictures and let me know what you think of it's condition. I see from many photo's that the tentacles usually appear longer, The mysis sticks well to the tentacles when they are smaller, but when extended they don't stick. I plan to keep feeding it every day until I see it get bigger then will move to the display and feed every other day or so, there is no other food in the QT tank. #1 First Feeding #2 Half Hour After Feeding #3 Before Lights Out

11/04/2008, 01:38 PM	#2
Tennyson Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Rockville, Maryland Posts: 1,337	It's pretty good, but not great. How did you get it to open before it was fed? It looks ok, but it's tentacles could be more extended. I think more feedings every couple of days will help though.

11/04/2008, 02:08 PM	#3
EllieSuz Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 3,595	I fed mine chopped up mysis and prime reef every night for two weeks. At first the tentacles were not closing on the food and most of it floated away. Gradually it got stronger and started plumping up with ingested food. I now feed liberally every other night and it's doing great. Here's a photo of it almost completely open, right before feeding time: __________________ "You can't learn this hobby one question at a time." (Mr. Tuskfish) Eileen Current Tank Info: 60 gal. reef, refugium in sump, Internal Mag 9 return, SC 302 skimmer, two Maxi-Jet 1200's modded, four bulb T5 Lighting, Reefkeeper Lite Controller with three PC4's, Little Fishes GFO reactor.

11/04/2008, 07:52 PM	#4
rampantmarine Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 165	Thanks for your responses. Tennyson, your response confirms my initial thoughts on its condition. I picked up some other frozen food (bloodworms and Mega Marine from Hikari) and I will keep its feeding up. It was only closed while it was transported. Once it was in the QT tank for a while it opened up very much like the first photo. It was hungry I guess... EllieSuz: Thanks for the pic, I hope it gets to look like that. I will look up Prime Reef. Any other food suggestions? I am going to feed every day and vary it's diet but feed lots of meaty food.

11/04/2008, 08:51 PM	#5
Don-Coraleone Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: east coast Posts: 1,480	very nice...

11/07/2008, 07:55 AM	#6
amithi Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: New Jersey USA Posts: 95	very nice..

11/17/2008, 11:01 PM	#7
rampantmarine Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 165	Thanks very much, I took this after feeding it one meal and the tentacles were still out - but not as much as before feeding. It is almost looking like EllieSuz's photo - but about 3/4 as long. Getting better!

11/24/2008, 09:34 PM	#8
bheld Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 182	Feeding Rotifers work very well with mine if you are still looking for variety...looks good

11/25/2008, 02:09 AM	#9
goldenmacman Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 49	i heard that they remeber the last time they were fed and get onto a routine if you do are they that "hard" to take care of?

11/25/2008, 09:16 PM	#11
rampantmarine Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 165	I feed mine with a dropper and after feeding the tanks fish. I do feed each polyp at least one full shrimp each day It takes about half an hour to open after dusting it with the food when feeding the tank. I like Elliesuz enjoy the process. I just wonder what those who look after the tank when I travel will think of the feeding instructions. I have a page of things for the salt tank and one lone for the tropicals. Ha Ha

12/07/2008, 12:42 PM	#12
havingfunin08 Moved On Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 133	when you get a sun coral how often do you feed it and are they easy to keep? thanks

12/07/2008, 05:46 PM	#13
rcgates Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Central Coast CA Posts: 319	I bought and acrylic tube and put it over my Sun coral to feed it, works well.

12/07/2008, 11:09 PM	#14
rampantmarine Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 165	nice photo rcgates! I feed every other day for sure and try to feed each day. The feeding is freaking out my Hippo tang, so I don't like to do that. I have to come up with a tube device or "borrow" the Turkey baster.

12/08/2008, 09:05 AM	#15
rcgates Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Central Coast CA Posts: 319	Thank you, that was a shot when I first got it, July 2008. Here is a current shot, sorry for the quality, a night shot when the lights are off and with a flash isn't the best...

12/09/2008, 09:48 PM	#17
rampantmarine Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 165	EllieSuz I will try to make something like that, great idea. I will post something when I get it done. I have a couple other projects to do first then I will get on it.