Suncorals - how do you get yours to open when *you* want?

[SDguy]

I recently purchased a very nice double colony orange/yellow sun coral (Tubastrea sp.). I have been successfully keeping some single polyps species, but they still only open at night. I would like to get this new colony opening during the day. How can I get this to happen. The coral is glued in place, so removing from the tank, or moving it, is not an option.

TIA.

[treylane]

If you keep your water quality up, all you have to do is feed the fish (throw in a cube of mini mysis or some cyclopeeze something) and then come back 15 mins later and most of your corals-that-like-to-eat should be open, including chili corals, gorgonians, and sun corals. Often enough your acans and LPS will open up too. It's time to do a wc when that trick stops working. :)

[Jessy]

peter mine only happened with time. It gets more comfortable in the tank and starts to figure out what your food smells like when it is in the water and it will come out... like teaching a baby. :) I've had mine for 7 months now and I'm just noticing that it comes out whenever I'm feeding. Don't expect it to happen over night. My little sun polyp victories happened in stages. First I was happy when I first say one tentacle. Then I was super happy when I could actually force feed the polyps something small. Next they started to open fully and I could squirt all kinds of food at it. Now I'm over the novelty :p and it gets fed 2-3 times a week on the nights that my gorgonias don't get fed. But I still think it is a beautiful coral and love to see it out in it's full glory.

[sanababit]

they like the shade to, thats why they open up at night, put them under a ledge or in a little cave with shade and they will stay open for a long time, hope this helps

sana

[SDguy]

If you keep your water quality up, all you have to do is feed the fish (throw in a cube of mini mysis or some cyclopeeze something) and then come back 15 mins later and most of your corals-that-like-to-eat should be open, including chili corals, gorgonians, and sun corals. Often enough your acans and LPS will open up too. It's time to do a wc when that trick stops working. :)

Yup, works for eveything else. Suncorals.... negative ghostrider :D Perhaps the water movements caused by all my fish still bother them too much....

[Jessy]

Yup, works for eveything else. Suncorals.... negative ghostrider :D Perhaps the water movements caused by all my fish still bother them too much....

I find that my sun corals really like flow. I read a lot about them when I first got mine and found out that of course they are cave dwellers, but that they are usually impacted with a lot of flow especially when the current comes in with the food they eat.

[SDguy]

I find that my sun corals really like flow. I read a lot about them when I first got mine and found out that of course they are cave dwellers, but that they are usually impacted with a lot of flow especially when the current comes in with the food they eat.

Yes, I too have read this. That they are also some of the few corals, like gorgonians, that like laminar flow....

[SDguy]

Well, managed to get some of the new ones out to eat after lights out. I really like these newer large colonial types, as opposed to my old single polyp ones, which are smaller. These new ones can eat 4-5 PE mysis in one session :eek:

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p5/SDreefguy/Sunpolyps12-7-07.jpg

[Jessy]

oh yah those are healthy. Nothing to worry about, they will come out in a week or so. Nice huge polyp extension

[Gotakuf1]

Well, managed to get some of the new ones out to eat after lights out. I really like these newer large colonial types, as opposed to my old single polyp ones, which are smaller. These new ones can eat 4-5 PE mysis in one session :eek:

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p5/SDreefguy/Sunpolyps12-7-07.jpg

My question to you is how did you get your zoas to grow in that crazy formation! :p Sorry, not a very useful first post.

[SDguy]

LOL....the zoas are reaching for light by stretching and crawling up the vertical rock face. Weird looking I know. They are actually just strays that I should remove....

[Pescaiolo]

Cut the bottom off a 2 liter soda bottle and put it over the colony. Set a scheduled feeding time everyday twice a day, when the lights are on and when the lights are off. Cover the colony with the 2 liter and take a turkey baster and feed them thru the top. After a few feedings they will start to come out at the scheduled feeding times.


Here is a video example:

http://www.melevsreef.com/video/sun.wmv

I took that from melevsreef.com. :) Hope it helps!