New sun polyps

[LynusAnn]

I just wanted to say I'm so excited that I was able to finally pick up a reasonably priced sun coral. I've wanted one for a long time but here where I live even the smallest corals tend to be priced way above what I've seen in traveling through other states. My tank has been happily stable for about a month and a half with nothing new really added to it recently so when I was driving through OR the other day and found it in a store I had to buy it! The beauty has close to 70-80 polyps on it. I can't wait until it's fully opened.

What'd I'd like to know from people's experiences is, is what else aside from cyclopseeze and mysis is a good frozen food to feel the polyps. I already feed the tank mysis b/c my horses eat mysis that I specially enrich and my corals get spotfed CE every other night after the lights have gone out. If there's anything else I can add to the mix that will benefit the polyps I'd like to hear about it. I looked at them just a few minutes ago (about 2 hrs after they were put in my tank) and a few of them are already starting to push open but they haven't been fed yet. Should I start feeding them now, or wait a day or so until they've completely adjusted to the tank?

[menace]

I just picked up a small colony myself the other day at my lfs. It has probably 10-12 or so polyps on it. Been always wanting on but could not find one that looked decent and without any polyps dying. From what I've been reading try and give it food every day, this encourages the polyps to come out more and more. I've been doing this for two days, and although they dont come out fully, they are starting to come out some. If trained they will also come out during the day. Been reading they feed on cyclopeeze, mysis, brine, pretty much anything meaty.

Im still searching for some more info on them, but have a read here. Some good info;

http://melevsreef.com/suncoral.html

Good luck with yours.

[Jus Reefin]

Is your tank only a month and half old?? If so that is too new of a tank IMO for one of these guys. Try feeding them meaty foods every day such as Mysis. these corals require constant feedings to stay alive and thus you will have to do constant water changes to avoid organic build up. Also they need direct feedings not just the same food you feed to the fish/inverts.

[tekknoschtev]

Jus Reefin, I think (but am not sure) he meant its been 1.5 months since he's done anything to the tank, since he said it has been stable for a month and a half. I'd at least give the benefit of the doubt.

On that note, congrats on the new purchase. We bought a 3 polyp frag a month ago, now we have a 50 polyp frag because they look so amazing. Currently upgrading tanks, so in a few months when the cycle is completed and stable in the new tank, these are going there, and we're hoping they grow like wild fire.

Definately one of my favorite corals due to its vibrant color during the day and night.

[Jus Reefin]

Originally posted by tekknoschtev
Jus Reefin, I think (but am not sure) he meant its been 1.5 months since he's done anything to the tank, since he said it has been stable for a month and a half. I'd at least give the benefit of the doubt.

That's why I asked the question. if you don't ask you won't know

[LynusAnn]

Oh yeah, it's definitely more than a month and a half old. I just haven't done much of anything to it for the last month and a half. It's been up for several months now but I've been very picky about what I put in the tank because I have seahorses in the tank. I actually knew about the direct feedings, which isn't a problem. I just meant when I mentioned that I already feed the rest of the tank mysis, brine and CE that it was a regular routine already so they have no problem getting at least those particular foods.

Suprisingly enough though, even though I just put them in the tank late lat night, almost all of the polyps have opened. I fed everyone else this morning and tried a little direct feeding to coax them out and I just got home after being gone for 2 hrs and some of them are fully out and the rest are slowly poking out, in the middle of the day no less. I'd like to know what else people feed their sun poylps though. I'm really amazed at how quickly these guys are poking out and I'd like to keep them fat and happy like everything else in the tank.

[tekknoschtev]

That's one thing I love about them, they open quickly. None of the ones I've had took more than a few hours to open. I like it when they open in the middle of the day too, make it more appealing to look at than some orange stuff.

[yvonne r.]

I've had mine for just over 8 years, they have spawned and plannulated. I used to feed mine every night but since I know have so many of them I have backed off to every other night. I start with brine shrimp when the polyps are small and work up to mysis both canadian and salt. If you want to make them really fat and happy then feed them salmon. But its important to get the right size of salmon in their polyps, I shred it into tiny pieces. I feed with a curved tip syringe that I cut the tip off and alter for larger food to fit thru. I always use fresh salmon and feed that once or twice a week, with brine and mysis being the predominant food.

[LynusAnn]

so i'm finding it more difficult to effectively get food to all the nearly 70 polyps. He's really almost too big to easily take out of the tank to feed and then put back in because of how i have it positioned in the tank. Does anyone have any suggestions for more effectiveness? How sticky are the polyp tentacles?

[tekknoschtev]

You can cut the top off of a two litre soda bottle, and place that over the colony and feed that way during normal feeding. That way no other animals steal the food. If your colony is too large, look into a larger thing shaped similarly.

I just squirt food into the 2L lid, and let them sit for about an hour. All of them seem to get food.

[menace]

another suggestion I read with the 2L bottle, is once the food is in there it will settle to the bottom after some time. Use a turkey baster and occassionally stir the food up.