Coral ID Please

spellbound · #1 09/06/2007, 09:26 AM

I purchased this about a month ago and was told it was a Sun Polyp. It is now opening regularly day and night, but does not yet look like the pictures I have seen. Perhaps I need to wait longer?

Thank you for your help.

JetCat USA · #2 09/06/2007, 09:35 AM

Yes it's a sun coral, it's non photosynthetic and requires target feeding

spellbound · #3 09/06/2007, 11:27 AM

Thank you. I target feed nightly. Is this too often? Also, is there a photosynthetic form of sun corals?

acrodave · #4 09/06/2007, 11:43 AM

no that is not to often every night is good.The Duncanopsammia is photosynthetic and is in related to Tudastraea

spellbound · #5 09/06/2007, 12:08 PM

Thank you. That must be the pictures I've been seeing. Here is what I have been feeding: Mysis shrimp or plankton soaked in one of the following-Kent Micro-Vert, Chromaplex Phytoplankton, Selcon, Snow, Liquid Life BioPlankton or Liquid Life Marine Plankton with Cyclopeeze. This way after they get their share the other fish and corals in the tank also receive some good stuff.

Canarygirl · #6 09/14/2007, 05:14 PM

and forgive me if I say something you already know, but these sun corals do not have a shared gut system so each individual head must be fed.

mikekman · #7 09/14/2007, 08:15 PM

canarygirl, what you say may not be true. There was talk about that in a previous thread.

What the theory is, if each head is connected by tissue, nutrients can be shared. For example, I have a branching type sun coral and the mother colony had 3 babies coming out on the side. THe babies were too small to eat so I just fed the mother. Well those babies kept getting bigger and bigger.

Other examples are people who have sun corals were some of the polyps are not accessible to feed. Well those unaccessible polyps keep getting bigger and bigger suggesting that perhaps that nutrients are shared.

Canarygirl · #8 09/14/2007, 08:31 PM

If that is true it makes owning a sun coral a whole lot more appealing....

mikekman · #9 09/14/2007, 10:43 PM

canarygirl, yep! If you get a sun coral that has like 50 polyps, it would be very hard and time consuming making sure 50 polyps are fed. You can feed as many as you can and not worry because the sun corals will share nutrients to each other.

In the case that some heads are not connected by tissue, then you will have to feed each head not connected to tissue.

missyshrout · #10 09/15/2007, 08:20 PM

Hey everyone, I just bought a sun coral a week ago and it is doing great. From what I read and what the LFS told me you have to feed every head.

Mine is not that big but it still takes time. Since that is part of what I enjoy with my tank, it doesn't bother me.

You also have to train them to come out during the day by feeding it every time during the day.

It sounds like you have yours trained just right if it is out all day and night. This is my favorite coral that I have gotten so far. I have wanted one for awhile but had to wait for one of the LFS to have it.

mikekman · #11 09/15/2007, 08:39 PM

suncorals usually open up once the tank lights are off. Within a few minutes, they will start opening up.

They are beautiful once their polyps are all out so many try to train them to open up in the morning with the lights on by putting food in the water column and enticing them to open up.

Also, you do not have to feed every head. There has been talk on here and on a previous thread were evidence was shown that you do not have to feed each head.

shelbiesdaddy · #12 09/16/2007, 02:04 PM

I see an interesting theory but that could hardly be considered EVIDENCE. Pleas post a link to your sources.

Quote:

Originally posted by mikekman
suncorals usually open up once the tank lights are off. Within a few minutes, they will start opening up.

They are beautiful once their polyps are all out so many try to train them to open up in the morning with the lights on by putting food in the water column and enticing them to open up.

Also, you do not have to feed every head. There has been talk on here and on a previous thread were evidence was shown that you do not have to feed each head.

mikekman · #13 09/16/2007, 02:40 PM

For one thing, not much work is done on sun corals so you won't find SCIENTIFIC evidence if you want that. Not many scientists are gonna take the time to test out if each head needs to be fed.

HOWEVER, there are many reefers who have kept sun corals and many like myself do not feed each head but the entire coral lives on and continues to grow more babies. How would you explain that?

What are you going to do about polyps that are in hard to reach places? I can't reach some of the polyps yet they get bigger and bigger. I think experience and hobbyist reports about the feeding behavior of these corals are proof enough, but if you want scientific proof to back it up, then wait a bunch of years for someone to do a test on these corals and feed everyone of your sun coral heads.

JetCat USA · #14 09/16/2007, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mikekman
..........do not feed each head but the entire coral lives on and continues to grow more babies. How would you explain that?

they could catch their own food from your feedings of the other polyps, from tank feedings, they could catch micro funa living and reproducing in the tank, etc............. and they may well share nutrients from connective tissues, but Both are just theories nothing more.

mikekman · #15 09/16/2007, 02:53 PM

Someone have a pico tank? Put a tiny bit of sand, and stick a few heads of sun coral in there and only feed a few of the polyps and see what happens. That would settle it right there, so if someone can do that, lets test the theory out!

shelbiesdaddy · #16 09/16/2007, 07:36 PM

That is the farthest thing from a scientific experiment that I have ever heard of.

I was just wondering if that was your own theory or if you "borrowed" it from someone else without crediting them.

Quote:

Originally posted by mikekman
Someone have a pico tank? Put a tiny bit of sand, and stick a few heads of sun coral in there and only feed a few of the polyps and see what happens. That would settle it right there, so if someone can do that, lets test the theory out!

jjmcat · #17 09/17/2007, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by shelbiesdaddy
That is the farthest thing from a scientific experiment that I have ever heard of.

I was just wondering if that was your own theory or if you "borrowed" it from someone else without crediting them.

So does this mean we need to have a scientist go out and prove what works for other reefers.

missyshrout · #18 09/17/2007, 09:40 AM

No that is not the point. Everything I have read says that you HAVE to feed each head. I just want to know where I can find the information that says that I don't so that I can read it too.

Even though I enjoy feeding my corals, it would be nice to only feed 1 head. But I have watched them and they all eat really well. I just wanted to know if they share a system.

I know that whatever I am doing is working for me because the sun coral is looking awesome during the day and night. I am sincerely afraid to feed only one head. I love this coral and don't want to kill it.

So any othe information on them would be greatly appreciated.

justincognito · #19 09/17/2007, 10:18 AM

There is scientific evidence that polyps share nutrients.
Most corals transport nutrient via mesoglea (their internal goo) as well as surface mucus.
Of course the more mouths that eat the more food the whole colony gets.
I'm sorry i can't tell you the exact papers put they have been written.

shelbiesdaddy · #20 09/17/2007, 12:55 PM

Of course not. And I am not sure what I said to make you think that. I simply said that a single pico with a few heads in it is by no means a "scientific experiment". (I can go into why it isn't if you are interested.)

As for what works for other reefers I would simply like to read some success stories from people using this method. Perhaps you have one to share.

The two theories presented in this thread are both very plausible but to be honest I really don't care about theories. Besides, proving a theory is nearly impossible, thus they remain a theory until they are disproved. (Again, much more information then needed, sorry).

All I am interested in results. I have read literally hundreds of success stories using the feed every head method but have yet to read one for the feed only a few heads method. So if anybody has a success story to share, please do. And please no "my mother's best friend's sister's son-in-law managed to..." stories.

Quote:

Originally posted by jjmcat
So does this mean we need to have a scientist go out and prove what works for other reefers.

justincognito · #21 09/17/2007, 02:14 PM

Basically the science DOES say that all the polyps share nutrients. Even species of Scolymia with seperated polyps transport carbon across mucus to polyps that have not eaten.
However, the more food the coral gets the better it will do, so if you feed all the heads the coral gets more nutrition and does better, and sun coral need a lot of food so you should try to feed everyhead.
So in short science says YES they transport nutrients to other polyps, thats proven. But the application on the ground seems to be feed as many heads as possible for best growth.

shelbiesdaddy · #22 09/17/2007, 03:00 PM

Thank you.

A very honest answer!

I majored in animal nutrition at CSU, Chico so I am aware of the concept of nutrient transport.

I prefer my corals to thrive and not "just get by" so I will continue to feed as many heads as possible.

I would still be interested in reading any success stories where someone has had better results just feeding a few heads.

Thanks again.

Quote:

Originally posted by justincognito
Basically the science DOES say that all the polyps share nutrients. Even species of Scolymia with seperated polyps transport carbon across mucus to polyps that have not eaten.
However, the more food the coral gets the better it will do, so if you feed all the heads the coral gets more nutrition and does better, and sun coral need a lot of food so you should try to feed everyhead.
So in short science says YES they transport nutrients to other polyps, thats proven. But the application on the ground seems to be feed as many heads as possible for best growth.

ViPeR_930 · #23 09/17/2007, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by justincognito
Basically the science DOES say that all the polyps share nutrients. Even species of Scolymia with seperated polyps transport carbon across mucus to polyps that have not eaten.
However, the more food the coral gets the better it will do, so if you feed all the heads the coral gets more nutrition and does better, and sun coral need a lot of food so you should try to feed everyhead.
So in short science says YES they transport nutrients to other polyps, thats proven. But the application on the ground seems to be feed as many heads as possible for best growth.

I completely agree with this. Well said.
If dendrophyllid corals do not share nutrients between connected polyps, half of my collection would be dead. A lot of my dendro and tubastrea polyps are hard to get to and I just don't bother feeding them and yet they still thrive and grow just as much as the polyps I do feed.

shelbiesdaddy · #24 09/17/2007, 10:51 PM

Well spellbound, I for one am through hijacking your thread. Good luck.

Over and out.

Qckwzrd · #25 09/18/2007, 11:58 AM

I agree with Justin. if anyone had a large colony of tubastrea it would be pretty damn hard to feed every head. Tubastrea does transfer food to the whole colony. I'm pretty sure Mike isn't telling anyone to feed one or two heads to supply your colony.
Just like ants (the insect) they work together to feed the colony same as suncorals if a few ants are on vacation or out sick (lol) doesn't mean the whole colony will die, just mean the ants that are there will have to work harder. So continue to try and feed each suncoral polyps, but don't knock ya self out they'll survive. Feed those suncorals as often as possible. I do mysis shrimp soaked in selcon and cyclops.