Sun Coral (Tubastrea aurea) reproduction?

[!wrass!]

I have read that they drop babies. What is that process? I would assume that they spawn like other corals. Any info on that?

I think mine just spawned tonight.

[dendro982]

Small oval flattened red-orange planulae is released from the mouth of the polyp, settles on LR away from big colony, but not too far. New polyps are small, less than 1 mm, but typical shape and color. It takes a long time for new polyp to grow and start forming new colony around it. I didn't target fed during this time (months), they get what they could after big colony feeding and after fish feeding.

Photo of sun coral, releasing planulae (http://www.korallenriff.de/Sindelfingen2005/daniela_torsten_2005.pdf), is there, phf file, 13 Mb - well worth it.
Video (http://homepage.mac.com/cwserver/iMovieTheater20.html) of spawning should be there.

Links to the other keepers threads, with sun coral spawning, are here (http://defineyourreef.freehostia.com/refpages/sunlinks.html) .
Mine spawns too link (http://defineyourreef.freehostia.com/refpages/sunchronol2.html) , more on main sun page, navigation at the bottom of the page: link (http://defineyourreef.freehostia.com/refpages/sun.html) .

Post photos and description of the tank, if you can: for some people sun coral do not sends planulae, or the planulae do not settle and is skimmed away. What do you think made it reproduce and settle in your tank.

Congratulations!

[dachsieholic]

Thanks for the links! I have 2 sun coral frags. Interesting info!

[!wrass!]

The spawning was happening when I go home from work. I shut the return pump down as soon as I figured out what was going on. I caught as many as I could just in case they were viable. It appears that they may be. I was able to get a few pcics but no video. Here are some of the pics.
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u47/kmcclain1119/Spawn1.jpg
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u47/kmcclain1119/Swawn2.jpg
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u47/kmcclain1119/Spawn3.jpg

This is a pic of the colony from a few months ago.
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u47/kmcclain1119/DSCN5470.jpg

This is the second time I have had spawning in my tank. The first one I missed. I have a baby growing on a power head. I cant tell if it is from the sun or the dendro yet.
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u47/kmcclain1119/DSCN5942.jpg

Since you asked...here goes.
The tank is a 20 long with a built in fuge. I have a 1" sand bed and maybe 30# of live rock total. I have a mixture of LPS, SPS, softies and a clam. I have no fish, just a few blue legs and various snails (some of which are reproducing too). I run PC lighting, not that it has any effect on the sun. I target feed most of the coral mysis every day or every other day. I recently started adding cyclopees to the mysis.
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u47/kmcclain1119/DSCN6508.jpg

I don't think the cyclopeese had anything to do with the spawning because the yellow sun had not been eating for several days. It looked healthy, just didn't fully extend and didn't eat. The day before the sun opened and eat well. When I got home the day of the spawn, the sun looked rough. As the spawning went on, it began to look much better. After it was over it expanded and look great. I did not feed it.

[!wrass!]

Here is a pic of the colony at the beginning.
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u47/kmcclain1119/DSCN6564.jpg

[dendro982]

Good work! Thank you for the information. Keep us posted, where these will land on.

[ScottC]

tubastrea = bunnies

nice pics BTW!

[!wrass!]

Second night. More pics. It will be spawning again. In the pics you can see planulae within the polyps. It is a little hard to see in the pics but rather easy in person. The rabbit comment my have some truth. Now if I can just get them to settle.
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u47/kmcclain1119/Spawn12.jpg
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u47/kmcclain1119/Spawn11.jpg

[otiso777]

Very cool! Do you soak the mysis in Selcon or other vitamin supplements? How long have you had the sun coral?

[dendro982]

Nice! You are lucky to catch the moment.

When they are spawning - at night, evening, before or after feeding? Any advice, when to look for it.

I have a lot of new colonies in the tank, but only once found vague planulae on photos.

Settling:
- planctivore fish may eat them, bur percula clown and chromises in my tank left a lot for a settling,
- is in your tank flow or filtration off for a some time? May help to settle (fair guess here, is in my tank and they settle, but could be coincidence).
- if possible, place downflow from sun coral (withing 2-3", mind gravity factor) a piece of LR, with not too much coraline, with some organic sediment (same kind of guess).

The babies will be very small, but with macro mode you should be able to see them in a couple of weeks.

Out of topic:
Does somebody know, who is who between tubastreas - what the visual difference between coccinea, faulkneri, aurea?

Who are the ones with trice high skeleton - not dendrophyllia, already asked.

[!wrass!]

No other supplements. I have tried krill and silversides but they don't like them. My dendros eat anything but the sun is kinda picky. I started adding cyclopeese they last couple of weeks. They seem to like it.

I have had the colony for about a year. They are a lot of work but really cool to have.

[Tajjo]

Thats Cool, and nice tank

[!wrass!]

The spawning is in the evening. Just prior to normal feeding time. I have the first round in a filter bag in the tank. I have on that has attached to the bag.

I have no fish so they have a chance.

[!wrass!]

An update for anyone interested...I took my 20 down and moved everything into the new tank. I found 8 sun coral babies in different places throughout the system. Most where you would expect to find them, in the dark. I have another attached to the power head screen and one on a zoo frag. So far I have cut one off of a rock and mounted it. I will mount others as time allows.

[dendro982]

Keep posting - we ARE interested.

Your sun has higher skeleton, then mine - and its babies settle on the plastic, in addition to the rock or other corals. Mine - never on artificial surfaces. I wonder, could this be species specific?

I left part of the babies on the chili coral, as they originally settled - no conflicts, both are opening nicely. And mine with feedings are growing faster, then catching food on their own (obviously ;) ).