Sun Coral help needed.

[Mummer]

Please help me ensure the continued health of my new sun coral. I have already made a cool target feeding rig and have a wide array of food ready to go. The sun coral is placed under a cave. I have two questions though:

I understand that a sun coral may actually prefer to be hanging upside down from the roof of the cave. Is there any adhesive substance that is safe, effective and quick setting to stick the coral to the roof of the cave in an existing water and livestock filled tank? If not, he will have to live right side up...

Also, what's up with food choice? I have reef chili, frozen rotifers, cycopleeze, frozen mysis shrimp, DTs oyster eggs and bioplankton/coral plankton (Liquid Life). I have been assuming that the sun coral would not be eating phytoplankton, cause it's not photosynthetic. But I have also been told, and have witnessed this first night, that a small spritz of phytoplankton made many of the polyps come out , after a small spritz of coralplankton did not seem to. Do they eat phytoplankton? Does the phytoplankton stimulate feeding response without actually feeding them? Of the above foods, which is best for a sun coral?

[cryptodendrum]

I'm no sun coral expert, but I have had mine for a few years and will share what I know from keeping this one.

Mine eats about anything I give it. I've also noticed the same effect with phyto as well, but mine also opens up when I put any food in the water. I feed mine a mix of everything I feed my fish - Krill, Red Plankton, Muscles, Mysis, Mysids, Squid, etc. I see lots of pictures of moray eel caves with sun corals litering the openings - I suspect they feed off scraps as much as live planktonic life passing within their reach.

For feeding, I use a home made bell feeder. To make it was simple - I cut the top end off a 2 liter soda bottle, and jamed the threaded cap end onto the end of a clear length of clear plastic tube of the same diameter, which extends just above the water's surface. To keep the food in suspension, an air pump connected to an air tube run down inside down to the bottom of the bell.

Since such device doesn't lend itself well to sun corals mounted upside down, I haven't bothered. Mine doesn't seem at all affected by it, and it's growth rate seems much more linked to the frequency I feed it.

[fishfanv]

i squirt microvert to make the polyps come out if they're not already. then i feed them chunks of mysis, f1 & cyclopeeze. all 4 of mine are growing a lot with this procedure.

[Microsoftie]

Do sun corals need calcium?

[oddballs]

yes they do need calcium.for a non photosenthetic coral their calcification rate is incredible.

[Microsoftie]

Thanks for the info. I'll start dosing calcium.

Would it be bad for the coral if the polyps are out all the time? I've placed it in it's own tank w/o PC lights.

[AlterEgo]

Do you have pictures of your coral? Is it also known as a flower pot?

[fishfanv]

Originally posted by AlterEgo
Do you have pictures of your coral? Is it also known as a flower pot?
the coral i've heard referred to as flower pot is a goniopora. not sure if suns are ever referred to as flower pots.

[AlterEgo]

I found some really good info about these here.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/dec2002/invert.htm

[jdav]

for every suncoral i ever had i've always done it the same....... I put cyclopleze in the water to make it open thenturn the main pump off and spot feed t with mysis in a baster. sometimes i'll hand feed it freeze dried shrimp....

most of the time that'll get them to stay open a good majority of the time and make them grow pretty quick...

just my expierience though.

oh yeah i feed the one I have right now 2 cubes of mysis every day and sdo a 6 gallon water change 1 hour after i feed it. I know that sounds like a bit much, but I work at a LFS so i have the time :)

[AlterEgo]

Mine is a few days old and it stays open all day long. It takes it time over a few hours to very slowly close up at night. I put a few smal slivers of squid on it and from what I could tell it ate it. When it eats does it go to feed the full pot or only the ones that ate?