sun coral question

[garyw68]

I am thinking of getting a sun coral. Can anyone tell me their experience with one and what it eats. I do not trust my LFS because they will only try to make the sale. Also, I am working on getting my nitrates down. Right now it is about 20ppm.

Thanks in advance

[spoiledcats]

We have a sun coral for a little over a month now. It eats mysis shrimp mostly, but I think will eat just about any meaty food given it. Ours took about 3 weeks before it would open up fully, so don't expect much when you first get it. Even when we fed it, it would open just enough to eat, then close up again. Now it's open fully and is beautiful. Just make sure you put it in a shady spot cause they don't like light. I think they find them in caves. I just fed ours. It's funny when 2 polyps grab hold of the same piece of shrimp and try to close up first to get it. Anyway, it takes some coaxing to get them to open, but they sure are worth it when they do.

[bamsickle]

I have a couple of these. They're great and not to hard to care for if you take a little time. They don't HAVE to be in a shady spot but if you have one that nothing else does well in, this is the coral for that spot. I spot feed mine at least 2-3 times a week, mysis, brine or chopped silversides. It also gets cyclopeeze when I add that a couple of times a week.

B

[21Reefman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7535387#post7535387 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bamsickle
I have a couple of these. They're great and not to hard to care for if you take a little time. They don't HAVE to be in a shady spot but if you have one that nothing else does well in, this is the coral for that spot. I spot feed mine at least 2-3 times a week, mysis, brine or chopped silversides. It also gets cyclopeeze when I add that a couple of times a week.

B

Correct, and they LOVE cyclopeeze. I had a reproduction and they are all over my live rock now! :) I also would have to warn if you already have a nitrate issue it will only get worse from all the extra food! I had a red algea bloom an stopped feeding, ran out of cyclopeeze as well, and can see the coral is sufferring from the lack of food. The rest of the tank is looking better. For this coral to thrive EVERY polyp needs to eat EVERYDAY, I can go through 3-4 cubes of zooplankton and a few Tablespoons of cyclopeeze in one 2-3hr feeding.

[2crazyreefers]

We leave our black and orange ones in the open. Feed the whole tank cyclopeeze twice a week and they are fine. Orange one about a year and the black one 6 months. Some people I know take them out of the tank and put them in a small bowl of tank water once a week and that works for them.

[msuzuki126]

I used to put mine in a bowl like that, but i stopped and now target feed with cut up krill and some brine.

[seansod]

I have had mine about 6 months. They stay in a shady spot and open promptly at 7pm for feeding. I spot feed cyptopleze everyother day (to help keep nitrates down).

Within 4 hours of bringing homes
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y197/seansod/100_0517.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y197/seansod/100_0509.jpg