Feeding sun coral.

[fishyfishster]

Just got a nice big sun coral but I can't seem to get it to open to feed it.

I tried Pacifica plankton and reef roids.

Anyone have any tips

[Reef Pilot]

Just discussed not long ago. Have a look at this thread.
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...216#post782216

[badfish!]

Originally Posted by reefwars

take it out of the tank for feeding when first training, to train my suncorals or dendros i simply take them out place them in a container and leave them in the container for a long time , hours actually. i feed a mix of mysis,coral snow and FM......set and forget and come back to fed corals , place them in the display and they are either swollen or open shortly afterwards, the sudden jump in flow triggers another feeding response.

after a week or two with the tupperware method and they will be fully acclimatized and only need to be fed here and there depending on the type it is.

i feed either FM lps pellets or mysis from a turkeybaster when i target feed them in the display.


consistency is key if you want them to stay healthy, once you have them down i swear youll want more lol :P

I've tried this and it works really well (Thanks Denny!)

[daniella3d]

Dendros are easy. I have 2 huge colonies that I started from one head each, now they are about 40 heads and they are always open. I target feed them each day with PE mysis and frozen cyclopeeze.

I never tried sun corals because they don't open as much, at least that's what I was told.

[craigwmiller]

I have a sun coral and I have a pretty good trick to get mine to open up for feeding...

when I rinse my mysis or pacifica plankton I strain the fine particle 'juice' into another container... I then use this 'juice' to spray over the sun coral, and also direct-feed all my zoa's with these fine particles. typically within 5-10 minutes the sun coral peeks out and ready for the main dish! (it then usually stays open for hours after that)

[fishyfishster]

Originally Posted by craigwmiller

I have a sun coral and I have a pretty good trick to get mine to open up for feeding...

when I rinse my mysis or pacifica plankton I strain the fine particle 'juice' into another container... I then use this 'juice' to spray over the sun coral, and also direct-feed all my zoa's with these fine particles. typically within 5-10 minutes the sun coral peeks out and ready for the main dish! (it then usually stays open for hours after that)

tried that. still nothing

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by fishyfishster

tried that. still nothing

dont try to feed it heres what you do

because the coral doesnt come out for food feeding it by hand is impossible , hence the tupper ware method.

take a tupperware container fill with salt water , place your suncoral in it and pollute the water with smelly foods leave the suncorals in there for a long time .when im acclimating suncorals that dont open in the morning i take the suncorals and put them in a container and float them in my sump when i get off work suncorals go back in the tank , by that time they are puffy.they take cold waters well. depending on how food deprived the coral is plays a part in how long the acclimation process is.

suncorals use energy to open for food they get that energy back from the food , no food no energy , so if they arnt guaranteed a meal they wont come out,eventually they shut down, its alot of consistent work to bring them back.

youll need to do this for a week possibly longer untill it comes out fully or stays out in whcih case you switch to meaty foods.

if your suncoral is alive this will work.


welcome to the world of nps corals

[Treebeard]

Mine come out like clockwork when the lights get to around 40% at 7:30 pm. By 9:30 pm they are in full bloom and I turn off all the power heads and the return pump, and spot feed them oyster feast with a turkey baster. They have always come out around the same time and are definitely nocturnal.

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by Treebeard

Mine come out like clockwork when the lights get to around 40% at 7:30 pm. By 9:30 pm they are in full bloom and I turn off all the power heads and the return pump, and spot feed them oyster feast with a turkey baster. They have always come out around the same time and are definitely nocturnal.

actually they can be trained to stay out all day and feed in the day ,its all about how well they are fed and triggering feeding responses consistently.

night or day has nothing to do with it(in this case anyways) corals from the wild feed at night when the water is heavy with live food(trained to eat at night) , in captivity we can train them to come out and even stay out all day by doing just the same but in bright lighting.

once trained to feed in the light they will respond to anything as simple as change of flow , ditrius or animals passing by etc.


success to these corals is fairly easy its the consistency part that gets them , a few missed feedings or lack of care ends up in weeks of food treatments.

[fishyfishster]

sounds like these corals have a built in rolex watch.