New sun coral eating?

Noob2015 · 06/28/2015, 10:02 PM

I've been trying the Tupperware feeding method the last few days and each time it barely pokes his yellow tentacles out. The mouth opens and I've had rotifers one night, brine another and mysis tonight. NOTHING beautiful like I see in here.
Any other tips? He's been in my tank for a week. shaded. Low flow
90 gallon mixed reef
77 degrees
PH 8.2
Calcium 480
Nitrates : under 5
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0

rt67ghy · 06/29/2015, 02:41 AM

Is it a tubastrea sp or dendrophyllia? If it's tubastrea it will generally open after lights out and you could try to feed it then using low light/ torch. If it's dendrophyllia it opens during the day also but I think your approach is ok. Just keep trying whenever you see some tentacles out and hopefully it'll catch something. You can also grind up some of the food and just squirt a little juice from this at the head so it gets a taste of the food and opens up. Keep the food ready because it may not remain open too long.

Noob2015 · 06/29/2015, 05:40 AM

Tubastria. I see it starting to open, but nowhere near the full "Suns" that I see here. I've watched after light went out at various times but still no. After two days started getting nervous and have been trying feeding in Tupperware with low light outside of tank. Rotifers is pretty fine do hoping they are getting some.

rt67ghy · 06/29/2015, 06:42 AM

Tubastreas do this. They're not open all the time. I got one 2 weeks ago and does the same thing as yours but when I see it open I feed it. I even saw it eat tiny pieces of shrimp a few times. I think the people who take pics of them with their tentacles waving in full splendour do not see theirs open all the time but are ready with a camera when they are open. Yours was taking time to adjust to your tank and now it's getting used to it so I wouldn't be too worried.

Noob2015 · 06/29/2015, 09:06 AM

Thanks for replying. I'll keep feeding him when I see him opening. Hopefully I'll catch him showing off soon.

rt67ghy · 06/29/2015, 12:57 PM

You're welcome.

rt67ghy · 06/29/2015, 02:50 PM

You could try feeding it nutrimarova. I got my sun coral as a hitchiker on a rock with green star polyps (GSP). Last night I was removing some yellow sponge from the rock which looked dangerous. While doing this a part of the GSP peeled off and I found another sun coral that was severely emaciated and had no tentacles showing even after lights out whereas the healthy coral had all tentacles fully extended. Even then I dropped some shrimp eggs on top of it (the unhealthy coral) and it ate it without tantacles coming out.

droth335 · 07/04/2015, 07:01 AM

It took a good month for our sun corals to open up for feeding but they are like Pavlov's dog now in that they are open every evening when we feed the tank.

Tzwizzle · 07/04/2015, 09:00 AM

To get this guy going I would suggest zooplankton. Once they have full extension its easier to feed them large meaty pieces.

rt67ghy · 07/04/2015, 10:25 AM

I just drop shrimp eggs onto mine and it sucks in the food without showing tentacles. The shrimp eggs are in clumps so when it starts eating it basically has to eat the whole clump. Seeing nice growth.

06/28/2015, 10:02 PM	#1
Noob2015 Registered Member Join Date: May 2015 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 70	New sun coral eating? I've been trying the Tupperware feeding method the last few days and each time it barely pokes his yellow tentacles out. The mouth opens and I've had rotifers one night, brine another and mysis tonight. NOTHING beautiful like I see in here. Any other tips? He's been in my tank for a week. shaded. Low flow 90 gallon mixed reef 77 degrees PH 8.2 Calcium 480 Nitrates : under 5 Ammonia: 0 Nitrites: 0

07/04/2015, 07:01 AM	#8
droth335 Registered Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Iowa Posts: 794	It took a good month for our sun corals to open up for feeding but they are like Pavlov's dog now in that they are open every evening when we feed the tank. __________________ Dave Current Tank Info: 210 sps dominant reef: 40g sump, kalk,4 reefbreeder photon 32's ; 300DD mixed reef with 180 gallon sump, 4 Reefbreeder Photon 32's.

06/29/2015, 02:41 AM	#2
rt67ghy Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh Posts: 984	Is it a tubastrea sp or dendrophyllia? If it's tubastrea it will generally open after lights out and you could try to feed it then using low light/ torch. If it's dendrophyllia it opens during the day also but I think your approach is ok. Just keep trying whenever you see some tentacles out and hopefully it'll catch something. You can also grind up some of the food and just squirt a little juice from this at the head so it gets a taste of the food and opens up. Keep the food ready because it may not remain open too long.

06/29/2015, 05:40 AM	#3
Noob2015 Registered Member Join Date: May 2015 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 70	Tubastria. I see it starting to open, but nowhere near the full "Suns" that I see here. I've watched after light went out at various times but still no. After two days started getting nervous and have been trying feeding in Tupperware with low light outside of tank. Rotifers is pretty fine do hoping they are getting some.

06/29/2015, 06:42 AM	#4
rt67ghy Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh Posts: 984	Tubastreas do this. They're not open all the time. I got one 2 weeks ago and does the same thing as yours but when I see it open I feed it. I even saw it eat tiny pieces of shrimp a few times. I think the people who take pics of them with their tentacles waving in full splendour do not see theirs open all the time but are ready with a camera when they are open. Yours was taking time to adjust to your tank and now it's getting used to it so I wouldn't be too worried.

06/29/2015, 09:06 AM	#5
Noob2015 Registered Member Join Date: May 2015 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 70	Thanks for replying. I'll keep feeding him when I see him opening. Hopefully I'll catch him showing off soon.

06/29/2015, 12:57 PM	#6
rt67ghy Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh Posts: 984	You're welcome.

06/29/2015, 02:50 PM	#7
rt67ghy Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh Posts: 984	You could try feeding it nutrimarova. I got my sun coral as a hitchiker on a rock with green star polyps (GSP). Last night I was removing some yellow sponge from the rock which looked dangerous. While doing this a part of the GSP peeled off and I found another sun coral that was severely emaciated and had no tentacles showing even after lights out whereas the healthy coral had all tentacles fully extended. Even then I dropped some shrimp eggs on top of it (the unhealthy coral) and it ate it without tantacles coming out.

07/04/2015, 09:00 AM	#9
Tzwizzle Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 283	To get this guy going I would suggest zooplankton. Once they have full extension its easier to feed them large meaty pieces.

07/04/2015, 10:25 AM	#10
rt67ghy Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh Posts: 984	I just drop shrimp eggs onto mine and it sucks in the food without showing tentacles. The shrimp eggs are in clumps so when it starts eating it basically has to eat the whole clump. Seeing nice growth.