I've got the sun coral blues...

[zman676]

I got a small (5 head) piece of sun coral from a lfs a couple of weeks ago. I know they lack zooxanthelia and have ot be fed. I also know they like low-light environments.

I've tried everything to get the darned thing to open. I made a little cave in my aquascaping for it so the light wouldnt damage the tissue. I've tried feeding it a variety of frozen foods (with a syringe) of assorted particle size at night and during the day and while only the actinics are on. The best I can get is a little swelling of the tissue, but I havent seen those spectacular tentacles that I want to see so bad!

Clearly this thing is getting some kind of nourishment since its sitll alive and repsonds to my feeding it by swelling the tissue. But wtf mate, what else can I do to make this coral happy enough to show off its tentacles?

 

[saltwater junky]

GIVE IT TIME, ALSO TRY GIVING IT A FEEDING IN A LITTLE BOWL FOR A HOUR OR SO.IT WORKED WONDER FOR MINE:up:

 

[wbholwell]

Or try covering it with a small soda bottle cut in half, then target feed it. I like a soda bottle b/c you can inject the food though the mouth, then screw the cap on to contain it.

 

[kwl1763]

Look at it in the middle of the night! The open naturally at dark and have to be trained to open up during the day. Try about 3 hours after all lights are out and the room is totally dark. If it still isn't then try either of the above methods.

 

[xyzpdq0121]

wbholwell;39364 wrote: Or try covering it with a small soda bottle cut in half, then target feed it. I like a soda bottle b/c you can inject the food though the mouth, then screw the cap on to contain it.

That is what I have been doing, minus the screwing the cap back on.... defrosting your frozen food, adding a bit of DTs and sqirting the juice at first into the bottle. Wait about 3-5 min and do it again. They will "smell" the food and open up more before you dump the meat and potatoes into the bottle.

BTW, they are not only "low light", I have mine under my 175w halide and they are doing great. You just have to get them used to that light. I put them there because they are easier to feed right there.

 

[ouling]

keep squirting shrimp juice on it night after night, and it'll open.