Help with corals,please.
- Thread starter Clearblue303
- Start date
ClearBlue, The chili coral can be a bit hard to keep. they require phytoplankton, something such as Dt's live phytoplankton would be a good food source. I have heard of people having some success with Marine Snow as well for the Chili coral. I myself could not keep my guy alive in my smaller reef. I tried to move him to my large reef but it was to late. The sun Coral requires special feeding as well. Each polyp should be target fed with meaty foods. I have a system where I float a tupperwear container in the tank an add some tank water to it. I then place my sun coral in the container covered with tank water and shower it with fish food of some sort, formula 1 frozen cubes, Golden Pearls, my home concoction of different fish foods, etc. The polyps will slowly open over 30 minutes or so. I then squirt more food in the container with a turkey baster and keep the water moving for a minute so the food particles are swirling all around the coral. This is how they collect their food in the wild. I then come in every 10 minutes or so and swirl the water around in the container until the coral eats all of the food. They can eat quite a bit. I choose to do it this way so the opportunistic feeders in the tank such as shrimp and fish will not steal the food from the sun coral polyps before they get a chance to get it swallowed. My shrimp will dig into the polyp to get the food. This is bad. I also don't want to foul the tank with all the food I am spraying over my sun coral. The food stays in the container and is easily swirled around the coral for an hour or so. Happy feeding with plenty of time to digest. I then remove the coral from the container and replace in the tank in his spot. Everyone is happy. I then toss the water in the tupperwear down the sink. This is also a good way to train your sun coral. Some will not immediately open polyps when food hits the tank. Having it in its own container gives the coral lots of time to open and realize there is good food to be had. My sun coral opens up any time there is a disturbance in the tank such as water change or cleaning as it is accustom to getting fed when my hands are in the tank and the currents are altered. Good Luck.
OK guys.Thanks for the responses.
I just came home.I took everything back and luckilly,I've got full credit.
The yel.d.fing. was just a frag,that didn't make it.The cabbage was ok at lfs,but it started to desintegrate in my tank.Now I've seen theirs too are all down.(so that might have been sick).
The sun and the chili was doing fine(not opened)but hard.
I still have the sun and I bought a purple
mushroom and a green star pol.(rocks).
The gsp is closed now(purple),they told me that's ok.Is it?(it starts to open).
The shrooms look ok.
The sun is only one polyp.Looks healthy,is changing the shape in the interior (it reacts to movements).
Where should I keep it-full light?
How often should I feed?
For now,I'll just put a piece of food on it with a tweezer at feeding time(still not eating).
Slojmn,you're doing great with yours!
So sad to see all the dieing sun corals at lfs.s probably die of hunger.
Well,I keep the skimmer fully running now(wasn't a big mess).
Someone has stony jewel coral?I'd like some info.
I'll inform how's going with the new stuff.
Thanks guys!FM.
I just came home.I took everything back and luckilly,I've got full credit.
The yel.d.fing. was just a frag,that didn't make it.The cabbage was ok at lfs,but it started to desintegrate in my tank.Now I've seen theirs too are all down.(so that might have been sick).
The sun and the chili was doing fine(not opened)but hard.
I still have the sun and I bought a purple
mushroom and a green star pol.(rocks).
The gsp is closed now(purple),they told me that's ok.Is it?(it starts to open).
The shrooms look ok.
The sun is only one polyp.Looks healthy,is changing the shape in the interior (it reacts to movements).
Where should I keep it-full light?
How often should I feed?
For now,I'll just put a piece of food on it with a tweezer at feeding time(still not eating).
Slojmn,you're doing great with yours!
So sad to see all the dieing sun corals at lfs.s probably die of hunger.
Well,I keep the skimmer fully running now(wasn't a big mess).
Someone has stony jewel coral?I'd like some info.
I'll inform how's going with the new stuff.
Thanks guys!FM.
Interesting that the GSP is still closed. I got myself some GSPs too just this Wednesday. Today, half of them is already opened. I know of that this batch has been in my LFS for 3 days already and plus the 2 days at my tank makes it 5 days total. Good luck with yours.
Good luck with the Tubastrea aurea, they are pretty tough to keep long term. Slojmn1, excellent method for feeding. Wish I would have known that little trick when I still had mine
. I will not attempt another one of thoose. They require very low light levels (they grow in caves in the reef) combined with lots and lots of food, targeted to each one of the polyps two or three times a week. the polyps open usually at night or during feeding. If you squeeze the head of a cocktails shrimp into the water the polyps usually open up within 5 mins, then you can feed. GSP should be opening up pretty soon, feed DT's or eq. once a week. BTW my chili coral is doing well and I believe them to be very hardy. Mine once accidentally got smushed under another piece of LR for at least a month and when I found him again and relocaded he opend up right away. the polyps don't open very much. Mostly at night every few days or so. Not sure what a Stony Jewel Coral is? Do you have the scientific name?
- Location
- Virginia
Star polyps can be open one day, and then stay closed for a week. I do not understand why, but I have 2 colonies in my tank that are spreading well, and it seems like one decides not to open every couple of weeks or so for a couple of days, and then it is back. Acclimation could take time as well.
Perhaps now is a good time to recommend Eric Borneman's Aquarium Corals. A must have for any reef keeper, IMO. Most all the issues/questions raised thus far are handled in this excellent volume. Well worth the money. Check w/Jason at Premium Aquatics.
regards,
rw
regards,
rw
ASAP I'll look up the book.
I,ve spent a lot of time when I chose the corals at lfs.They have brochures with pics and explanations of them.But it said nothing about the chili to be target fed.And later when I,ve heard about feeding at night time,I've got discuraged.Still,it looked good when I returned,on the lower side I could see the white dots(polyps).
The shrooms have a deep ultramarine blue color.I think they are blue shrooms from Tonga.
The gsp is still closed today.At lfs,when they gave my gsp I've seen a purple thing.I've asked what's that,they told me,is the same gsp as mine,they just moved it there recently.So,I think that's normal for this type to stay closed for a while.
If the sun c. is under full light,is that a problem?
Anyways,do someone have cabbage,or yel.d.fing ? How are they doing?
Thanks.FM.
I,ve spent a lot of time when I chose the corals at lfs.They have brochures with pics and explanations of them.But it said nothing about the chili to be target fed.And later when I,ve heard about feeding at night time,I've got discuraged.Still,it looked good when I returned,on the lower side I could see the white dots(polyps).
The shrooms have a deep ultramarine blue color.I think they are blue shrooms from Tonga.
The gsp is still closed today.At lfs,when they gave my gsp I've seen a purple thing.I've asked what's that,they told me,is the same gsp as mine,they just moved it there recently.So,I think that's normal for this type to stay closed for a while.
If the sun c. is under full light,is that a problem?
Anyways,do someone have cabbage,or yel.d.fing ? How are they doing?
Thanks.FM.
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