ritter6788
Coral Fraud Private Eye
Anyone keeping Black Sun Corals? I used to see them pop up in the LFS a few years ago but it's been a long time since I've seen any. I've always kind of liked them. If you have pics lets see them.
Black Sun Coral Pics?
- Thread starter ritter6788
- Start date
- Tagged users None
revhtree
Owner Administrator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Reef Squad
Partner Member 2024
Excellence Award
RGB
Photo of the Month
Article Contributor
R2R TV Featured
Hospitality Award
Article Administrator
Black Friday Sponsor
Industry Professional
3rd Monthly Contributor
My Tank Thread
My Aquarium Showcase
- Joined
- May 8, 2006
- Messages
- 49,235
- Reaction score
- 98,071
- Seller Rating
- 3 ★
- Rating Count
Good thread, interested as well.
jedimasterben
Bubble coral sting good
EDIT: This is Tubastrea diaphana. There is another species referred to as 'black sun coral', Tubastrea micrantha, which has the same black base but the tentacles are green.
Last edited:
OP
OP
ritter6788
Coral Fraud Private Eye
Those are sick!
jedimasterben, any difference in care of the two species you named?
If I recall (which may be total LFS bull) you had to feed each individual polyp to keep these alive.
jedimasterben, any difference in care of the two species you named?
If I recall (which may be total LFS bull) you had to feed each individual polyp to keep these alive.
jedimasterben
Bubble coral sting good
Here is a video of Matt Wandell of the California Academy of Sciences' Steinhart Aquarium where he shows what they feed and how they feed their Tubastrea tank: Behind the Scenes: Coral - YouTube
They actually feed much more than that (about 4L total of food daily, a mixture of cyclops, baby brine shrimp, and a few other goodies), but that's what he will manually feed them sometimes.
They actually feed much more than that (about 4L total of food daily, a mixture of cyclops, baby brine shrimp, and a few other goodies), but that's what he will manually feed them sometimes.
jedimasterben
Bubble coral sting good
No difference between the two types of black suns other than the look.
Both types need massive feedings (at least three times per week) and every head is a separate animal, they do not share nutrients, so what they told you is correct. Black suns also need much more flow to survive and thrive compared to yellow sun species.
OP
OP
ritter6788
Coral Fraud Private Eye
I like the contrasting colors you have there. Are you feeding each head of the black one?
Mbc
Community Member
I just took these pics you can see they are untouched.. My loved one purchased this about 6mos ago from our LFS for me. The LFS didn't really know what it looked like bc is never opened for him. Thought is was a sun coral but w/o seeing it open was unsure. We were told is loved shade and low flow....usually found in the wild in caves........Ours is in the middle of the DT, under full LED lighting. Structure (5" x 8") wise it has not grown however, the polyps have grown much bigger, new ones have grown even on bottom and back. Not sure how many polyps, stopped counting around 80+. Paul feeds nightly anything he has brine shrimp, reef caviar, cyclops, oyster eggs, microvore, reef snow, coral frenzy, or prime reef.....any given day the buffet offered is better then the dinner I serve him. He uses a turkey baster and fogs the entire piece.....he likes to blame his phosphate problem on my beauty....however, I would suggest it's due to him feeding is chalices the same way
Last edited:
OP
OP
ritter6788
Coral Fraud Private Eye
Those are sweet. Do you think they grow in caves because they can't be in the light or just less competition with photosynthetic corals in caves?
Mbc
Community Member
Our LFS sold us that colony and said that they like caves / low light, low flow. So, we brought that piece home, and tried to shade it, we didn't see it open for weeks. During a weekend maintenance water change she got left out of her cave dead center tank, with Radions shinning on her, and opposing MP10 and MP40 blowing on her. She would stay contracted until the lights were almost out. Baited her with garlic in the frozen food. She now is out most of the evening hours before the lights go out. Great amazing piece doing well in full light and flow.
I have a 1 polyp frag of these I got for 5 bucks in a store in ocala. Mine is directly under a cave along with my yellow sun corals and a little further out is my large polyp dendro, ill throw some pics up if they are opened. I let mine broadcast feed the mysis I feed my fish and the sun coral and black dendro have grown immensley. I dont feed every head and I barley target feed anything in my tank. I know the sun corals are nonphotophythetic but im pretty sure my large polyp dendro is semi photosynthetic. I keep him partially shaded, he gets lots of mysis when I feed the tank.
jedimasterben
Bubble coral sting good
Nope. I've spoken with Matt Wandell personally about black suns - they grow absolutely anywhere. You can even find them among the SPS corals of the reef crest.
jedimasterben
Bubble coral sting good
Dendros are 100% NPS. Each head definitely needs to get fed (they are all separate animals), and black suns need to be fed several times more per week than yellow/orange suns or dendros to grow and thrive.
mines have grown like crazy with just broadcast feeding, so im just gonna keep at whatever is working, figured the dendro might have some type of photosynthetic properties because he has the glow of other photosynthetic corals, havent done any research on them but I do know they need to be feed regularly, mine all get plenty of mysis in my little cave trap so im happy.
Last edited:
jedimasterben
Bubble coral sting good
Then you are feeding enough for them.
I'd probably still target feed the black sun, though, just in case. I target feed mine NLS small fish pellets twice a week, about 1/4 teaspoon each time. Quick and easy.
