Help with sun coral
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EriksOasis
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They prefer lower light mayb move it to low flow and a shaded area.
Yup. Higher flow. If you feed the fishes in the evening, blow some of the food at them. Quite often this will "train" train them. Ime.
jsker
Reefing is all about the adventure
Spot feeding, and higher flow like the other have suggested. Look at reef nutrition oyster feast, corals react to it well. I would also suggest using vitamarn C and the vitamin C will help all of your corals.
When I had one I would put it in a tupperware of tank water each night and put food all over it (mysis). I left if for about 30 minutes then put it back in the tank and discarded the water. It was "trained" to open up and get food. Then I could feed it each night at about the same time. It looked great for about 6 months, but when I stopped daily feedings specifically into its open identical it soon receded. They are hard to keep in a reef tank due the the amount of food they need in the water column to feed properly.
Believe it or not, gonio thrive in a tank with constantly floating particulates. Suspended detritus and fish poops all over the place will constantly feed them. In my place, where sea water is a bit murky, a basketball sized gonios are very common, some are as big as standard family car's tyre. I don't feed mine directly, and they opened up for hours everyday, especially when my dragon wrasse is awake and kicking sands or at night after lights is off. They appreciate powdered coral foods as well. Good luck.
You have gone cuckoo @Donovan Joannes!. It's about sun coral, not Gonio. You must be drunk, too much vodka perhaps??? 
Okay, sun coral do appreciate particulates foods as well. Mine is blooming when that same dragon wrasse is flipping sands all over. When I am feeding cyclops (ocean free), they will bloom, catch some and close up. I assumed they are consuming something. Direct feeding will produce more heads faster, mine not so much. Maybe a head or two in 3 to 5 months time. Here is mine...
Okay, sun coral do appreciate particulates foods as well. Mine is blooming when that same dragon wrasse is flipping sands all over. When I am feeding cyclops (ocean free), they will bloom, catch some and close up. I assumed they are consuming something. Direct feeding will produce more heads faster, mine not so much. Maybe a head or two in 3 to 5 months time. Here is mine...
Susan Edwards
5000 Club Member
When I first got mine, I used a plastic bowl in the tank (held in place by lid) and target fed and then returned the colony to the sand bed. The polyps were very short--a result of being nearly starved I believe. After I while, I moved it up and started feeding in the tank. I sometimes put a little of the frozen juice from the frozen foods into the water or feed the rest of the tank first. This causes a feeding response and within an hour the entire head is open and waiting. I turn off all pumps and wavemakers to keep food from being blown away. Since the first week or 2, I have never kept it on the sand bed as I'm short (5 foot) and I can't reach down that far unless I stand on a step stool and then I can't see if it is getting food or how many heads are getting food, plus the food just blows away. So it is at the top of a rock where I can see most of the heads, even from the side of the tank while feeding. It's not open much during the day but at night, it blooms nicely.
As for keeping them in the dark, I've read that it doesn't matter, that they don't need light so being in the light or not makes not much difference. Most keep low to retain valuable real estate in the high light areas. I did a lot of reading before deciding to keep them up high. I think most just assume dark is better. I don't think they care either way and I figure being able to feed them is more important than how much light they receive or if they are taking up that nice spot of light another coral might like.
Here is a couple of before pics and current as of this month, and even today. Put them where you can be assured of feeding them. I also figured that using a pipette to target each head (they take pellets too) was better for the tank than using a bottle and dumping in food that would then go all over the tank. I have high enough nitrates as it is from even target feeding the way I do. And I feed daily, maybe a day here and there gets skipped if it doesn't open nicely at the right time. But almost always, a bit of food in the water, or a drop or 2 of garlic (kents) or even coral food, will have it opening. and yes, they can be trained to open, even with lights on, this way. Oh, I've also fed it bits of shrimp and mussels when feeding my rbta. They get really big and tall after that meal!
First got it in May. On bottom. Would put in a bowl to feed and put it back
Later in may after I moved it up so get to it easier without having to put it in a bowl which always made it close back up. Deleted I guess my bowl pics. First pic was on the 13th, this one is on the 20th
These next 2 are in October, after eating as they are nice and tall, followed by a full tank shot to show where it is in tank. the second one shows all the new babies and in only one area. It's a huge head now.
it's not open all the way yet. I feed the tank about 20-30 minutes ago. It seems perfectly happy here as it eats and grows and multiplies! And it is very easy for me to just reach in and feed it when it's open
As for keeping them in the dark, I've read that it doesn't matter, that they don't need light so being in the light or not makes not much difference. Most keep low to retain valuable real estate in the high light areas. I did a lot of reading before deciding to keep them up high. I think most just assume dark is better. I don't think they care either way and I figure being able to feed them is more important than how much light they receive or if they are taking up that nice spot of light another coral might like.
Here is a couple of before pics and current as of this month, and even today. Put them where you can be assured of feeding them. I also figured that using a pipette to target each head (they take pellets too) was better for the tank than using a bottle and dumping in food that would then go all over the tank. I have high enough nitrates as it is from even target feeding the way I do. And I feed daily, maybe a day here and there gets skipped if it doesn't open nicely at the right time. But almost always, a bit of food in the water, or a drop or 2 of garlic (kents) or even coral food, will have it opening. and yes, they can be trained to open, even with lights on, this way. Oh, I've also fed it bits of shrimp and mussels when feeding my rbta. They get really big and tall after that meal!
First got it in May. On bottom. Would put in a bowl to feed and put it back
Later in may after I moved it up so get to it easier without having to put it in a bowl which always made it close back up. Deleted I guess my bowl pics. First pic was on the 13th, this one is on the 20th
These next 2 are in October, after eating as they are nice and tall, followed by a full tank shot to show where it is in tank. the second one shows all the new babies and in only one area. It's a huge head now.
it's not open all the way yet. I feed the tank about 20-30 minutes ago. It seems perfectly happy here as it eats and grows and multiplies! And it is very easy for me to just reach in and feed it when it's open
I was told that I was doing it wrong. Then I found some picture of black sun corals. The water was shallow and you could see the sun and the waves on top of the water.
My rescue colony.
My rescue colony.
Direct feeding will make them big and popping new head frequently. I have yet to see a black sun coral (shouldn't be called a sun coral if it is black) but caring method should be the same.
Yup. Mine was almost a skeleton when I got it. Been almost a year now. If the heads are out I'll hit it with the frozen foods. I'll eat big pieces too.
Mine is at one end of the tank with water flowing constantly towards the sun coral. I think that is how they survived without direct feeding, capturing whatever foods washed up to them. I saw two new head developing few days ago.
erk
Valuable Member
This is my sun coral that I got for free about 3 weeks ago. The LFS said it was probably going to die because they hadn't been feeding it. In their tank the skin was a pinkish grey and none of the polyps would open. The attached picture is from about a week ago. Taken with flash.
I keep mine in a shaded spot because I don't want to take up prime sunny real estate. Also, keeps algae from possibly growing on it. It is in an indirect but turbulent flow region. I spot feed it 3 times a week with LRS Fish Frenzy. It also helps that I don't use filter socks. My only filtration is a skimmer, zeolite reactor, and a lot of rock.
I keep mine in a shaded spot because I don't want to take up prime sunny real estate. Also, keeps algae from possibly growing on it. It is in an indirect but turbulent flow region. I spot feed it 3 times a week with LRS Fish Frenzy. It also helps that I don't use filter socks. My only filtration is a skimmer, zeolite reactor, and a lot of rock.
Score!!This is my sun coral that I got for free about 3 weeks ago. The LFS said it was probably going to die because they hadn't been feeding it. In their tank the skin was a pinkish grey and none of the polyps would open. The attached picture is from about a week ago. Taken with flash.
I keep mine in a shaded spot because I don't want to take up prime sunny real estate. Also, keeps algae from possibly growing on it. It is in an indirect but turbulent flow region. I spot feed it 3 times a week with LRS Fish Frenzy. It also helps that I don't use filter socks. My only filtration is a skimmer, zeolite reactor, and a lot of rock.
Yup. Mine is in sps style high flow.
My fat head dendro and chili coral will only respond to that kind of flow.
EriksOasis
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Yeah I understand my fault was thinking of dendros.
Same thing for dendros. It's a common misconception.
Folks just get nervous when they see. Soft polyps blowing hard imo. Strong indirect turbulent flow is important as the amount of water passing by directly relates to the amount of food available to the animal. More water comes by more food comes by.
