Sun Coral Feeding When Traveling

[Jmunk]

Gonna be gone for 10 days in July and away from the tank. I have a sun coral colony that I've been keeping and feeding 3-4 times a week once the lights go out for a few months now. It's sprouted 4-5 heads and is doing really well. I'm not sure what to do when travelling though, as I'm not sure I'm gonna be able to teach (or convince) my tank sitter to hand spot feed every polyp 3-4 times a week late at night.

Anyone in this position ever before? Any ideas would be appreciated!

 

[Euphyllia97]

I’ve been away for 14 days last year and I have just fed them everyday 1 week before I departed. They looked the same when I arrived back home.

 

[homer1475]

10 days should be fine without food. Feed them well just before you leave, then feed them when you return.

 

[rhdoug]

You may be feeding late because of your schedule which is absolutely fine. But you don’t have to wait until lights out. They are pretty easy to train to open during the day. When I feed the fish I usually just drizzle a little bit of food on them so they know there is food in the water. They have “learned” to respond, since I don’t feed after lights out. I have several in my mixed reef and they open pretty much as soon as the food is in the water, and are usually open most of the day. Many people also think you have to keep them in the dark, but that is absolutely not true. I keep mine up near the surface so they are easier to feed. They are near the edge of the tank so they are not directly under the light But they are in relatively bright light. All that being said, it does not necessarily help you when you’re traveling since your tank feeder would have to wait several minutes in order for them to open. Like the previous post they’ll be fine for several days without being fed.