Urgent help! Sun corals life is at stake!

A "friendly forum" for those just starting out in aquarium keeping. No question is too basic, so don't hesitate to ask!
Post Reply
eric the red
Discus Member
Posts: 165
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2012 3:55 pm
My SetUp: Equipment: 225 gallon (72x30x24), 3 radion pros, 2 48" t5s (ato blue plus), 2 mp40s, full apex with ph probe, wxm module, brs gfo reactor, reef octopus nwb200, DIY ATO with Kalk in reservoir water, two micom dosers (dosing 2 part) Livestock is mostly zoas/palys and sps. I also have quite a selection of high end Lps on the sand bed.
Location: Ocean Springs

Urgent help! Sun corals life is at stake!

Post by eric the red » Sun Oct 14, 2012 8:21 am

I picked up a very sickly looking sun coral from a friend of mine to see if i can rehabilitate it. I knew that there was some red algae on it but after further examination I have noticed an aiptasia and some small worm looking creatures that live in the skeleton. I dont want to put it in my tank and risking contaminating my tank. So my only option is setting up a quarantine tank. All i have is a 5 gal bucket to use. My question is what are the minimum requirements for a sun coral. I know they dont require light and if anything no light would help remove any unwanted algae. Do they require flow? Anything else? How often should I feed it? I dont want to overfeed with the chance of increasing ammonia. Any help would be appreciated.

User avatar
bluwtr
Discus Member
Posts: 637
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2010 12:12 pm
My SetUp: 55g, 70#'s lr, 40#'s ls, 10 DIY acrylic sump, in sump skimmer, 1 Jebao wp20 and 2 Koralia 1050 controlled by a Smart Wave, DIY LED's--12 RB, 10 UV's and 8 CW.
Location: Gautier
Contact:

Re: Urgent help! Sun corals life is at stake!

Post by bluwtr » Sun Oct 14, 2012 9:43 pm

One of the issue with non-photosynthetic corals is that they require a LOT of food to live and thrive. As such they like a lot of current and not a lot of light. The high current provides them with the food they need. As far as QT'ing it, just get some Joe's Juice and zap the aptasia and as far as the worm, it is most likely a bristtle worm which is harmless. They are great detritovours.

eric the red
Discus Member
Posts: 165
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2012 3:55 pm
My SetUp: Equipment: 225 gallon (72x30x24), 3 radion pros, 2 48" t5s (ato blue plus), 2 mp40s, full apex with ph probe, wxm module, brs gfo reactor, reef octopus nwb200, DIY ATO with Kalk in reservoir water, two micom dosers (dosing 2 part) Livestock is mostly zoas/palys and sps. I also have quite a selection of high end Lps on the sand bed.
Location: Ocean Springs

Re: Urgent help! Sun corals life is at stake!

Post by eric the red » Sat Oct 20, 2012 10:42 am

Thank you for the reply. I think its too late to save this sun coral. It looks a lot worse than it did when I brought it home. I have tried to feed it several times and its not even trying to eat.

User avatar
bluwtr
Discus Member
Posts: 637
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2010 12:12 pm
My SetUp: 55g, 70#'s lr, 40#'s ls, 10 DIY acrylic sump, in sump skimmer, 1 Jebao wp20 and 2 Koralia 1050 controlled by a Smart Wave, DIY LED's--12 RB, 10 UV's and 8 CW.
Location: Gautier
Contact:

Re: Urgent help! Sun corals life is at stake!

Post by bluwtr » Sun Oct 21, 2012 6:22 am

Before you give up try on anothe forum and look under the NPC (non photosynthetic coral) section. Someone may be able to offer more/better advice. Don't give up yet!

Redfish
Discus Member
Posts: 983
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 6:49 am
My SetUp: AGA 150g 48x30x25, Reef Octopus Skimmer, Bio Pellet, Phosphate, Carbon reactor. Mostly a SPS coral tank with a few zoas a Green Polyp Toadstool, a Chalice or two and a couple of Scollys thrown in there. Top Off System and dosing pump system for Calcium and Alk.
Location: D'Iberville Mississippi

Re: Urgent help! Sun corals life is at stake!

Post by Redfish » Sun Oct 21, 2012 9:03 pm

Something I have seen other reefers do: Cut the bottom out of a plastic coke bottle, place it over the coral and then feed the coral. This keeps the food right there around the coral instead of blowing away in the current from the power heads, giving the coral a better chance to feed.

Shadow1
Discus Member
Posts: 257
Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2011 1:59 pm
My SetUp: 300DD Reef, 30 Nuvo Breeding Clowns, 30 QT/Grow out.
Location: Hattiesburg, MS

Re: Urgent help! Sun corals life is at stake!

Post by Shadow1 » Mon Oct 22, 2012 9:52 am

Mine will open almost 10 min after food is introduced try cutting the flow when you feed them do the "cup" thing but remember it will take them 10 or 15 min to open.

User avatar
bluwtr
Discus Member
Posts: 637
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2010 12:12 pm
My SetUp: 55g, 70#'s lr, 40#'s ls, 10 DIY acrylic sump, in sump skimmer, 1 Jebao wp20 and 2 Koralia 1050 controlled by a Smart Wave, DIY LED's--12 RB, 10 UV's and 8 CW.
Location: Gautier
Contact:

Re: Urgent help! Sun corals life is at stake!

Post by bluwtr » Mon Oct 22, 2012 1:09 pm

Another way to get your corals to open for feeding is to squirt a small amount of food into the current and let it circulate for 10-15 minutes. After everything has "waken" up, then you can turn off all of the circulation and feed. Be mindful to not overfeed though but that goes back to the NPC's and their need for lots of food. Because they aren't photosynthetic, they have to catch all of their food. As Pete said, try to spot feed them with a home made "feeding bell". That will help minimize the amount of food put into the tank while still giving plenty to eat.

HTH

Post Reply