SUn Coral w/crab

[mburke]

Saturday I got a Branching Sun Coral. One of the branches has no polyp shohing and another the polyp is receding into the branch. The rest all are good get good feeding response. (I thought my clowns were pigs,this thing makes them look like weight watchers)
Several questions,willthe receding polyp recover(got good feeding response bytarget feeding this one)? This morning I happened to be right by my tank when lights went on. I spotted a very small crab(>1/4 inch across,mint green in color) it ran into the one branch not showing any polyp. Should I remove or observe? Can a Branching Sun Coral be fragged if so how? Almost all of the large polyps have at least on if not more smaller polyps branching out from it. Pics will follow as soon as camera charges
Thanks Mike

[Sweetpea]

I wish I could help you. I had a sun coral all but die off (there is still one tiny polyp left) last year. I had been having trouble keeping it well feed with the crabs and shrimp being theiving pigs, and then when I went on vacation, my mom couldn't get it to open up at all. I haven't heard anything about fragging them. Hopefully someone else will be able to give you some useful info.

[jojo22]

Lots of people take them out to feed. I don't get this as it would scare the coral IMO. I have also heard of fragging them with a fine tooth scroll saw as anything else tends to crush the skelatol matter.

[Sweetpea]

Lots of people take them out to feed. I don't get this as it would scare the coral IMO.

I agree. I did this every day to try to save mine after I came back from said vacation... by the time the poor thing opened up to feed the water was cold. Who wants to eat when you're shivering? Anyway, after two weeks of the routine and losing all but the one, I gave up. That one itty bitty polyp is still going, with NO extra attention from me. I figured it was a goner, so I just left it to expire on its own. I'd have to go back through my threads, but I think it's been a full year or more with me doing nothing "to" or "at" it, and it is still here and is open almost all of the time. I suppose it is catching particles that pass by in the water column?

[jojo22]

Sweetpea try feeding it with a baster, it will more than likely regrow at least into the old skelaton.

[greg97527]

i thought my sun coral was receding as well, but after watching over a few days, that seemed to be a new polyp growing. as for feeding.....cut the top of a snapple bottle off and place it over the coral and then use a baster to feed inside the snapple bottle. that way you dont have to take him out and the others cant get in.

[cweber]

Thats a good idea, i will remember that.

[Whoyah]

The top half of a two litter bottle also works for target feeding.

[Sweetpea]

How would you guys do the bottle target feeding if the coral is nestled into a cave?

[melev]

If you have the pumps turned off, you can baste the coral with food. Just be sure to turn the pumps back on 30 to 60 minutes later so you don't suffer major casualties. Been there, done that.

Have you read my suncoral page yet?