Sun Coral Help

[Marcellina]

I bought a beautiful sun coral a couple of weeks ago and as soon as it was acclimated into my tank it would open up for feeding and would stay open most of the day. Not super open but it was getting there. I was told to feed it 3 times a week. At first I was target feeding frozen mysis everyday to help it adjust to a new tank etc. Also it had a couple of polyps that had looked like the yellow part was receding bw the two polyps. With the everyday feeding it seemed at least to me that the area was growing new tissue. Then a few people told me that it was too much feeding only feed 2 - 3 times a week max. My nitrite and nitrate levels have always been 0 so I didnt think it was a bad thing to feed everyday besides my shirmp and crabs cleaned up any leftovers.

Well last night I was doing a feeding and noticed that one polyps at the base part (it was the polyp directly over the sand) was looking strange and I blew the turkey baster over it and the yellow 'flower petals' sort of blew off and floated away! I blew a little more over it and I saw the skeleton underneath! There was a little bit of brown stuff on top of that polyp before feeding. I blow any thing that settles on it off everyday so it wasnt there too long, it must have been detritus. Why did that happen? Should I feed it more?

I had it located at the bottom center of my tank slightly inside a cave I created with my LR. Now I put it top center so I can watch it better and not have it resting on the sand. I notice in the back there is what looks like rock/skeleton but there are little yellow dots in certain areas that I think are baby polyps.

I am going to upload some photos of it now.

[CarmieJo]

I fed mine every day when I had it. I also kept it on the sand so I don't think that is an issue. They don't need light but they don't mind it either IME.

[Marcellina]

Here is a photo of the Sun Coral today. RIght now its up top in the tank and its open, it was even open before I fed it. You an see the polyp that turned into a skeleton, there is one polyp to the right that has a little skeleton showing but it ate today. Also notice where the tissue is receding. The polyps eat with no problem

http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy241/Cecellina/th_DSC04217-1.jpg (http://s796.photobucket.com/albums/yy241/Cecellina/?action=view&current=DSC04217-1.jpg)

another view
http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy241/Cecellina/th_DSC04215.jpg (http://s796.photobucket.com/albums/yy241/Cecellina/?action=view&current=DSC04215.jpg)

Here you can see little yellow dots of what I think are baby sun corals
http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy241/Cecellina/th_DSC04214.jpg (http://s796.photobucket.com/albums/yy241/Cecellina/?action=view&current=DSC04214.jpg)

When I first got it in the bucket acclimating
http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy241/Cecellina/th_DSC04109.jpg (http://s796.photobucket.com/albums/yy241/Cecellina/?action=view&current=DSC04109.jpg)

In its first location
http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy241/Cecellina/th_DSC04157.jpg (http://s796.photobucket.com/albums/yy241/Cecellina/?action=view&current=DSC04157.jpg)

[CarmieJo]

The little dots look like baby polyps! I haven't encountered this situation so I don't know what to tell you about the tissue receding except to keep an eye out on it.

[Marcellina]

I was wondering if I should treat it with lugols? or reefdip?

[CarmieJo]

I have never dipped a sun but I suppose you could give it a Lugols.

[Marcellina]

I was thinking maybe I could just put the lugols or the reefdip directly on the spots that seem to be receding and getting a bit dark (algae?) then let it stay a bit then rinse? I dont know if I should dip the whole thing if its just in a couple of areas? I hope someone with more experience chimes in.

[lReef lKeeper]

i would dip the whole colony. a dip is meant to be diluted with water. directly placing it on the coral could cause some bad issues, IMHO.

[Marcellina]

Ok i dipped the whole colony in the diluted medicine. there is one part where it is receding that looks a little dark and fuzzy.

Quite a few of the polyps have baby polyps forming on the base of the polyps. The back/bottom part that is all rock/skeleton is somewhat dark and also has a sprinkling of little yellow baby polyp dots.

I remember reading somewhere online that when a suncoral spawns the polyp will release stringy orange things that will attach to stuff (or the sun coral itself) and make baby sun corals? Is that true?