Anyone ever heard of black sun polyps?

[djconn]

While I was in NYC last week, I had to check out at least one LFS right? Well, I made it out to New World Aquarium on 38th St. and it was really interesting. Prices were sky high but great variety.

I saw, for the first time, black sun polyps. They were $69 for a piece that had about 6-8 heads on it. Anyone heard of these? Incysor?

I wonder what they look like when extended?

 

[incysor]

Yep. There were several places you could get them in town recently. I actually bought a piece at one point from Planet Fish because they said that the polyps were green when they extended. When they did extend in my tank they were a slightly less back than the skeleton. I took them back and got store credit for something else. In their defense I have seen pictures of black sun polyps that were green when extended, so there appears to be a bit of variety in the polyp colors. I went running around on Monday to several stores, and I want to say I saw some at T&T.
I'm not 100% sure that's where I saw them though, cause I hit several stores, but I think this is where they were at. Global had some recently as well, and was supposed to get shipments of fish and corals in this week. I've seen them from time to time at Fishland as well.

I went to these stores on Monday:
Aquatic World
B&B
T&T
Fishland
Global
City Pets
Fish Ranch II
Village Tropical

I'd try calling Global and T&T, and see if one of them have some.

B

Here's some links with pics.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthrea ... genumber=1

http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11_03 ... rent_id=4&

http://www.reefermadness.us/Tubastrea_micrantha.htm

http://www.marinedepotlive.com/1164434.html

 

[Physh1]

I worked for Aquarium Concepts for years and we got one or two every 6 months or so.

They are called black sun corals (tubastraea micrantha) and are really a poor poor coral choice....pretty hard to keep but there are a lot who can keep the orange ones just fine. They are not photosynthetic, are filter feeders, and will soak up calcium like there is no tomorrow.

That is a steep price....when we got them we sold them at around 29.99

Cameron

 

[djconn]

Yeah, everything was expensive in that store (it was in Manhattan). I've never seem them before so I was just curious. They didn't look to be in the best health either. :roll:

 

[Phischy]

One of those articles on RC had a woman with a 'feeding hat/hood'. I'm going to give that a try so that my zoa's/shrooms can hopefully start reproducing faster. Same with my green brain.

 

[djconn]

Yep, cut a 2-liter coke bottle in half and...well, you get the rest.

 

[Phischy]

What's the best thing to feed zoa's/brains? I've been using phytoplankton/cyclops-eze and dirt (for the life of me I don't know what it is, but it feeds the "invisible" good gunk in your tank)

I also dose with a reef builder that Nate gave me.

And Conn, how's that yellow goby? Mine hangs out in the front of my tank hiding by my hairy shrooms. Not a swimmer but at least i can see him.

 

[incysor]

One of those articles on RC had a woman with a 'feeding hat/hood'. I'm going to give that a try so that my zoa's/shrooms can hopefully start reproducing faster. Same with my green brain.

Lots of folks use these types of 'feeding hats' to help isolate corals or anemones for feeding. Lot's of anemones have shrimp or fish steal their food before they can work it into their mouths. I don't bother doing this with my sun corals. I just either put them in a low-flow area, or turn off all pumps so the water becomes still, then I target feed with the turkey baster. I've had a hard time fitting a 'feeding hat' over most of my anemones and corals, either they were too small to fit over the critter, or too large to fit in the tank, or the area the critter was in.

B

 

[Phischy]

How long do you turn your pumps off?

 

[incysor]

How long do you turn your pumps off?

What I usually do is squirt a very small amount in the tank to let them 'smell' it. I then give them 10-15mins to extend the polyps. Then I go back in turn the pumps off and squirt them directly with the food. I wait a bit, come back, squirt them again, then turn the pumps back on.

Sometimes I'll do this once, sometimes 3-4 times, somtimes I don't even bother to turn off the pumps, because I did place them in a very low flow area as it is. Turning the pumps on just gives them a bit more time to get the food before it's blown away.

If you feed with cyclopeze and you don't have these types of corals, try this one day. It's amazing how much of this stuff gets wasted by being blown into your filters. When you see it sitting in the water column you can tell how much of it just gets whisked away before the corals or animals can get to it.

B

 

[djconn]

And Conn, how's that yellow goby? Mine hangs out in the front of my tank hiding by my hairy shrooms. Not a swimmer but at least i can see him.

Well, I came home today and found my yellow goby dead. Bummer.

Back to the drawing board. Never did see him eat.

 

[Narkon'n'more]

The black sun polyps, the place I have seen them at the most has been global. Call and talk to John, he might be able to order them for you.

 

[incysor]

And Conn, how's that yellow goby? Mine hangs out in the front of my tank hiding by my hairy shrooms. Not a swimmer but at least i can see him.

Well, I came home today and found my yellow goby dead. Bummer.

Back to the drawing board. Never did see him eat.

That sucks. My latest one is still holding on, but I expect it to go anytime. It ate for the first couple days then stopped. I'm thinking someone is catching them with cyanide.

B

 

[djconn]

I bought my last one at City Pets. hmmmmm

 

[Narkon'n'more]

All of the fish we get from City Pets seems to die.
We like thier corals but don't buy fish from them ourselfs, but thats just us.

 

[incysor]

I had a string of bad luck with fish and corals from City Pets when I first started, but then things seemed to get better and I haven't had another string of losses like that with them either fish or corals. I still have lost a fish or two, and had one or two frags not make it, but overall the've done ok.

The first 3 clowns my wife bought, (All at the same time. One green, one black, one yellow.), were from VTF. The next one was also from VTF. We then got one at CP. This last one has lasted the longest, and it ate brine at the store, it's from Aquarium World. The thing with cyanide capture is it stuns the fish, and tears their digestive tract up. They look healthy when they get to the store, they eat just fine, but they can't digest properly anymore, so gradually they starve. Most fish/animals get to a point in starvation where they won't go after food even if it's put in front of them. This is pretty much what the pattern has been with this fish. It ate fine as long as I fed mysis, or brine with the food, (I was hoping to eventually get it to eat flake.), which I did with every feeding. Even though it was eating it started getting skinnier. It's very skinny now, and for the last 2 days I haven't seen it eat when I feed. It comes out, and kinda looks at everyone else eating, but it doesn't chase anything.

B