Sun coral help

I purchased a sun coral at the Nashville swap 10 days ago. I placed it in the tank and for 2 days didnt see anything. Then we saw a couple tentacles peeking. I tried enticing with food and nothing.. It did that a couple days in a row and since then it will not open at all. 3 days ago I moved it to a different area of the tank to try a new location and its closed tighter than ever.. My wife thinks it may be dead.. How could I tell if it is dead for sure? What should I try to entice it to eat?

I am thinking of covering the coral with a bottle cut in half and trying to feed.. I have frozen brine shrimp, frozen mysis a couple different other frozen foods that are supposed to be great mixes.. Is my problem the frozen food? should I try something different than those?

Any advice is greatly appreciated..

 

Please post an image.

This is a hardy coral when feed appropriately. It may only be opening at night initially and will require some training to get to actively feed. It does not usually happen in 2 or 3 feedings.

Take a liter coke bottle or equiv, cut it in half. Place the half with the opening over the coral at night and put in some meaty food mixture( sounds like you already are on the right track regarding that). Let the coral sit like that for 20-30 min.

 

I will post some pics this evening.. I am hoping it isnt dead.. How long can one live without eating?

 

I'm on the phone with a client. Cheryl's advice is very good.

It was a pleasure meeting you, albeit briefly at the frag swap. I have some comments but it'll have to be once I put out this fire.

In the mean-time, I'm moving this to the NPS (Non-Photosynthetic) Coral forum.

 

If it's orange and doesn't look like live rock, it's still alive.

 

The ends are still colored and the very end is red.. Its not buldging out on the ends like it was and actually they are sunken in so looks like "cups" on the end but they do have some color although the color maybe fading...

Sorry for posting in the wrong section and thanks for moving to the more appropriate area... Nice meeting you as well..

 

You would think I would post all my questions at once but with a one track mind I never think of all the questions at the same time:..

The coral is under a ledge and not is direct libe of the mh but its not totally shadowed either.. Should I get it in a darker area? When you see the pics I post maybe you then could give the advice... Live camera down so cant view it that way right now.. Having internet issues at home..

 

Sounds like you have still have good tissue and not exposed skeleton, so that is good.

Shaded area are good, not a must but better IME.

All other corals are fine and no parameter issues?

 

Pardon my ignorance, parameter issues in terms of water? If so water seems good

Calcium 420
Salinity 1.024
Ammonia 0
Phosphates 0
Nitrites and nitrates 0
Ph 8.0 (not sure if to low but will not raise with weekly water changes)
Alkalinity 7.7

Thoughts?

Looking up some pictures of sun corals mine looks totally different as it did at the swap as well.. The stems (skeleton or whatever its called) is hard whitish and the pictures I keep seeing the stems are more colored and softer looking.. I am googling trying to find a picture that resembles mine.. However, as I stated, this is the way it was when purchased and it came from what many at the swap considered one of the best booths.. It was the eye candy people and all there coral looked excellent....

 

More like the one in the back left of this picture but the ends have some redness to them..

picture