Sun Polyp

I'm thinking about purchasing a sun polyp I saw recently at the LFS i frequent. I've done some research on line about this beautiful piece however the pics I see online don't look anything like what is in the store. I know the animal is probably retracted, making it look like an orange skeleten. I look into the skeleten and can see what looks like a yellow "eye" deep inside each polyp. I read that they have to be target fed and "coaxed" out initially to be fed. Anyone have any experience with these that can give me an idea of what I could be getting into? Also, any info on a Christmas Tree Worm?
SJR

 

This is a picture of an open and closed sun polyp



I have an orange cup coral that looks a lot like a Sun Coral ( I'm not sure if it is related or not )


But I do believe that somethingfishy has a Sun coral if you want to ask him about it. John

 

i have some, they r great! mine stay open 24/7 and r awsome, i dont know if i have a pic of my new colony...they r very cool coral!

 

do you target feed them or do they require any special care? I've been in the LFS several times and have never seen them open. I'd really like to add it to my tank but don't want to buy an orange skeleten. Also, anyone had any experience with Christmas tree worms??

 

Sun polyps do need direct feeding as they are not photosynthetic. The can go in a shaded place tho, filling out the aquascape

Christmas tree worms **usually** come on rocks with Porites coral and it is believed that they live off the mucous or have some sort of relationship with the porites that they need it to live....Porites is realtively easy to keep, if you can keep it , they the christmas tree worms should be OK> This is only what I have read and have no personal experience!

 

Thanks for the info. Really appreciate it. I did go ahead and buy that piece I was looking at. Some of the polyps started to come out last night so i will try and feed them today. Would the best thing be frozen brine shrimp or do you have another recommendation?

 

This link may help http://www.bomani.com/sunpolyps.html John

 

Thanks again fletch. I had already seen this article. I actually fed the polyps that were out tonight with a syringe and brine shrimp. Pretty cool to watch. I'm just hoping that more of the polyps will eventually emerge. thanks for your help.

 

No Problem

 

Great info everyone.

I wanted to mention that some people use a feeding cap for these. (The top 1/3 of a 2 liter bottle...you open up the cap and squirt food in with a turkey baster then put the cap back on).

I prefered to limit waste and would take a rubbermaid container, fill it with tank water, yank the coral out of my tank and throw it in there for feeding several times per week and then put it back in my tank.