Sun Polyps and their difficulty

gus1911

This is my first post in about 15 years. I attempted a 55 gal reef then and after about 9 months of success, I lost the tank for reasons I'm still not sure of. I'm now beginning a 20 gal mini reef hoping the new tech stuff and my previous experience will be of benefit.

I made my first mistake a few days ago - partly my fault, partly the fault of the retailer I normally buy from. I didn't do my research and bought a sun polyp. Bad, bad mistake. I read after the fact that sun polyps are difficult even for experienced reefers. Sure death for the inexperienced hobbyist.

People in the business, including those who collect these creatures are doing a tremendouse disservice to the hobby. I noticed that my polyp had been cleanly sawed off the reef. It was doomed to death from that moment on. Sawing creatures from the reef, especially those that are destined to sure death in a home reef is unconscionable.

Sometimes I even wonder if it's right to keep a reef. We certainly must kill thousand (perhaps hundreds of thousands) of reef animals that could live a hundred years if left on the reef.

Lineatus

Do you mean Tubastrea?

gus1911

Yes - they might be called orange polyps also. Here's a link to a pic of what mine looks like. It's been in the tank for several days and has shown no activity of any kind for days. Some of the polyps are already turning white. I really think it was half dead when I bought it. Probably it went through hell and back from the time it was sawed off the reef and trasported to the LFS.

http://www.petsolutions.com/images/200/158300L.jpg

Lineatus

How else do you think corals are harvested?
These corals require daily feeding and are typically a low light coral, all of which you should've known before you impulse purchased. This is not the fault of the LFS, the coral collector or anyone else.
Sorry.

gus1911

I agree and also admitted that I should have researched it. My fault.

But if I had not bought it, someone else would have, and it would still be dead, dead, dead. Leave the relatively impossible corals on the reef and let them live, mutiply and reef build. Sun polyps are a perfect example of corals that should stay where they are.

Lineatus

Tubastrea micrantha yes, leave it in the sea.
Tubastrea faulkneri different story. Beautiful coral, difficult but not impossible.

Kellsindell

Both are quite possible, but I'd go with tank raised from a club member before some from the ocean. Just make sure you do your job, which is feed them Daily.