"Dim light" corals

I recently (a few weeks ago) added Black Sun coral (Tubastraea micrantha) to my tank. I had always wanted the bright orange ones, but I thought I'd try my hand at the black one cause I heard it has green tentacles! (I dont think mine does) Anyway, I had always been warned these guys don't like much light, so I put mine in a shaded area where it seemed to be doing well. It extends tentacles during feeding and seems to take alright to cyclops.



So I recently changed out my lighting with a new fixture but it didn't seem as bright, and I was worried about my other corals (tree coral, mushroom polyp, and a birdsnest). So I put a small extra light right over where those corals are. Unfortunately, the way the light now falls (because of that extra light), my Black Suns are now somewhat lit. If I only leave this extra light on for 3 or 4 hours a day, will it negatively effect the Suns? How much light is too much light? If I take out the extra light completely, will it impact my other corals? I could move it to a different shady area, but it would have less space :/

First what type of light fixtures are using?

I'm sure the Black Sun coral will be fine in a little light. I've never kept sun coral before, though.

That lighting is fine. They don't need to be in the dark.

The idea is to keep algae from growing on them and killing them. As long as you don't have them directly under a metal halilde, you will be fine.

If algae starts growing, you may have to move it or change the flow through that area.

I've had sun coral for years.

So should I move him back into the light? It's two T5 bulbs (one white, one actinic) but I was looking turn the extra light on (a 9W white and a 9W actinic) for maybe 2-3 hours hours a day. Would he benefit from that or should I just leave him where he is? Do you think the extra light is even necessary for my other corals?

schudini, since you've kept sun corals before, do you have any tips for me? That picture above is the farthest the right-side ever extends. I'd like it to open as much as the left

What all do you feed it?

Mine stays closed during the "day" and opens up when the lights go off. I like to put a little bit of food in the water so it "smells" it and openes up more. (The acans also do this too). Then I turn off the circulation pump, and feed it vitamin-enriched brine shrimp or even mysis with an eye-dropper. Some people suggest more exotic things like oyster eggs, etc. but I have always had better luck with medium sized food instead of tiny food (cyclopeze, etc.) for my LPS and sun coral.

As far as placement, Mine isn't in direct light, but it gets some as it is under an overhang in the rocks. These corals don't have Zooxanthellae , so they can't turn light into energy, and must be fed at least every couple of days.

Next time I feed mine, I'll try to take a picture to show it fully open.

The left side opens up when I feed my damsels, and I go in around 10 minutes later and have been giving it cyclopeze every 4th day (too little?) with a pippette thingy I "borrowed" from chemistry lab. It seems to like it fine, unlike my birdsnest who I bought the cyclopeze for initially. But the right side never opens up, even at night

schudini wrote:

That lighting is fine. They don't need to be in the dark.

The idea is to keep algae from growing on them and killing them. As long as you don't have them directly under a metal halilde, you will be fine.

If algae starts growing, you may have to move it or change the flow through that area.

I've had sun coral for years.

schudini wrote:

What all do you feed it?

Mine stays closed during the "day" and opens up when the lights go off. I like to put a little bit of food in the water so it "smells" it and openes up more. (The acans also do this too). Then I turn off the circulation pump, and feed it vitamin-enriched brine shrimp or even mysis with an eye-dropper. Some people suggest more exotic things like oyster eggs, etc. but I have always had better luck with medium sized food instead of tiny food (cyclopeze, etc.) for my LPS and sun coral.

As far as placement, Mine isn't in direct light, but it gets some as it is under an overhang in the rocks. These corals don't have Zooxanthellae , so they can't turn light into energy, and must be fed at least every couple of days.

Next time I feed mine, I'll try to take a picture to show it fully open.

Dang Josh beat me. Couldn't of said it any better and my sun coral behaves the same way. Dont let algae grow on it and target feed it.