How to Care for Tubastrea Coral
Care for the Orange Tubastrea Coral takes some work, but it's not an impossible challenge. It is a beautiful organism known by a variety of names. Also called Orange Cup Coral, Sun Coral Tub, Sun Polyps and Orange Tube Coral, the Orange Tubastrea Coral is best maintained by experts or those who have some experience in raising coral.
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Instructions
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Select a healthy Tubastrea Coral from your local supply store. Orange Tubastera also comes in color variations of orange, yellow, peach and shades of red. All color variations have the same care requirements. Look for a coral head will all the polyps in healthy condition. Do not buy a coral head if there are dead stalks or branches on it, the coral will have a higher chance of perishing if it is already in bad shape. It is not uncommon for all the polyp heads to be retracted, they will come out in time. Tubastrea Coral is nocturnal.
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Place the Tubastrea in a low light area of the aquarium. Tubastrea are non-photosynthetic and are found on the roof and walls of caves away from direct light, so try to reproduce their environment as best as possible. Eventually, the Tubastrea can be moved into direct light, but not right away. Handle with extreme care, this organism is exceedingly fragile.
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Adjust the current requirements as necessary to keep the Tubastrea in a light-to- moderate flow area. They are filter feeders, and any food that passes by too quickly will not have a chance to get caught in the polyp's tentacles.
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Feed your coral with a turkey baster. Each polyp on a Tubastrea head is an individual, so each and every polyp will need to be fed. Since the coral is not photosynthetic it does not make its own food and it does not have any zooxanthalae (symbiotic algae used by photosynthetic corals as a food source) within its flesh. Use a turkey baster, glass or stainless steel if possible, and suck out enough tank water to fill a small glass half way.
Drop in a cube of quality frozen marine food that contains brine shrimp, krill, chopped clam, chopped scallop, chopped muscles, chopped silversides, or any other non-oily meaty seafood in small pieces.
Let the food thaw in the glass of water and mix it up. Add another turkey baster full of water to the glass and mix it up.
Suck out a turkey baster full of the water from the glass but make sure there isn't a lot of food particles in it, just the water with a "flavoring" of the food.
Squirt the turkey baster over the Tubastrea to "wake up" the polyps.
Once the polyps are open fully (about 5 minutes) squirt all the remaining food/water mix in the glass over each and every polyp. Be sure every polyp eats. You will know they have eaten when the polyp retracts.
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Although they are nocturnal, you can train your Tubastrea polyps to open up by feeding them at the same time every day. You will begin to see them open before you even insert the turkey baster into the water. This process can take anywhere from two weeks to two months, but it will happen.
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Bring your Tubastrea can be brought into the lighted area of the aquarium slowly and over time. Day after day, move the Tubastrea 1/4 of an inch per day until it is where you want it to be. 1/8" is even better, this gives the coral more time to acclimate. Polyps will begin to stay open longer the longer the coral is in the aquarium.
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Add the normal calcium and buffer amounts for your specific aquarium size to keep the calcium level around 420 ppm and a pH in the 8.1 to 8.4 range. Tubastrea need the calcium to grow.
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Tips & Warnings
Tubastrea will readily reproduce in the aquarium, and in time you will start to see little buds popping up all over the tank. They attach onto the glass, rocks, coral shells, everywhere ... light and dark. They look exactly like a mini Tubastrea polyp and grow rapidly.
References
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- Photo Credit Karl Weatherly/Photodisc/Getty Images
