Hi how is everyone? Ok, so the other day I picked up a nice piece of Balanophyllia, and it has 8 really nice heads on it. I have been trying to feed it, but I have got nothing. I have tried shooting it with all sorts, and have recently now been transferring him to his own container and trying to entice him to feed in there. I did however get a tiny 9th head to come out and eat. But he is not even big enough really to eat, but tried and was only able to stay out for close to 3 min after feeding. I do not want this coral to die. Everything else in my tank is feeding just fine, with no problems. Tank & parm are right where they always are. Any ideas, or thoughts? Thank you. Take care

How long have you had it? It may take a week or 2 before it will accept food

put in a shaded area and usually opens midnight to early morning

I have had it for 5 days now. Where I got it, I have been looking at it for a few weeks, and I never saw it open. One guy there told me that he was able to feed it one night around 9 pm, lights out. But no one else was able too. Therefore I got it at a really great price, with the possibility of store credit if worse came to be. It is in a very shaded area, with some descent flow. I moved my Dendro's in order to put this piece in it's place. They weren't to happy, but have forgiven me. Thanks ahead of time.

My Balano loves mysis & will also eat scallop and thins slices of silverside. I feed the tank after the Halides go off at 8, and before lights out at 9. By 9:30 my Balano is open and ready to eat -it seems to respond to all the other food in the water. After about 3 months, it will now eat before lights out if I put some silverside on top of the mouth (I have one very large single head that I got super cheap because it had broken off of the colony).

Have you tried turning off the lights and all of the flow and gently placing mysid on top of every polyp, then leaving it there for about a half an hour? Even the most stubborn polyps usually go for that.

Organisms' idea is a good one. But instead of using mysis (which is good to use, btw), I would get some frozen cyclopeeze and try target feeding each head with a baster. I have not seen anything, fish or corals, refuse it. My corals all get some insane polyp extension whenever I squirt some in the tank.

I would do a combination of basser1's and organism's ideas. I have had a small colony of Balanophyllia, and some sun corals as well, that would not open when I first got it. I just placed it in a container and blasted it with cyclopeze. Then I would stir the water around it to circulate the cyclopeze. I would do this for a couple minutes, leave and do something else, then come back and stir it some more. I do this a few times and do it everyday until it starts opening up. When I start seeing some form of it opening. Then I do the mysis thing organism stated. I've had good success just doing what organism suggested on most stubborn sun corals, dendros, and balanos. Sometimes they are just too starved to open up so blasting it with cyclopeze is sometimes necessary to have it start opening up. It's gonna take time and alot of patience. You're gonna have to do it everyday and more than once a day if you want faster results. Good luck.

I thank you all for your fast responses and ideas. I am currently and have been for the last 3 days, putting him in his own container and using a small eye dropper to not create to much flow; using frozen and dried cyclopeze along with Dr.G's shrimp eggs, but only the new 9th head has come out to eat. I have however started to see a tiny bit of the feeding arms come up, but not out. Last night, and this whole past hour I have been doing exactly that. Last night I tried for 3 hours, and with changing the water every 30-50 min but nothing but the baby head. When I got home today, the baby was out with my lights still on! He has grabbed more food tonight. If only he would tell his Family to come out. lol. Again I thank you all, and I will continue to try. I have the patience, but I'm a hypochondriac when it comes to just me, you can only imagine how I feel with my Tank. At first response to this method, I will be sure to post and post pictures. Thank you, and Take care.

I just thought of something. When my dendros would sprout new polyps, the older polyp would not open for a few days until the new polyps sprouted. Just thought I'd let you know.

I'd give meatier foods like PE's mysid a try as well, those are very fatty and usually work pretty well.

Thank you all again. However..... Today when I got home, the baby was out again.... waiting to eat! SO instead of taking him and putting him in his own container, I shut off all pumps and power heads, and let the tank sit. Lights just went out, and I waiting 5 min, and clouded over him with frozen cyclo. Some zooplex, and black powder. AMAZING!!!!! 7 of the 8 heads started to open a lil. SO I continued until their feeding arms came out, and I still continued for about 30 min straight. I then placed some PE's all over, and 1 on each one. Of the now 9 b/c the baby head counts, 6 of the 8 big heads ate their own PE, and the baby ate well tried, but was some how able to break off his own piece and pull it in. I tried taking some pics, but only one came out. I will post some hopefully tomorrow. Thank you all again, and I am still looking for ideas, b/c I want these babies to THRIVE!!! Take care