Pearl coral always looks stringy

[GoodNamesWereTaken1]

I have a pearl coral that has always looked like this since I purchased it two months ago. Seems content and is fed reef roids once a week.. just never puffs up.

 

Anyone else run into this with a pearl? 

[OPtasia]

Bubble corals can be sensitive. It doesn't look like it's adjacent to other corals so it shouldn't be coral warfare. To me, that looks like a coral that's ready to eat.

 

1. The first thing I would do is test my water parameters and make sure everything is balanced where it should be. If any chemistry needs adjusting, do it slowly. A few water changes aren't a bad idea.
2. Check your feeding schedule, because that picture is presenting a coral that looks like it wants to eat. Actively fed corals rely less on their photosynthetic zoaxanthellae for their nutrition so there's less need for it to puff up and inflate. Underfed corals can also display feeder tentacles at all hours, not just at night. Do research on what others are feeding (frequency and how much) and adjust the feeding schedule if needed.
3. Flow. Bubble corals like medium flow like other Euphylias. Enough to create some water movement but not full blast from your circulation pumps. Strong flow can cause retraction.
4. Light. They like medium light in the usual LPS range of 50-100 PAR. Under strong lighting, you may have to move the coral into lower portions of the tank or on the sand bed to be happy.
5. Think about anything strange or weird that's happened in your tank since the coral went in. Signs of coral stress can take time to manifest and show in your corals, sometimes days or weeks after the stress event happened.

[RayWhisperer]

That coral looks bleached. Pretty common with bubble corals. Regular feeding will usually do the trick.

[GoodNamesWereTaken1]

3 hours ago, OPtasia said:

Bubble corals can be sensitive. It doesn't look like it's adjacent to other corals so it shouldn't be coral warfare. To me, that looks like a coral that's ready to eat.

 

Thank you!! I've been spot feeding with the reef roids and mysis shrimp, but it hasn't been anything of considerable substance. I gave him a few small chunks of scallop and he sucked it right in. I didn't realize just how hungry they got/how much food they require. Appreciate the advice and the time you took to respond. Thanks!!

[OPtasia]

Yep, feed it and keep it under medium light. If it is a little bleached out due to over exposure to light, you'll have to feed it until it can recover a bit.