star polyps

[bcollins]

i purchased some star polyps on saturday. the guy pulled them off the rock and put them in a plastic bag with tank water. i placed them in my tank on top of a rock relatively close to the surface - about 3".

i have a twelve gallon nano reef with a good mix of live rock, live coral, anemones a few fish and lots of crab like critters. the polyps have not opened yet. is this normal? do i need to glue them down?

[OrionGirl]

Just to confirm: they were attached to the rock, and he ripped them off? Not good. I've never purchased a coral and not had it include the rock it was on.

[mogurnda]

Star polyps are indeed tough, but I think it damages the stolon (the mat the polyps extend from) to rip them off like that. The last colony I bought extended within a day, but they were attached to a rock. How much light have you got? Close to the surface is good, they like a lot of light and current, but they may also be acclimating if your light is different from the shop's.

Also, if they are healthy, they probably won't need to be glued down, unless they are moving too much in the current. They stolon should start to invade your live rock in no time.