Please help my GREEN BRAIN!

[ohiorn67]

green brain was up in the rocks...defininitely in a spot where he could touch nothing that could hurt him. Noticed yesterday that he had a "bad spot" on him on one side that seemed like a little tear, or maybe like a decaying? Hope that sounds right, opposite corner, kind of cottony looking....he seems pulled up a bit....just
not what he was, ....water parameters are good....did more testing this morning....
amm,trite and trate all 0
salin 1.023
temp 80.7
calc 500 (hoping it falls, have not added anything
When he puffs up a bit, he seems prettier, we have tried not much to feed him ..have had him 2weeks or so, because we have never seen tentacles on him. Tried to put some in the mouth last night even but did sprinkle a bit of cyclo peez in tank a few times since we have had him.
We put him down on the sand bed last night...I was just concerned in regards to light but we did just get a bit stronger lights and they came yesterday. 4x96 orbits on our 90 gallon. Put him in less flow area, although the other area was not huge flow. Found a green emerald getting ready to climb him this morning, was concerned maybe he had gotten to him before, but no proof. Put him on the other side of the tank. Here are pics I will post from last night and then this morning....some with actinics on sand from about 15 min ago...what can I do to save this guy? Seems he has lost some color also but when he gets puffy the green splits up and is clearer looking between color. You can see this in the pictures.

 

[ohiorn67]

another pic

 

[ohiorn67]

another pic

 

[ohiorn67]

from this morning....

 

[ohiorn67]

another....

 

[steve-s]

These types of coral should never be placed on solid surfaces, only on the sandbed. The rock will irritate the flesh causing either necrosis or recession. The left side of the coral in pic greenbrain2.jpg is showing sure signs of recession.

The placement in pic P1010001.JPG seems to be to it's liking, so leave it there. The more you move it about, the more you stress the coral. The lights you have are ample for this coral and too much intensity will cause the fading in color. Less light, sand bottom and low-med water flow is the best way to care for this coral.

While stressed for the most part, mesenterial feeding filaments will not be appearant. Once it settles in some you will notice them more and more. Mainly at night after lights off at first but the longer you have it the more they will come out, especially at feeding times.

As far as your Ca reading, also post your alk levels. If the alk's too low, it could be allowing the rise in the Ca especially if Mg is lacking.

Are you using any resin products/sorbant media's?

Cheers
Steve

 

[ohiorn67]

My alk readings seem to be in the norm/high on my tests. I have an aquarium pharm test kit and it only reads low med high, I used to always be in High at first but seem consistent in norm/high area now. I use reef complete only when calcium goes lower than 400. I have not had to supplement for a while. I do a 10% water change every week. Every thing is thriving and then some. Tank seems very nice and have had pretty decent levels...my only complaint is my evaporation rate but that is because we took the glass off, I have a feeling maybe because he was up high he is lighter, I assumed his blowing up and looking fuller ment he was healthier, this is just yesterday we noticed this. He was placed in rock, which I was told was fine as long as flesh does not come near anything, his bottom hard pointed area in a hole perfectly fit and his flesh in mid stream away from any rock, so don't think damage was from anything he touched on rocks. Not sure abut resin products, please explain.... all other corals look fantastic. Do these typically bounce back?

 

[steve-s]

My alk readings seem to be in the norm/high on my tests. I have an aquarium pharm test kit and it only reads low med high, I used to always be in High at first but seem consistent in norm/high area now. I use reef complete only when calcium goes lower than 400. I have not had to supplement for a while. I do a 10% water change every week.

For anything but a reef tank the alk kit you have would be fine but reef chemistry really needs better accuracey. I would highly suggest a better test kit that will give you actual number results. Salifert or Seachem would be better alternatives. It is very difficult to decypher if the alk is the problem causing a high Ca reading or something else. If available at your LFS, see if they can test your Mg also. Chances are good it may be low, especially if using IO salt.

How often do you need to dose the reef complete and how much do you use each time?

I have a feeling maybe because he was up high he is lighter, I assumed his blowing up and looking fuller ment he was healthier, this is just yesterday we noticed this.

Too much light for this coral species will cause bleaching. Basically the coral expels the zooxanthellae in it's tissues and losses color. The color will come back in time. The "puffy" look is indeed a healthier state during the day.

He was placed in rock, which I was told was fine as long as flesh does not come near anything, his bottom hard pointed area in a hole perfectly fit and his flesh in mid stream away from any rock, so don't think damage was from anything he touched on rocks.

They don't actually need to touch the rock so much as be "closed in" so to speak. Even if it doesn't look like it's touching rock, it will still become irritated. The same will occure if too much water flowis directed at it. Their natural adult state is on the substrate in the wild. After the larval stage they spend a short stint attached to rock but later move on to the bottom as free living (unbound) animals.

Not sure abut resin products, please explain....

I was refering to possible PO4 removing resins or the like.

Do these typically bounce back?

Once conditions are made optimal, yes very quickly.

Cheers
Steve

 

[ohiorn67]

thank you so much....I have him on the sand bed all day. I just tried to get some food in him, sone emerald entree...not sure if he got anything..I held food there for quite a bit, but did not really take it, some blew off, then tried to just use a little medicine dropper to blow some of the food to him....doesn't look any better, today, no worse, hoping this will correct themselves. If you have any more suggestions, I am all ears!

 

[steve-s]

Feeding will help the recession recover a bit faster. Easiest way is to cover the coral. It prevents water flow from whisking it away and fish/crustaceans from stealing it. Get a 2 litre pop bottle, clean well with hot water - no soap. Cut off the bottom, place small pieces of meaty seafood on the brains mouth & cover with the bottle. Start small and only one piece of food about the size of a pencil eraser. Be sure when you remove the bottle, the lid is removed or it will create a vacuum and pull up the sand as well. Won't hurt to soak the food in a good marine vitamin first.

Cheers
Steve

 

[ohiorn67]

HI steve, great suggestion..only problem is I have not a real large sand bed area for him and don't think I can fit that bottle up over him. He is not a huge brain either....any other ideas I can fit around him to do it? I will go get marine vitamins tomorrow. Great suggestion. Looks about the same tonight, we used a syringe and tried slowly blowing some cyclo peez on him, do you think that is a good think or does it matter, we could not tell anything.

 

[steve-s]

He is not a huge brain either....any other ideas I can fit around him to do it?

Any food grade plastic can be used, preferabley clear so you can see what's going on. The important factor in size is that it's large enough to pass over the brain without touching the sides of the coral. The sharp edges of the plastic can damage the flesh and any jostling may prohibit a proper feeding response. If the coral is much smaller, use an appropriate sized water bottle mabye?

Looks about the same tonight, we used a syringe and tried slowly blowing some cyclo peez on him, do you think that is a good think or does it matter, we could not tell anything.

You wouldn't really be able to tell if it was injesting such small particles. Larger meaty items are a better approach. It allows you to see the foods are being utilized and the coral an easier time to consume it. Not too large, about the size of a pencil eraser is good. Feed only about 2-3x a week.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Ximat]

Larger meaty items are a better approach

Could you be specific for me as to exactly what type of meaty food a brain eats?

 

[Phyl]

I use mysis or cut up pieces of krill to feed my brain (about 1/4 the size of a pencil eraser is what I usually cut it up to but I also feed it to my sun coral and candy canes). I use a plastic bowl (like those throw-away glad ones) big enough to cover my brain with. It is rectangular so it fits his shape really well. I poked some holes in it so that it has some ventilation too. There's a really big hole at the top that my turkey baster fits into. It goes in about 2". Far enough so that I can angle the baster and blow food onto diferent parts of the brain. I leave that there overnight so that he has time to injest the food without being bothered. He is usually fluffy and huge the day after a feeding. I've even done this when he wasn't in the mood for food. It is amazing how just enticing him to eat makes such a big difference. When I put the food on he starts opening up and moving the food to his mouths.

 

[makana]

agreed on the mysis shrimp. i also feed my brain frozen formula two cut up real small (about pencil eraser size).

 

[melosu58]

I am getting a brain next and this conversation was very helpful for me to know what to do. Thanks for the question and Steve thanks for the answers. Good Luck

 

[Smo]

My brain lives on the front of my reef. He has been there for years and just loves it. The tank is BB, so I don't have any substrate to lay him on.
He's also my "garbage disposal" and will eat everything. I only feed him about once a week. It is not required, but they grow faster if you do this.

Mine eats: pellet food, fresh blood worms, frozen blood worms (thawed), frozen brine shrimp, and mysis shrimp.

BTW, he is very fat and happy. By the end of the photo period, he is about 8" across. Almost too big for my 29gal.

Here is one of his mug shots:

 

[melosu58]

I got my Open Brain today and I put this whole conversation in my favorites so as to go back and look on care for my brain coral. Thanks again for good Questions and answers that every new Brain coral owner should have.