Sick Open Brain
- Thread starter runway1
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
S
steve-s
Guest
More detail about the tank, chemistry and the brain corals "neighbours" if any... Fish other than the chromis?
If you have a pic you can post close up and of the general placement area, that will help.
Cheers
Steve
If you have a pic you can post close up and of the general placement area, that will help.
Cheers
Steve
midiman
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I have a new brain, too (HA HA), and it has not fully opened. Maybe I don't understand brains (I'm in the midst of the Borneman book right now), but I can see too many of the ridges of the coral skeleton for my tastes. Shouldn't it be "plump" when it's fully open? Are the ridges that radiate out from the center normally visible, or covered in flesh?
I notice that, at night, a ring aroung the center seems to curl up , exposing more fleahy material underneath- feeder tentacles?
I notice that, at night, a ring aroung the center seems to curl up , exposing more fleahy material underneath- feeder tentacles?
I have a 55 gal with mushrooms, some gold polyps of some kind (forgot), orange sponge, 6-line wrasse, LT-plate coral, 3 chromis, o-clown, blenny, cleaning crew.
Chemistry is about 20 ppm nitrates, 450/460 Ca, 14 kH, 8.3/8.4 pH, SG was a bit high at 1.029. Lowered now to 1.026
I did notice that my 6-line pecked at it a bit but I though that was after it died. Dunno. Nitrates were at 15 and have floated up to 20+. Not sure why
Chemistry is about 20 ppm nitrates, 450/460 Ca, 14 kH, 8.3/8.4 pH, SG was a bit high at 1.029. Lowered now to 1.026
I did notice that my 6-line pecked at it a bit but I though that was after it died. Dunno. Nitrates were at 15 and have floated up to 20+. Not sure why
How long have you had it, what kind of lights do you have and what do you feed it?
I've had mine under PC since mid-February. It seemed to be doing ok and then just started opening less and less. At feeding time my tang and clown are voracious and no matter how much food is in the water column they've always stolen whatever I put on the brain. I knew it wasn't doing so well so I took a small plastic container put some flow holes in it and a feeder hole in the top. I put that over the brain and anchor it with a rock and then used a turkey baster to blow the food onto the brain. The day after feeding the brain usually swells up bigger than the day before. It seems to be helping to feed it.
I also finally got my MH bulbs back from coralvu and have been running my MH for an hour or so a day. I haven't seen anything that I could directly relate to the MH but I figure it has to help!
Maybe yours is hungry too? Good luck.
I've had mine under PC since mid-February. It seemed to be doing ok and then just started opening less and less. At feeding time my tang and clown are voracious and no matter how much food is in the water column they've always stolen whatever I put on the brain. I knew it wasn't doing so well so I took a small plastic container put some flow holes in it and a feeder hole in the top. I put that over the brain and anchor it with a rock and then used a turkey baster to blow the food onto the brain. The day after feeding the brain usually swells up bigger than the day before. It seems to be helping to feed it.
I also finally got my MH bulbs back from coralvu and have been running my MH for an hour or so a day. I haven't seen anything that I could directly relate to the MH but I figure it has to help!
Maybe yours is hungry too? Good luck.
midiman
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Just fed my brain. I turned off the flow and dropped mysis shrimp and some mixed flakes, etc, soaked in water to soften them up. HArd to tell if it ate anyting under the moonlights.
No such problem with my bubble, though. Bubble corals are SCARY at night !!!!
No such problem with my bubble, though. Bubble corals are SCARY at night !!!!
I feed once daily. Mysis or brine. But considering his small size (about 1.5" diameter) and the water flow (I don't turn it off) I guess he may have missed most all of it. I have a clown, blenny and 3 chromis that can scoop it up pretty quick.
Although, I add DT plankton as well. Shouldn't that help with his feeding?
Although, I add DT plankton as well. Shouldn't that help with his feeding?
If you're just feeding your tank and not target feeding the brain he's probably not getting much, if anything. While they may be able to eat the DTs I've read that they like meaty foods. I feed mine chopped krill though I've heard people say that they feed them silversides.
Brine is junk food for fish. You should try to phase that out in favor of some formula 1 or prime reef.
You could always try target feeding and see how he responds. How's he looking these days?
Brine is junk food for fish. You should try to phase that out in favor of some formula 1 or prime reef.
You could always try target feeding and see how he responds. How's he looking these days?
Well, dead about sums it up. That's why I don't think he starved. It happened all in about a week. I read in Dr. Shimeck's book (Marine Inverts) that hermit crabs can kill them by picking, especially on the small ones. Is that correct?
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steve-s
Guest
Are any of these close to or touching the brain?runway1 said:
The nitrates are a bit of a concern. You need to get those down below 10 ppm on a consitant basis. The chemistry is kinda high as well. You really should let that fall to a more NSW level. Elevating the chem above NSW serves no purpose and can actually do more harm than good. If you are using a swing arm hydrometer to measure your SG, I'd also let that fall towards 1.024. The hydrometer will most likely be reding innacruartely overall. Ph is good though..
The sixline could be picking at parasitic hitchikers. You might want to gentley pick up the coral (wear gloves) and inspect it underwater. If recesion or necsrosis have set in, you really need to get those nitrates down. They will only make matters worse. Water changes will be needed on a more frequent basis in the meantime.
You did not mention the water flow the coral is in nor the placement within the tank. More often than not these kinds of issues are caused from direct/sustained flow on the coral, an irritant or coral warfare. Feeding will help it recover once the source of the problem is found and eliminated but it will not alleviate the problem.
Cheers
Steve
S
steve-s
Guest
If the flesh is hugging the skelatal structure constantly there is something causing it. When the lights are on the coral should plump up quite a bit. High alkalinity, neighbourly irritants and water flow generally being the culprit.midiman said:
Mesenterial filaments are used for "prey capture". More commonly seen at night but the longer the coral is in the tank the more common it will be to see them whenever the tank is fed.
Cheers
Steve
Yeah, steve. I noticed my numbers were high but I don't use any additives at all. The coral sat near the middle in a moderate flow area. i use a refractometer that I recalibrated twice because of the number I read so it's accurate.
I water change quite regularly - 5 gal every week without miss in my 55 gal (with 3 gal in the sump +2 in the fuge). My NO3 was 10-15 and then floated up; wonder why? Do you think the high SG may have done him in or a parasite I didn't catch?
I water change quite regularly - 5 gal every week without miss in my 55 gal (with 3 gal in the sump +2 in the fuge). My NO3 was 10-15 and then floated up; wonder why? Do you think the high SG may have done him in or a parasite I didn't catch?
S
steve-s
Guest
Couldn't tell you without more info about the "before and after". New additions/changes etc...?runway1 said:
A 5 gallon water change won't do much to lower the nitrates either. It results in a 9% water change so you are only reducing the nitrates 2 ppm approx each week. If nothing new has been added, it could simpley be an accumulation if there no real denitrification in place.
I doubt the salinity problem would cause this although it could stress the coral I doubt it would kill it. Parasites are always a possibility but unless you catch one in the act, it's just guess work.
You haven't indicated how long you've had it so it could have been a poor specimen from the start. Otherwise I would attribute it to a possible combination of events but nothing specific.
Cheers
Steve
Thanks, Steve. You always offer good info. I've had the brain for only about two weeks. Before it opened to a healthy looking specimen, it had a "kink" in one side that (seemed to me) was just a typical fold/convolution found in brain corals.
In hindsight, maybe it was an injury or a parasite that I wasn't looking for. Anyhow, not enough info to make a conclusion. Thanks again.
In hindsight, maybe it was an injury or a parasite that I wasn't looking for. Anyhow, not enough info to make a conclusion. Thanks again.
I had a brain that was doing good for a while before my keyhole all of a sudden decided he wanted to try some corals. Killed my brain before I could figure it out. He had to go to a FO tank. Maybe some of your fish are bothering it. Keep a close eye on it
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