Open brain coral question

[Clownfish25]

Have a metallic green open brain coral. It's been about two weeks, will he extend larger than this. Right now he is in a 38g tank with a 10,000k T5 and a actinic T5 above him.

Also is it a good sign that his mouths are wide open. Here are some pics.

[AquaRick]

That looks like a Trachophyllia geofroyi. It's considered an open brain, but its flesh does not really "pop" out of it's skeleton. It's flesh hugs it's skeleton very tightly and does not extend far past it.

There is another specie of open brain in the same genus that some considered a folded open brain: Trachophyllia radiata. The flesh on these brains extends far outside it's skeleton bottom. radiatas tend to grow a bit more than geofroyi's since their flesh grows faster than the skeleton of the geofroyi.

Your geofroyi looks pretty health at the moment. The cyano near it though is a bit of a concern as it indicates a lower level of water quality.

[Clownfish25]

Ok cool , we have been in the process of riding the tank of red slime and it is gone as well a the cyano. We have better water now and upgrade to T5s . What about the mouths being open?

[Clownfish25]

Pic from this morning

[Flreefer]

Originally Posted by Clownfish25

Ok cool , we have been in the process of riding the tank of red slime and it is gone as well a the cyano. We have better water now and upgrade to T5s . What about the mouths being open?

Cyanobacteria is Red Slime Algae, same thing.
Do you ever feed it? Brains do well with feeding some meaty foods occasionally. Could just be hungry.

[Clownfish25]

Originally Posted by Flreefer

Cyanobacteria is Red Slime Algae, same thing.
Do you ever feed it? Brains do well with feeding some meaty foods occasionally. Could just be hungry.

Yea we have fed it at night while the tenticles were out. Should I just squirt some mysis or phytoplankton in the mouths ?

[Flreefer]

No, I wouldn't. If the tentacles come out, then feed it like you did. There isn't necessarily any problem with it.
It looks pretty healthy.

[Clownfish25]

Originally Posted by Flreefer

No, I wouldn't. If the tentacles come out, then feed it like you did. There isn't necessarily any problem with it.
It looks pretty healthy.

Ok. This morning it looks like its splitting down the middle any idea? Is this normal?

[Flreefer]

Well there are 3 possibilities, it's either splitting to produce another head. It got damaged by something else in the tank. Or it's dying. I don't think it's the latter, because they usually recede from the perimeter, not split up the middle.
When looking back at your first pic, you can see the split just beginning. This lends me to think that it's reproducing. Most corals look bad while they do this.
If you are getting Cyano though, you must have some nitrates. What is your nitrate level?

[Clownfish25]

Originally Posted by Flreefer

Well there are 3 possibilities, it's either splitting to produce another head. It got damaged by something else in the tank. Or it's dying. I don't think it's the latter, because they usually recede from the perimeter, not split up the middle.
When looking back at your first pic, you can see the split just beginning. This lends me to think that it's reproducing. Most corals look bad while they do this.
If you are getting Cyano though, you must have some nitrates. What is your nitrate level?

My nitrates are at twenty.

[Clownfish25]

I have been doing weekly 5 g water changes

[Clownfish25]

Here are more pics . I am sad to say it looks like he is on his way out. Unless this is what they do? Is their anything I can do to save it? Put it in a tank with no rock or sand with a sponge filter? Feed it? Any I ideas ?

[Clownfish25]

Here are pics

[Flreefer]

I didn't realize so much of the skeleton was showing, I thought it was white in areas in color. Yeah it is definitely dying, don't think there's much you can do. Sorry

[Clownfish25]

Originally Posted by Flreefer

I didn't realize so much of the skeleton was showing, I thought it was white in areas in color. Yeah it is definitely dying, don't think there's much you can do. Sorry

Thanks for all the advice. This is a bummer. Should I leave him in the tank and let him go out. Or put him in a tank alone ?

[Flreefer]

No problem, wish some of it would have helped... I've lost one of these myself, in the past, so I know how you feel.
You can leave it where it is, it won't cause much contamination. It will just recede into the skeleton.
Mine just became another piece of live rock after awhile.
Sorry for the loss...

[Clownfish25]

Originally Posted by Flreefer

No problem, wish some of it would have helped... I've lost one of these myself, in the past, so I know how you feel.
You can leave it where it is, it won't cause much contamination. It will just recede into the skeleton.
Mine just became another piece of live rock after awhile.
Sorry for the loss...

Operation save the brain has begun!

Thanks this is the first coral I've had die on me. But maybe he ll come back. I'm thinking my peppermint shrimp got to him.

What part of FL are you in. I'm in the Tampa/ Brandon area.

[Clownfish25]

Or maybe it was the skunk shrimp look how they want in

[Flreefer]

Originally Posted by Clownfish25

Operation save the brain has begun!

Thanks this is the first coral I've had die on me. But maybe he ll come back. I'm thinking my peppermint shrimp got to him.

What part of FL are you in. I'm in the Tampa/ Brandon area.

I'm in Northport, just south of Venice. Cool, didn't know you were that close!
I think the shrimp are just smelling some decay, and want an easy meal. I don't believe they could have killed it. Typically they will pick stuff off corals, not pick at the coral directly.
Only thing I can think of would be high nitrates or not enough light. What is your nitrate reading, and what lights do you have? Also how deep is the tank?

[scottayy]

How often were you feeding it? I feed mine a chunk of silverside 2x a week. Do you have enough light to support LPS on the sandbed? IMO, that container is just blocking light and reducing flow.