Brain getting burned?

[Caige]

I have placed him high, med and low...... near light and away.... He has consistently been getting worse for like 6months now.... just don't know what to do. My poor son cries when he sees him like this

 

[AMDPhenomX4]

Personally he looks fine aside from a little bleaching possibly. It would help to know what type of coral it is, Your lighting, before photos, And water parameters.

 

[melosu58]

Definitely bleached. Looks pretty dark in the tank. What type lighting and what are your water test results?

 

[Caige]

Tanks not dark... just the way the pic is... I have the 48'' 2x135w dual actinics and 2x150w HQI...... run actinics noon-10p and MH's 2p-8p.

Parameters are all good

Ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 5-10
phos 0
calcium 340
ph 8.2
SG 1.025

 

[Caige]

oh... it's a 120g 72in long tank

 

[Caige]

pic of brain

you can see him in the top right of this pic

 

[melosu58]

That calcium number is low it looks like. Any way of moving it up to 420-450. Not that it means much but I thought the 120 gallon tank was a 4 ft tank and the 125 was the 6 ft tank. I have the 125 6 ft tank.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Agree the calcium is a little low, but I'm not sure if that's the problem.

When you say you've moved it around, how long did you leave it in one spot before moving it again? Constant moving will tick them off. With that amount of light on your tank, I'd have it on the sand bed.

 

[Innovator]

This looks a lot like a red morph of Scolymia vitiensis. I agree that, especially if a red morph, it should be very much shaded where water flow is constant. The center mouth looks rather gaping, often a sign of a severely stressed coral.

 

[Caige]

Agree the calcium is a little low, but I'm not sure if that's the problem.

When you say you've moved it around, how long did you leave it in one spot before moving it again? Constant moving will tick them off. With that amount of light on your tank, I'd have it on the sand bed.

At least 1month each time I moved it. So are you saying that my light is a lot for the tank? Geez, and I was always worried it wasn't enough since it was shorter than the tank. Today when I get home I will move the Brain to the sand bed in the front of the tank.... Thanks a million for your help! Hope it's not too late to save him..... those dark brown "cracks" make me nervous it is.

 

[Caige]

That calcium number is low it looks like. Any way of moving it up to 420-450. Not that it means much but I thought the 120 gallon tank was a 4 ft tank and the 125 was the 6 ft tank. I have the 125 6 ft tank.

Sorry, I type too fast for my thoughts... it is a 125g tank...I have the same one as you. What I have been doing is during my water changes 10g twice a week... I have been adding water that is at 440 Calcium.... I'm hoping that within a couple months this would bring the whole tank to that level -- is that thinking correct?

 

[melosu58]

Depending on how fast your corals are using it up. If you are doing weekly PWC`s you`ll hopefully see it rise slowly to the goal.