Brains

[Anonymous]

My brains are not happy.

1) Toast - shriveled to nothing in a few days
2) Branching open brain - One of the heads is bleaching
3) Is starting to retract from the skeleton. Holes forming in the middle.

Nothing has changed on the tank.
330 W VHO (2 Actinic white/1 Actinic bulb
Monthly 20-30% h2o changes
All test values OK
All other corals happy as can be.

My first instinct is to move the branching coral up higher and move the #3 down onto the sand.

Other thoughts?

 

[Anonymous]

What about fish? Anytime my brains suddenly seemed to suffer out of nowhere it was usually due to a picking fish or a clownfish looking to host.

 

[Len]

I would also suspect some predator. I'd check the tank after lights-out with a red flashlight to see if anything is nibbling on your LPS.

 

[Anonymous]

Everything is years old.
How would a "new" predator have entered the system. I have not added livestock for over a year.


The clowns on the other hand have been acting rather frisky lately...
I will have to keep an eye on the tank at night this weekend.

 

[mr_X]

number 1..that brain has been in your tank for atleast a year? did it shrivel recently, or was it always that size? how about your calcium level? are you relying on water changes to replenish the calcium?

 

[Anonymous]

That brain (#1) was never very happy in my tank. Dunno why.

Well here is a pic from Oct 2005.

You can see where they started. All the brains are between 3 months and year old at this point.

(you can click on the link in mt signature to see more pics)

I do the monthly water changes and I dose 2-part to maintain calcium.

 

[mr_X]

ok, what about the rest of those softies? does anything in there have the potential to release toxins?

 

[Anonymous]

The colt did not survive the move.

The only other softies are the finger, cabbage and toadstools. They are fine,have not shredded or slimed in a long time.

I watched the brains at night this weekend, and saw no predators.

Guess I will keep feeding them and hope they recover.

 

[Chubosco]

I thought I read somewhere some time ago that brains have a great dislike for each other and will put out toxins to kill its neighbor.

But hey, I only had one brain (in the reef) and it died. Pretty sure it was suicide. :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

FYI update

I put #2 where #3 was - the color is improving dramatically.

I put #3 on the sandbed. It too looks happier. Hopefully the injured area will be okay!

 

[spaulr]

Have you recently changed light bulbs? Also, I had issues with my Lobophyllia Hemprichii until it got the right water flow.