Open Brain Coral issues

[Kevin D]

I should of added with brains you have plenty of time to figure them out, they are pretty forgiving. After I took my readings that I gave you yesterday I lowered them 10% to see if mine color up more. I started using Vibrant and GFO to help control the hair algae and didn't realize my water cleared up that much.

Both of the ones I’ve had looked a out the same for three weeks before going down hill. The first one was dead in a week after that so this one is just starting to do the same so let’s see. I think the lower light may have helped. He was a little more inflated during the day and didn’t swell last night. I think that’s a good thing, time will tell, or maybe my tank just isn’t right for brains, if this ones goes I’m giving up on them. Besides, now I’m in the middle of a fish crisis, I added a few tangs to my tank yesterday because I had a bunch in QT. When I put the blonde naso in, my bicolor angel has been pretty hard on him, he is now showing a few white spots. I still have a powder blue in QT because he pretty much killed a sailfin that is still in QT and separated by a divider but swimming on his side so he probably only has a few hours left. And my purple and yellow seems to be duking it out but not real bad so hopefully they will chill. My experiment of trying to keep three of each tang body type is over. I e seen it done and hoped I could pull it off by adding them all at once but I failed. sometimes this hobby really frustrates me. I’m going back to o my keeping easy corals and easy fish. Lol.

 

[miyags]

Try to keep ALK around 9 to 10. Try feeding larger food. I feed 1/4 inch piece of raw table shrimp.

 

[Kevin D]

Try to keep ALK around 9 to 10. Try feeding larger food. I feed 1/4 inch piece of raw table shrimp.

Will do. My alkalinity is 9.3 according to the salifert test kit.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

What size tank is that (sorry if I missed that info somewhere), and what light and powerheads are you using?

 

[mahindra.dev]

Did you try feeding them in a separate container and see if they respond? Like cyclopeeze.

 

[Kevin D]

What size tank is that (sorry if I missed that info somewhere), and what light and powerheads are you using?

I have a 240 gallon tank 8’x2’x2’ with a 125 galling sump. I have 4 hydra HD 26. I don’t use Powerheads as I don’t like them but I have two 1/2 inch returns and two 1” returns powered by two jebco dct-15000. Each is set on power level 5 out of ten so I have around 4000-5000 gph of flow. They are rated at about 4000 each and it says at setting 5 they run at 60%. I have 6 ft of head though. The flow is good. Water runs through my 125 gallon sump like a river! Lol.

 

[K. Steven]

I've also noticed that my large LPS rebound better with some nitrate (5-20 ppm) after they've been stressed. I had some that got stung by some torches and were struggling to heal when my nitrate was low (< 5 ppm), but colored up better and healed when it came up. Purely anecdotal in my case, but it seemed when they were stressed it was hard to get them to feed and the nitrate helped them heal when they weren't ingesting any real food.

 

[Kevin D]

Interesting because my nitrates are always very low, under 3 when I test. I think mostly due to my large water volume, still low bioload, and I have a ton of dragons breath growing in my sump and display that is sucking the nitrates up. I’m up to 9 fish, all under 3 inches at the moment, and soon to add 2 more and that’s about it. Most of my corals are small as well. I try to feed on the heavy side. I get about 1/4 inch of dark green skimmate out of my reefocto skimmer everyday though so I figured the water isn’t all that clean. I feed live black worms and formulas 2 flake. I have 3 Pygmy angels, a long nose hawk, flame hawk, tiny yellow belly regal tang, blonde naso tang, yellow tang, purple tang, just lost a sailfin from QT but may try one more, and have a powder blue in QT that’s is going to be the last fish I put in because he’s nasty. Lol. Maybe I’ll shut the skimmer off for a day or two. I still get some diatoms on my sand though so I figure there’s stuff in there, it’s just being used by the tank life. Tanks is only about 6 months old too, maybe that still playing a part in this.

 

[K. Steven]

The angels may be the culprit. In my experience, they find fleshy LPS tasty. That could be why your brain isn't opening.

 

[K. Steven]

I feed reef roids and live plankton. I have a plankton net and live in Fort Lauderdale so about once a month I catch live plankton on the incoming high tide. The rest of the time I feed reef roids about 2 times a week.

Just saw you're in Fort Lauderdale too. I can give you some Coral Frenzy and PE pellets to try if you want. My LPS gobble them up.

 

[Kevin D]

Just saw you're in Fort Lauderdale too. I can give you some Coral Frenzy and PE pellets to try if you want. My LPS gobble them up.

Possible but I have yet to see them sample anything yet. Doesn’t mean they don’t, especially at night but I haven’t seen them pick at anything other than the algae on my back glass or at the rock. My bicolor only eats live blackworms and pecks at the rocks, my flame only eats flake, and my potters eats everything but haven’t seen him peck at any corals.

 

[ruidos99]

i’ve had this problem, its a fish! an angel most likely.

i had a few perfect lps in my tank, in came a few angels and all the lps started to look like this in the day and kinda opened at night.

 

[Kevin D]

i’ve had this problem, its a fish! an angel most likely.

i had a few perfect lps in my tank, in came a few angels and all the lps started to look like this in the day and kinda opened at night.

Hmmm. Ok, I’ll try to keep a closer eye on them. It seems to be fairing better in the lower light but maybe the fish haven’t caught on it’s there yet and have left it alone the past two days. Also have some new fish so my bicolor has been busy harrassimg them. Lol. Thanks.

 

[Kevin D]

My brain appears to be doing better in the shade, that being said, I also caught my bicolor angel picking at my chalice so I may have a few things going on. Anyone in Fort Lauderdale that is an expert in catch fish in a reef tank without tearing it apart? Lol. I’m going to keep a watchful eye on him until I can figure out how to remove him.

 

[Bdog4u2]

I had to move mine to my sons tank. It was always retracted and then I finally caught my tangs slurping on it and soon as I moved it it puffed up to almost the size of a soccer ball. That wrasse is around 4inches. I've had this welso for 10 years and they never touched it, then they did

 

[Kevin D]

I had to move mine to my sons tank. It was always retracted and then I finally caught my tangs slurping on it and soon as I moved it it puffed up to almost the size of a soccer ball. That wrasse is around 4inches. I've had this welso for 10 years and they never touched it, then they did

Thanks for the info. I have found that my yellow tang and my bicolor angel have been pecking at things. I moved my current brain and they seem to be leaving it alone but now they peck at my clove polyps that are barely open. Just got some of those pain in the butt fish. Trying to keep them fat but they still seem to pick a little. I’m hoping eventually they will learn that they can’t eat them. Most of my corals are looking good but now I’m battling ich with 4 of my five tangs. It’s always something. Lol.