Open Brain mouth gaping/not inflating

[Tcook]

I forgot to mention that partial shot of your tank looks great. Post a fts.

 

[Hawkaholic]

Thank you! I have corals acclimating on the front glass as well as that welso hanging out, so it’s not the best view right now. I have been waiting on a carpenter friend (he’s worth the wait) for a couple years now to get the tanks framed into the wall too.

 

[Hawkaholic]

Looks slightly improved from the side, but the top view is distressing. It is in isolation, I’m not sure how that hole appeared. Lost lots of flesh from the edges. Not looking good for this guy.

 

[Auto-pilot]

I would vote infection, I commonly see brain corals become stressed and become infected from the inside. a gaping mouth is usually the first sign.

Here's a meat coral of mine that recently became infected. The oral disk is open and peeling away from the skeleton. I took a sample and with a microscope I found pathogens had infected this coral. I took action and put it in a qt with antibiotics. Within 2 days the mouth closed. It took a long time for it to eat properly but it kicked the infection and still looks amazing in my tank today

 

[Rico's Reefnecks]

I would vote infection, I commonly see brain corals become stressed and become infected from the inside. a gaping mouth is usually the first sign.

Here's a meat coral of mine that recently became infected. The oral disk is open and peeling away from the skeleton. I took a sample and with a microscope I found pathogens had infected this coral. I took action and put it in a qt with antibiotics. Within 2 days the mouth closed. It took a long time for it to eat properly but it kicked the infection and still looks amazing in my tank today

Out of curiosity, what antibiotics did you use? I have lost two trachys in the past with similar symptoms that improved briefly, but ultimately did not recover, after lugols dips.

 

[Auto-pilot]

Out of curiosity, what antibiotics did you use? I have lost two trachys in the past with similar symptoms that improved briefly, but ultimately did not recover, after lugols dips.

Amoxicillin chemiclean and Cipro. I tend to find an initial problem weakens corals and due to the fact that our aquariums have a lot of bacteria in them they become infected super fast. I GREATLY discourage the use of antibiotics in a DT but quarantineing corals and treatment with antibiotics has been extremely successful in the past. It works so well many of my friends bring me sick coral and I have saved them. I've even been successful with stoping STN on acropora corals.

 

[Auto-pilot]

I use the KFC dip for a lot of corals

 

[Hawkaholic]

I would vote infection, I commonly see brain corals become stressed and become infected from the inside. a gaping mouth is usually the first sign.

Here's a meat coral of mine that recently became infected. The oral disk is open and peeling away from the skeleton. I took a sample and with a microscope I found pathogens had infected this coral. I took action and put it in a qt with antibiotics. Within 2 days the mouth closed. It took a long time for it to eat properly but it kicked the infection and still looks amazing in my tank today

All I have on hand is kananplex, cipro, chemi-clean, Logols, and tea tree oil. Should I try the cipro and chemi-clean in a dip (or should it be a long term bath)? What rate of cipro and chemi-clean did you use?

With as much tissue loss as has already occurred it’s a Hail Mary. -thanks!

 

[Auto-pilot]

Yeah i would let it sit in a tub for 8 hours with some sort of heater and power head. It doesn't look beyond help

 

[Auto-pilot]

500 mg cipro, 10 scoops chemi, 10 drops logols per 4 gallons. If you don't have amoxicillin maybe throw some kananplex in too

 

[Auto-pilot]

good luck we are all counting on you

 

[Hawkaholic]

good luck we are all counting on you

It’s soaking. Fingers crossed!

 

[Hawkaholic]

Yeah i would let it sit in a tub for 8 hours with some sort of heater and power head. It doesn't look beyond help

After 8 hours it has lost a lot of tissue - that was inevitable. I don’t know if there is enough left to rally. I should’ve tried this a week ago before it got so rough.
I wish there was a good way to knock the “bad” bacteria out of the dt.

 

[melhe]

Have u sent out ICP test ? Sometimes trace elements too low. New corals not adjusting well. I lost one beautiful Trachy before , same thing slowly losing fleshing . Then fox face started to pick on the remaining flesh, eventually died. since I started to dose elements based on icp tests results . all doing well. I am new in reef . Just put in my sense . I am addicted to meat corals , gonies . Collected so many . That Trachy is the only one I had lost

 

[Auto-pilot]

After 8 hours it has lost a lot of tissue - that was inevitable. I don’t know if there is enough left to rally. I should’ve tried this a week ago before it got so rough.
I wish there was a good way to knock the “bad” bacteria out of the dt.

Yeah it's melting, it's too late it has already died and is now wasting away

 

[Auto-pilot]

Yea, the dip did not make it melt. The inside of the coral was probably all gone and the outside is just following suit in it's decomposition. If I see corals with gaping mouths I tend to treat them first and ask questions later. l find a lot of corals come with infections and it can take a long time for it to show. Elegance corals tend to do that, look ok and eventually wither away and die

 

[Hawkaholic]

Yea, the dip did not make it melt. The inside of the coral was probably all gone and the outside is just following suit in it's decomposition. If I see corals with gaping mouths I tend to treat them first and ask questions later. l find a lot of corals come with infections and it can take a long time for it to show. Elegance corals tend to do that, look ok and eventually wither away and die

It looked perfect for a few days then wham gaping mouth, no inflation. I thought at the time maybe it got a sunburn - but that wasn’t it. You are likely correct it’s an infection. Hope it’s selfish and doesn’t share…

 

[Hawkaholic]

Have u sent out ICP test ? Sometimes trace elements too low. New corals not adjusting well. I lost one beautiful Trachy before , same thing slowly losing fleshing . Then fox face started to pick on the remaining flesh, eventually died. since I started to dose elements based on icp tests results . all doing well. I am new in reef . Just put in my sense . I am addicted to meat corals , gonies . Collected so many . That Trachy is the only one I had lost

It was a very sudden change. Not likely low nutrients, but I suspected something was too high for its liking (lighting or alk or something). - now I’m in the infection corner. Its decline was very sudden. I suspect after I fed it a greedy hermit crab injured the coral trying to get its meal. Then infection set in. I should have just treated immediately, but my process of elimination was too slow.

 

[Auto-pilot]

It looked perfect for a few days then wham gaping mouth, no inflation. I thought at the time maybe it got a sunburn - but that wasn’t it. You are likely correct it’s an infection. Hope it’s selfish and doesn’t share…

Well if you see one declining it's a possibility. I think they are way more likely to get an infection right after being introduced due to one stress, two the bacteria is different in your system than others, third they often have had a lot of trauma and damage during shipping. Bacterial infections are usually a result rather than a primary cause.