Open Brain Question (Symphylia)

bunzaroo · 08/08/2008, 06:09 AM

I recently aquired an open brain Coral , symphyllia I believe 2 weeks ago. It is placed on a rock 1/2 up the tank tank is 18 inches high. I am running PC lighting 4X65. There is moderate water flow. Is this placement correct. I haven't seen the feeding tentacles come out. The central mouth is open a lot. It also seems to be losing some of it's coloration. I've tried feeding small pieces of shrimp but no go. Am I doing something wrong?

inachu · 08/08/2008, 06:12 AM

try feeding at night with lights out.

reefworm · 08/08/2008, 06:12 AM

you may not have enough light. are you target feeding? what are your water perameters? that's a lot of life in there for only 10 weeks.

jdmcivicek9 · 08/08/2008, 07:14 AM

i keep mine on the sandbed but i also have metal halides to get enough light to it...your lighting might not be strong enough for it...

abulgin · 08/08/2008, 07:24 AM

Actually, I've found that Open Brains prefer moderate to lower light, and that MHs are too intense for these unless placed low in a tank or in a semi-shaded area. My guess is that it's starving, and also not placed right. These should be placed on the sand, although I have heard of people having success with them on a rock. I have one that I had under my 2x250W 14,000K MHs and it was not doing well--not only do I think it was getting too much light, but my shrimps were stealing its food. I moved it to my 30 g tank (I think it's 13" high) that has 2x24W 10,000K T5s and 2x24W actinic T5s, and it has fully recovered.

Make sure you are feeding it small (1/8" or so) pieces of meaty seafood soaked in a supplement like Selcon. Feed once per day until the color starts to rebound. Also, I would get some sort of container, like a strawberry box, and place it over the Brain when you feed it--just lay some pieces of the food on the Brain and then cover it. Eventually, the food should trigger a feeding response.

http://www.asira.org/lobophylliasymp...thermussideans

bunzaroo · 08/08/2008, 11:37 AM

The reason i put it halfway up the tank was beacuse of the PC's. i figured since the lighting is not that strong I couldn't place on the sandbed. I have tarket fed marine snow, and then have tried small pieces of shrimp. Eventually the current either takes it away or my cleaner shrimp snaggs it. Should I lower to sandbed or should I raise it. my gut feeling says to lower.

abulgin · 08/08/2008, 01:33 PM

I wouldn't feed it marine snow. Many people believe this is worthless liquid pollution. Plus, I would think marine snow is too small for an Open Brain. I would try covering the Brain with something that the shrimps can't access.

ser_renely · 08/08/2008, 02:21 PM

I bought some raw frozen shrimp and would cut up a small piece and cut a small water bottle to cover it up so my fish wouldn't eat it. I feed about an hour after lights out, triggers it. otherwise I never see the tentacles.

rustybucket145 · 08/08/2008, 02:25 PM

Sounds like your water quality is not too good.... especially when you're dumping in liquid pollution in there. Do a water change, crank the skimmer up. Check you salinity with a refractometer... if you don't have one, borrow one.... if you don't know what one is, order one.

IME Brains are effected by water quality more than any other factor. Quit trying to force feed it, leave it alone... get on top of your water quality. Some carbon wouldn't hurt.

ser_renely · 08/08/2008, 03:56 PM

is getting a feeding response bad? If I put a piece of shrimp on him and he eats it, I always assumed it was a good thing?

Capt56 · 08/09/2008, 01:40 AM

I had the same problem with my brain coral. I had it in my big tank that had pc's and it wouldn't open up. This was mid way on some rocks. Now I have it in my nano with mh in the sand bed and it is doing fine. I cannot remember if it took longer than two weeks to open back up. Many times, corals will take a long time to get acclimated.

abulgin · 08/09/2008, 05:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by rustybucket145
Sounds like your water quality is not too good.... especially when you're dumping in liquid pollution in there. Do a water change, crank the skimmer up. Check you salinity with a refractometer... if you don't have one, borrow one.... if you don't know what one is, order one.

IME Brains are effected by water quality more than any other factor. Quit trying to force feed it, leave it alone... get on top of your water quality. Some carbon wouldn't hurt.

And then when all your water params check out . . . force feed it.

Everything I have read and my experience is that Brains are impacted most by lack of food and improper lighting.

abulgin · 08/09/2008, 05:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ser_renely
is getting a feeding response bad? If I put a piece of shrimp on him and he eats it, I always assumed it was a good thing?

No, getting a feeding response is not bad. In fact, I would argue that it's good because you don't have to wait for lights out to feed it, which you should do once/week.

abulgin · 08/09/2008, 05:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Capt56
I had the same problem with my brain coral. I had it in my big tank that had pc's and it wouldn't open up. This was mid way on some rocks. Now I have it in my nano with mh in the sand bed and it is doing fine. I cannot remember if it took longer than two weeks to open back up. Many times, corals will take a long time to get acclimated.

Well, I think there a happy median between the two situations. Open Brains come from shallow, turbid water, so putting one in a nano with MH is asking for trouble in my opinion. On the other hand, putting one at the bottom of a 30" tank under a 250W MH is probably also asking for trouble (going the other way) unless you put it directly under the light.

The OP has 440 W of PC. Now, granted the watts/gallon rule is stupid, but is a general starting point for discussion. I assume that 220W are actinics and the other 220W is daylight? The 220W of daylight on a 70g should be sufficient assuming he placed the Brain well.

A couple thoughts to the OP--PCs need to be replaced every 6 months because they become useless for everything but illuminating your room after that. I think you said your tank is 10 weeks old so this shouldn't be a factor (unless your bulbs were used in another application). Also, you could swap out one or both actinics for daylights.

I would keep trying to get a feeding response and ensuring that it has the opportunity to eat, i.e., keeping your shrimps and fish away. I have brought back from the dead an Open Brain with severe tissue recession this way (although I moved it to my 30g with only sessile inverts).

Of course, make sure you are keeping good water quality (and throw away your Kent products).

08/08/2008, 06:09 AM	#1
bunzaroo Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Miami,FL Posts: 617	Open Brain Question (Symphylia) I recently aquired an open brain Coral , symphyllia I believe 2 weeks ago. It is placed on a rock 1/2 up the tank tank is 18 inches high. I am running PC lighting 4X65. There is moderate water flow. Is this placement correct. I haven't seen the feeding tentacles come out. The central mouth is open a lot. It also seems to be losing some of it's coloration. I've tried feeding small pieces of shrimp but no go. Am I doing something wrong?

08/08/2008, 06:12 AM	#3
reefworm Registered Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Waxhaw, NC USA Posts: 2,139	you may not have enough light. are you target feeding? what are your water perameters? that's a lot of life in there for only 10 weeks. __________________ "The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter." - Thomas Jefferson Current Tank Info: 29 gal. reef/assist with 75 gal. at the school

08/08/2008, 02:21 PM	#8
ser_renely Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 1,820	I bought some raw frozen shrimp and would cut up a small piece and cut a small water bottle to cover it up so my fish wouldn't eat it. I feed about an hour after lights out, triggers it. otherwise I never see the tentacles. __________________ RIP: Osc. Clown - Ammonia, YW GobY - overflow, YW Goby - Pistol shrimp, Firefish - acclimation. 5 Fire fish - pistol shrimp, Mandarin - Pistol shrimp!!!!! Current Tank Info: 60g Cube, 15g sump/fuge,Tunze 9010 skimmer, Reefbreeders Photon 16" - 2 Osc. Clowns,2 Lyretail Anthias, Blue Chromis, mp20, mp10....another DAMN pistol shrimp!

08/08/2008, 02:25 PM	#9
rustybucket145 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: valdosta, ga Posts: 3,707	Sounds like your water quality is not too good.... especially when you're dumping in liquid pollution in there. Do a water change, crank the skimmer up. Check you salinity with a refractometer... if you don't have one, borrow one.... if you don't know what one is, order one. IME Brains are effected by water quality more than any other factor. Quit trying to force feed it, leave it alone... get on top of your water quality. Some carbon wouldn't hurt. __________________ 400gals of various tanks in the same system. Current Tank Info: 2 175w MH, 2 VH0 Actinics, Lots of Live Rock, tons of copepods, a Fat Mandarin Goby, Niger Trigger, Yellow Tang, Falco Hawkfish, Bi-Color Pseudo, numerous soft, SPS and LPS Corals

08/08/2008, 03:56 PM	#10
ser_renely Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 1,820	is getting a feeding response bad? If I put a piece of shrimp on him and he eats it, I always assumed it was a good thing? __________________ RIP: Osc. Clown - Ammonia, YW GobY - overflow, YW Goby - Pistol shrimp, Firefish - acclimation. 5 Fire fish - pistol shrimp, Mandarin - Pistol shrimp!!!!! Current Tank Info: 60g Cube, 15g sump/fuge,Tunze 9010 skimmer, Reefbreeders Photon 16" - 2 Osc. Clowns,2 Lyretail Anthias, Blue Chromis, mp20, mp10....another DAMN pistol shrimp!

08/08/2008, 06:12 AM	#2
inachu Moved On Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Maryland, metro area Posts: 1,219	try feeding at night with lights out.

08/08/2008, 07:14 AM	#4
jdmcivicek9 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: 39°N, -108°W AKA Somewhere in Colorado Posts: 578	i keep mine on the sandbed but i also have metal halides to get enough light to it...your lighting might not be strong enough for it...

08/08/2008, 07:24 AM	#5
abulgin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 2,664	Actually, I've found that Open Brains prefer moderate to lower light, and that MHs are too intense for these unless placed low in a tank or in a semi-shaded area. My guess is that it's starving, and also not placed right. These should be placed on the sand, although I have heard of people having success with them on a rock. I have one that I had under my 2x250W 14,000K MHs and it was not doing well--not only do I think it was getting too much light, but my shrimps were stealing its food. I moved it to my 30 g tank (I think it's 13" high) that has 2x24W 10,000K T5s and 2x24W actinic T5s, and it has fully recovered. Make sure you are feeding it small (1/8" or so) pieces of meaty seafood soaked in a supplement like Selcon. Feed once per day until the color starts to rebound. Also, I would get some sort of container, like a strawberry box, and place it over the Brain when you feed it--just lay some pieces of the food on the Brain and then cover it. Eventually, the food should trigger a feeding response. http://www.asira.org/lobophylliasymp...thermussideans

08/08/2008, 11:37 AM	#6
bunzaroo Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Miami,FL Posts: 617	The reason i put it halfway up the tank was beacuse of the PC's. i figured since the lighting is not that strong I couldn't place on the sandbed. I have tarket fed marine snow, and then have tried small pieces of shrimp. Eventually the current either takes it away or my cleaner shrimp snaggs it. Should I lower to sandbed or should I raise it. my gut feeling says to lower.

08/08/2008, 01:33 PM	#7
abulgin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 2,664	I wouldn't feed it marine snow. Many people believe this is worthless liquid pollution. Plus, I would think marine snow is too small for an Open Brain. I would try covering the Brain with something that the shrimps can't access.

08/09/2008, 01:40 AM	#11
Capt56 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Long Beach, Ca Posts: 522	I had the same problem with my brain coral. I had it in my big tank that had pc's and it wouldn't open up. This was mid way on some rocks. Now I have it in my nano with mh in the sand bed and it is doing fine. I cannot remember if it took longer than two weeks to open back up. Many times, corals will take a long time to get acclimated.