Brain Coral

Dbroncos · 10/27/2010, 07:13 AM

Is it a must to have brain coral on the bottom of the tank on the sand or is it ok to have them up on the rockwork?

ducatimikep · 10/27/2010, 07:19 AM

Mine has thrived (is that a word?) in the sand bed,
but I bet that would be more dependent on PAR.

IslandCrow · 10/27/2010, 08:20 AM

You'll have to be more specific about what type of "brain" coral. There are at least a couple dozen species I've heard referred to as brain corals. The Trachyphyllia (a.k.a. Open Brain) genus is the only one I can think of that is generally best to have on the sand bed, as I've read jagged rocks can irritate the flesh. Fortunately, they don't seem to need too much light.

rayn · 10/27/2010, 11:28 AM

A pic would be nice to help more with the placement and light requirements.

jeff@zina.com · 10/27/2010, 02:17 PM

Open brains prefer sandy bottoms. They also aren't big on heavy flows either.

Jeff

cloak · 10/27/2010, 02:28 PM

If you find the right spot, brain corals can do just as well on the rocks as they can on the sandbed IME. Both faviidae & trachyphyllia.

seapug · 10/27/2010, 03:16 PM

the Trachyphyllia brains naturally occur on sandy bottoms in protected zones, but I've kept them on flat, smooth rocks up off the bottom and they've done very well when they get gentle current, even light and have plenty of room to expand. You just want to avoid jamming them sideways into a crack in a jagged rock.

10/27/2010, 07:13 AM	#1
Dbroncos Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 155	Brain Coral Is it a must to have brain coral on the bottom of the tank on the sand or is it ok to have them up on the rockwork?

10/27/2010, 08:20 AM	#3
IslandCrow Reef Monkey Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Rockledge, Fl Posts: 5,759	You'll have to be more specific about what type of "brain" coral. There are at least a couple dozen species I've heard referred to as brain corals. The Trachyphyllia (a.k.a. Open Brain) genus is the only one I can think of that is generally best to have on the sand bed, as I've read jagged rocks can irritate the flesh. Fortunately, they don't seem to need too much light. __________________ All opinions in the above message should be taken with 35 ppt salt. -Mike C. Current Tank Info: I have a reef screen saver on my phone, does that count?

10/27/2010, 11:28 AM	#4
rayn Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Pekin, Il Posts: 2,864	A pic would be nice to help more with the placement and light requirements. __________________ Currently changing, stay tuned for new details...

10/27/2010, 02:28 PM	#6
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	If you find the right spot, brain corals can do just as well on the rocks as they can on the sandbed IME. Both faviidae & trachyphyllia. Last edited by cloak; 10/27/2010 at 02:33 PM.

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10/27/2010, 07:19 AM	#2
ducatimikep Needs Moar Cowbell Join Date: May 2008 Location: Anderson, SC Posts: 263	Mine has thrived (is that a word?) in the sand bed, but I bet that would be more dependent on PAR.

10/27/2010, 02:17 PM	#5
jeff@zina.com Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Naples, FL Posts: 3,345	Open brains prefer sandy bottoms. They also aren't big on heavy flows either. Jeff

10/27/2010, 03:16 PM	#7
seapug Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: 4980 ft. Posts: 7,954 Blog Entries: 1	the Trachyphyllia brains naturally occur on sandy bottoms in protected zones, but I've kept them on flat, smooth rocks up off the bottom and they've done very well when they get gentle current, even light and have plenty of room to expand. You just want to avoid jamming them sideways into a crack in a jagged rock.