FAQs about Trachyphylliid Coral Disease/Health,
Parasites, Pests 4
FAQs on Open Brain Disease:
Trachyphylliid Disease 1,
Trachyphyllia Disease 2,
Trachyphyllia Disease 3,
Trachyphyllia Disease 5,
FAQs on Open Brain Disease by Category:
Diagnosing,
Environmental (Pollution/Poisoning, Lighting...),
Nutritional,
Social (Allelopathy),
Trauma,
Pathogenic (Infectious, Parasitic, Viral)
Predatory/Pest,
Treatments
Related Articles: Coral Pests and Disease; pests,
predators, diseases and conditions by Sara Mavinkurve,
Trachyphylliid
Corals, Trachyphyllia Reproduction
Report,
Related FAQs: Open Brain Coral
1, Open Brain Coral
2, Trachyphylliid
Identification, Trachyphylliid Behavior,
Trachyphylliid
Selection, Trachyphylliid
Compatibility, Trachyphylliid Feeding,
Trachyphylliid
Systems, Trachyphylliid
Reproduction, Stony
Corals, Stonies 2,
Stonies 3, LPS Stony Corals, Coral System Set-Up, Coral System Lighting,
Stony Coral Selection,
Coral Placement,
Foods/Feeding/Nutrition,
Disease/Health,
Propagation,
Stony Coral
Behavior,
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Open Brain not doing well! Pls Help. Poisoning,
starving, reading 12/31/09 Hello Crew,
<Justin> I got a open brain that has not expanded or shown
it's feeding tentacles in over a week. <Mmmm> This all
started when I added my normal C-balance 2 part solution to my
90g Tank. <How added? I hope trust as dissolved via new water
added as during a water change> As soon as I added the KH
part, it immediately closed up and been that way since.
<Please see WWM re supplement use... start here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/calcalkmar.htm> It's mouth has
receded a little bit and has yet to allow itself to feed.
It's not getting bad, nor is it getting better. I normally
feed once a week, <... and Trachyphyllia re Feeding:
http://wetwebmedia.com/trachyfdgfaqs.htm
need to be fed more
often than this...> either freeze dried krill or a piece of
frozen shrimp. <...> My water conditions are: 0-ammonia,
0-Nitrate, <An essential nutrient...> 0-Nitrite, PH 8.3,
Calcium 420ppm, KH 176-196.9ppm range, Temp 80-81*F, Salinity
.025. The tank is a 90g with 2x 250MH 14000k, and 2 VHO actinics.
I had him placed in the sand bed, but recently moved him under my
frag rack. Assuming the reduced light may help him out. On
Saturday Night I gave him a Reef Dip and a strange Black worm and
Bristle worm came off of him. Also, I saw one of my Peppermint
Shrimps picking at his mouth the other night, so looks like I
will have to cover him at night. <Maybe...> What else can I
do to get him back to his normal state? <Better water quality,
feeding likely> I've tried multiple forums with no
resolution! Any advice or help in this matter to cure my brain is
greatly appreciate. He's my favorite piece!!!!!! Pls look at
attached pics! Thanks in advance !!! -Justin <Please read the
above citation areas and the linked files above. Bob
Fenner>
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Re: Open Brain not doing well! Pls
Help/Thanks!! 12/31/08 Hello Crew, >
<Justin> Hey Bob, Thanks for responding back so quickly!!!!
<<Welcome>> > I got a open brain that has not
expanded or shown it's feeding tentacles in over a week.
><Mmmm>I know! Too Strange, but he seems to be getting
better IMO! <<Ah, good>> > This all started when I
added my normal C-balance 2 part solution to my 90g Tank. >
<How added? I hope trust as dissolved via new water added as
during a water change>No! I added to water stream from my
return pump. Did not know I could add during water change. I use
Reef Crystals, so did not want to overdue the Calcium and KH.
<<Best to pre-mix the water, store for days, a week... and
add supplements then... or blend slowly, well in a
sump...>> > As soon as I added the KH part, it
immediately closed up and been that way since. > <Please
see WWM re supplement use... start here: >
http://wetwebmedia.com/calcalkmar.htm> Thanks for the info!
<<Welcome>> > It's mouth has receded a little
bit and has yet to allow itself to feed. > It's not
getting bad, nor is it getting better. I normally feed once a
week, > <... and Trachyphyllia re Feeding: >
http://wetwebmedia.com/trachyfdgfaqs.htm > need to be fed more
often than this...>Ok! Is freeze dried shrimp good or
bad? <<Read on!>> either freeze dried krill or a
piece of frozen shrimp. > <...> > My water conditions
are: 0-ammonia, 0-Nitrate, > <An essential nutrient...>
Good! I try to keep the water clean! <<Still, some nitrate
presence is necessary>> > 0-Nitrite, PH 8.3, Calcium
420ppm, KH 176-196.9ppm range, Temp 80-81*F, Salinity .025. The
tank is a 90g with 2x 250MH 14000k, and 2 VHO actinics. > I
had him placed in the sand bed, but recently moved him under my
frag rack. Assuming the reduced light may help him out. On
Saturday Night I gave him a Reef Dip and a strange Black
worm and Bristle worm came off of him. > Also, I saw one of my
Peppermint Shrimps picking at his mouth the other night, so looks
like I will have to cover him at night. > <Maybe...> The
cover has worked out so far. Got multiple holes in it to allow
flow. <<Good>> > What else can I do to get him
back to his normal state? > <Better water quality, feeding
likely>Based upon the water parameters I noted, is there
anything that is off? Will feed more often! <<Need some
NO3... I would remove part or give up on whatever chemical
filtrant use you have going...>> > I've tried
multiple forums with no resolution! Any advice or help in this
matter to cure my brain is greatly appreciate. He's my
favorite piece!!!!!! > Pls look at attached pics! > Thanks
in advance !!! > -Justin > <Please read the above
citation areas and the linked files above. Bob Fenner> Thanks
for the help Bob. Happy New Year!! Wish my Brain luck!! :)
<<Mine too! D'oh!!! BobF>>
Re: Open Brain not doing well! Pls
Help/Thanks!! 1/4/09 Hey Bob and Crew, <Hello
again Justin> The Trachy is making an awesome recovery.
<Ah, good!> Even though his mouth is recovering, he can
still eat from what I can see. How often shall I feed him to
speed up his recovery??? <See WWM... two, three times per
week> And Peppermint shrimp are they really safe with these
types of "fleshy" corals? <Usually, yes> I ask
cause I've seen them steal and eat from the mouth of this
Trachy and I suspect them in aiding into his decline the past
couple of weeks. Shall I pull them out of the tank??? <Or
screen him out for now... like with an all plastic colander or
"berry basket" turned over the specimen> Thanks for
all the help! Justin L. <Welcome. Bob Fenner>
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Open Brain Coral Help, hlth. 11/30/08 Hello
Crew, I'm hoping you can give me some advice on making my green
open brain coral happy again. When I first purchased it it would fully
open and would look like this.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KAYesZ3Ldi9SVZzRSl5a6w After a few
months (beginning of summer) it stopped opening but continued to live.
During this time my nitrates went through the roof, 50 mg/L. Here is
the most it will expand now.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EzTBpRzNs-nVvkTHzmCEhw When
completely closed it looks like this
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HEJB1__C8iAbesZGeISA5Q First of
all can you confirm that this is an Open Brain coral? <The common
name "open brain coral" can be used for different species...
Lobophyllia, Symphyllia, Trachyphylliidae, etc. See here:
http://www.asira.org/lobophylliasymphylliaothermussideans
http://www.asira.org/trachyphylliidae > Perhaps the person at the
LFS was incorrect. I've seen other open brains before but these had
a skeleton that ran around the perimeter of the coral. This specimen
has ridges with individual polyps with mouths between the ridges. I
have also never seen this specimen put out sweeper tentacles. When the
coral first stopped opening I thought it was because my Ocellaris clown
was hosting it.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hPndSXqGFGsEF4m-8dREQA It has
since stopped doing. I do see my yellow tang occasionally picking at it
as if there is something growing on it. It doesn't remove any flesh
from it as far as I can tell. <The fish was/is likely picking of
pods or other snacks on the coral...> Here is what I have done so
far: 1. Installed a refugium with a deep sand bed and also included
Chaeto algae. Nitrates dropped to 10 mg/L one month ago. They are now
at 0.5 mg/L and still dropping as measured with a Salifert kit.
<very good> 2. Replaced my PC fluorescent bulbs one month ago
(260W total 2 10,000K bulbs and 2 actinic bulbs). They had been
installed for about a year. I also added some supplemental lighting
using 4 6500K spiral compact fluorescent bulbs (100W total). 3. I
lowered my temperature from 79 degF to 75 degF over the course of the
last three weeks. <Bad idea... corals should be in water at about 80
to 82F> I remembered that at the beginning of the summer I raised
the tank temp to 79 degF because I realized that the water temp was
fluctuating with the room temp during the day when the house was
getting hot. Perhaps it didn't like the higher temp. Lowering the
temperature seems to have made some improvement. It expands a little
but never fully anymore. All my other inverts are doing great. My
Pom-pom Xenia pulses like crazy and is spreading like a weed. I have
Star Polyps, Frogspawn and Tooth Coral that are also growing and
spreading. My green bubble tip anemone which was shrinking before
replacing the bulbs is now growing again. Here are my tank parameters:
72 gallon with apx 80 lbs live rock Tank age: 13 months Nitrate: 0.5
mg/L <Try to lower this if you can.> pH: 8.1 Alkalinity: 2.5
Calcium: 420 Temp: 75 degF Specific Gravity: 1.024 <SG of 1.025 to
1.026 would be better for the coral.> Any advice you can provide
will be greatly appreciated. <Do you have a lid on this tank? If so,
take it off. Other than that, I would recommend some activated carbon
filtration. Also, try target feeding the coral at night (after lights
out). Turn the pumps off for about an hour. Do this daily for a week or
so and see if this doesn't help improve the coral's
extension.> Thanks, Paul <Good luck, Sara M.>
There's a crab living in my brain!
11/26/08 Crew - In the picture below you will see my
green open brain (Trachyphyllia geoffroyi) coral that I've
had for about a year now. As will see there is a very dark, black
in fact, spot on the tissue of the brain. In the center, if you
look real close, you will see a raised almost circular disk. That
"disk" if you will is the shell of a very small what I
presume to be hermit crab (I can actually see tiny claws emerge
from behind the disk when I feed the brain!). <Mmm, not likely
a "Hermit", but other animal... perhaps a Squat
Lobster: http://wetwebmedia.com/galatheids.htm> The crab has
inhabited the brain since I purchased the coral but at that point
I had no clue that it'd be a crab actually living within the
tissue of the animal as I thought the disk to be a natural part
of the coral (it was not black when I bought the animal). Ok, so
where do go from here? <"Which is the way to
beer?"> I can tell you that the coral does not appear to
be stressed (but who really knows) about the ordeal but I have to
imagine that there could be a down side here at some point. Or
maybe I am wrong and there is a natural symbiotic relationship
between the two living beings and life goes on. <This is the
route I would go> So, there you have it; your response much
appreciated for sure.
[IMG]http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p151/gdevine_photo/OpenBrainwithHerm
it.jpg[/IMG] <There are many types and degrees of "living
together"... that can be more deleterious to the host than
what one might desire... But in this case... you've had both
of these animals for "about a year now"... I'd keep
both and enjoy them... Perhaps the Galatheid "does
things" for the Trachyphylliid... keeps out other, more
harmful predators perchance. Bob Fenner>
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Trachyphyllia Health Question/Help 7/9/08
Dear Crew, <Mike Maddox here with you this afternoon> I
have a Trachyphyllia geoffroyi (sold to me as a Wellsophyllia)
that I've had for about 8 months. <Cool corals> I fear
that it has started to deteriorate and/or die. <Hardy
specimens as a rule, just need lots of food> When I first
purchased it, it was beautiful - red and tan striped and always
puffed up at night with very sticky tentacles out and ready for
food. It has slowly started to fade - its red coloration is now
very faded, and it looks very retracted most of the time (I can
see the ridges of its skeleton through its flesh), although it
does puff up a bit at night. I have been feeding each
"mouth" pieces of silverside soaked in Selcon about
once per week, and I also squirt Cyclop-eeze around it with a
turkey baster when I'm feeding my Capnella. Unfortunately,
however, my Cleaner Shrimps tend to sneak in while I'm not
looking and steal the silversides. From time to time, I have
tried to cover the Open Brain to protect its food, but, and
I'm sorry to say, I know I've fallen down on the job with
this coral and not paid enough attention to ensure that it is
healthy. I take the blame for its demise but I am committed to
bringing this animal back from the dead. More troubling, however,
is that I noticed last night that a portion of its skeleton is
showing and there is some tissue recession. My Copper Band
Butterfly was picking at this area. I immediately got it out of
my tank (a 110g), dabbed the exposed skeleton/tissue with
Lugol's, and placed it in my 30g cube with no shrimps (other
than a Pistol Shrimp - the water parameters between my two tanks
are pretty much identical). I then fed each of its 3 mouths a
piece of Selcon-soaked silverside, and it did eat them. This
morning when I checked on it, it had puffed up nicely, as it used
to do after a nice meal. The lighting in my 110g is 2x250W HQI
(14,000K). <Waaay too much lighting for this species! It's
depressingly common for aquarists (especially for the
"fad" aquarists frequenting RC and the like - those
types literally put halides on their nano tanks!) to greatly
'over-light' their reef tanks these days. This is an
"LPS" coral that in the wild lives on sandy bottoms in
less-than-clear water> The lighting in my 30g (which is
17" or 18" deep, but I have a 4" DSB) is 2 x
10,000K 24W HO T5s and 2 x 420nm 24W T5s. <Much more
appropriate lighting for this coral. I normally would warn you
against moving an already deteriorating animal, but in this case
I think it's a good thing> I know this is probably not
enough light for this coral, but I would rather it be in the 30g
until it can recover. <Sounds like the ideal environment,
actually - I'd keep it there permanently> My plan is to
feed this coral every night with Selcon-soaked silversides. Is
there anything else I can do to help it recover? <Feed every
day, and introduce a bit of variety as well. Any minced, meaty
seafood will work. Once it's recovered (and it likely will)
feed 3x a week> Once it recovers, I am considering trading it
back to my LFS because I don't want to keep it in my 30g and
I think my 110g is just not hospitable. <You're right
about the 110 not being ideal> As always, thank you for your
help. <Anytime> Andy <M. Maddox>
Re: Trachyphyllia Health Question/Help 7/9/08 Mike,
thanks for the quick response. <Gone back studying. BobF
here> Just for the record, the Open Brain was positioned in a
relatively shaded area of my tank, not directly under either of
the halides. My tank is 30" deep, and the lights sit up
another 6 or 7". <Mmm, I would position this
animal/colony more in direct light at this depth> I would love
to keep this coral once it recovers, but it is just too big for
my little 30g. Moreover, I have a Yellow Watchman Goby/Pistol
Shrimp and a Pearly Jawfish in the 30g, which are constantly
reorganizing things and tossing sand everywhere. Would that
irritate the coral? Andy <Possibly so... Perhaps it can be set
up a bit higher, raised on a bowl shaped rock, above the bottom a
few inches. Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/trachysysfaqs.htm and the linked files
above. Bob Fenner>
Trachyphyllia geoffroyi - Follow Up for
Mike M./Bob F 7/12/08 Hey Crew. I always
like to update you guys/gals on issues with which you've
helped me. Unfortunately, I've deleted the correspondence
that I sent/received last week and can't for the life of
me find it on WWM by searching, so I apologize . . .
Hopefully, you remember that I wrote to WWM about my Open
Brain that wasn't doing so well in my 110g under 500W of
HQI. It was shriveled and had some tissue recession--my
Copper Band Butterfly was picking at it. I moved it to my 30g
tank with 2x24W 10,000K and 2x420nm T5s. Mike Maddox/Bob F
answered some questions for me. Anyway . . I've been
feeding it silversides and/or raw oyster soaked in Selcon
every night, and wouldn't you know it . . . the injured
portion of the Open Brain has healed and the coral looks
better than it has ever looked (other than the bleached
color). It opens up way more than it ever did in my 110g.
What a difference 5 days, attention and good conditions can
make . . . I've attached a picture of what it looks like
now. I wish I had a picture of the "before" so you
could see the difference. Thanks for your guidance. I think
I'm going to keep this animal in my 30g even though it
takes up a lot of space--I hope to bring back it's
beautiful red/brown coloration. Cheers! Andy <Ahh! Thank
you for this follow-up. Congratulations on your success.
BobF> |
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Bleaching Open Brain - 6/29/08 Hey <Hello> I just
started with my corals and as a common beginner mistake, I believe I
photoshocked my open brain coral. This is evident by the excretion of
goo like substance, most probably the symbiotic Zooxanthellae. I was
wondering if the coral can recover from this or would I have to watch
it waste away? Any remedies? <If this coral has bleached it will
need very clean water and extra feeding while it adjusts to the new
light and regrows symbionts. Feeding small pieces of squid, fish, or
shrimp when the tentacles are out will keep this coral alive until the
algae return. Benjamin>
Help with an Open Brain, allelopathy
likely 6/18/08 Hello WWM Crew! <Mike> I have
a 14G Oceanic Bio-Cube. It's been an amazing tank, and I have
been fortunate enough to have had minimal problems with it. In
fact, it's been a dream tank for the most part. In the tank: 1
Clownfish 1 6 Line Wrasse <... needs more room than this> 1
Cleaner Shrimp Hermits 2 Cerith Snails 3 margarita snails Some
Green Mushrooms Purple Mushrooms Pipe Organ Coral Leather Coral
<... ditto> Open Brain Coral <... the loser here>
(I'm upgrading to a new 34 gallon Solana Aquarium in July with
MH lights! http://www.current-usa.com/solana.html ) <Oh! Much
better!> My tank seemed to take a turn for the worse in the
spring. It's been perfect for years and then something just
seemed to happen. My frogspawn started splitting, which was amazing
to watch. <But due to what prompting? Stress?> until pieces
started rotting and falling off. <Ah, yes> I tried hard to
save it, but no avail. My Pipe Organ coral also started to have
some problems (and from what I hear that is a good indication of
poor water quality). <Mmm, can be... in this case,
allelopathy> So I increased my water changes, and made sure to
diligently test the water. <Good moves> Small changes,
multiple times a week and a 30% water change at the end of every
month. Readings have been perfect. When things didn't get
better I took samples to my LFS, hoping they would find something,
and they have confirmed near perfect water quality. Only one thing
out of whack, I do have high calcium. around 500 but they said it
wasn't harmful. Is that true? <Likely so... as long as you
have adequate alkalinity, magnesium...> The Pipe Organ is doing
better, the Mushrooms, Leather Coral, and various frags are doing
amazing (but they are hearty to begin with). My problem, is with my
beautiful open brain coral (image attached). <I see> I read
through the forums and have some ideas to implement. The image I
have attached shows something I haven't been able to find on
your site. in the middle of the brain coral, between the mouth and
the mantle, there are 4 pieces of skeleton that are black in color.
What is that!? <Algal et al. opportunistic growth on damaged,
dying tissue living on septal teeth> As you can see, the open
brain is slowly receding, making parts of the skeleton around the
circumference visible. I read on the forums that in this state, the
brains won't be able to survive on photosynthesis and normal
feeding (I feed the system with a Phytoplankton twice a week),
<... most everything here doesn't eat such> so now
whenever the mouth is open I target feed it. It seems to react
positively. The mouth eventually closes, and the coral puffs up.
And when I say puffs up I mean puffs up. It inflates like a
balloon. And then next day it seems to recede a bit more (or so it
appears). When it puffs up the black pieces are not visible. It was
recommended to me that I add a Strontium supplement into my
routine, but it doesn't seem to be doing much. I also
supplement with Iodine once a week for the shrimp. <Good> You
will also see some algae growing on the exposed skeleton. I read
something about Boring Green Algae or something like that, but it
didn't seem to fit. Thoughts? <... secondary> To
complicate the matters, my Clownfish , even with a nice big
frogspawn and leather coral, has hosted in the brain coral (and has
for years). They seem to be fine with one another. In this state
though, I'm afraid he is hindering the healing of the brain. At
times he can be found, "splashing and rolling around in
it" . He gets very aggressive to others that come near it,
flipping over snails and such. I think he may have ushered a few of
them into the brain while trying to get them away. Perhaps that
started the downward spiral? <Possibly> So, there it is. The
only other thing I can think of that has changed is that I had to
purchase a new type of salt. I have religiously used Instant Ocean,
but recently had to switch to KENT (which is apparently supposed to
be better for corals). Would that have made a difference? As for
suggested ways to fix it, I have been given the following advice so
far: <I'd switch back> 1) Someone suggested that I put a
cube of shrimp or worms in the center and then cover the brain with
a clear glass cup. Seems strange to me, but your thoughts?
<Nah> 2) Someone also suggested I try scraping off any algae
on the skeleton, and scrape the dark stuff away. but I'm
worried that will do more harm than good. <Correct> 3)
Freshwater Dip - but then I heard that it would just rupture the
cells that are left <Nope> 4) Quarantine it <Moving it
period is the route to go> What would you recommend and not
recommend? At my wit's end here, any help would be appreciated.
wit Thanks again for all your help. You have a tremendous site, and
a great group of talented people. Don't know what we would do
without you! Thanks, Mike <Hurry along that new tank and read
here: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm and the linked files
above. Bob Fenner> |
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Help with my Brain'¦(he means the one in his
tank) 4/1/08 Hello! <<What's up Rob?>> I have
a 65 gallon (love this size!) tank with a built in overflow. The
overflow has a 1" drain and a 3/4" return. (MegaFlow my a$#)
They both are used as drains, the 3/4" goes to my refugium. It is
a 30 gallon rubber tub with 4" live sand and Chaeto that
completely fills it! The 1 1/2" bulkhead drains from this refugium
into a ten or so gallon area that houses a diy skimmer (very pleased
with it!), heaters and carbon. This area also receives the water from
the 1" overflow on the main tank. Water is then run back to the
tank via a "little giant mdc-x" I believe. It is rated 1100
per hour. Water is run into a 1" PVC closed loop with four
1/2" outputs that were heated and squeezed at the ends.
<<Sounds like a well thought out and planned closed
system.>> Main tank; 1/2" to an inch of crushed coral 104#s
of live rock No fish, <<An interesting and admirable approach I
might add.>> three fingers, a green toadstool, a red and teal
open brain and a couple mushrooms. All up and running for over a year.
The tank is lit by two 175 watt bulbs, one 10k and the other 20k. The
refugium is on reverse light cycle and is lit by two 65 watt 12k
PC's. Water; nitrite and ammonia-0 nitrate-0-.5 pH-8.2 Alk- 13dkh
calcium-ran out of the tests.. oops was around 450 temp fluctuates
between 77 and 80 <<Temp fluctuates a little too much for my
tastes but otherwise sounds very good.>> I have no algae problems
and everything is quite stable. I prefer light stocking, although I
want to add more a little at a time. Okay, several questions! My open
brain has bad tissue loss, it has reached one of its mouths! I admit, I
have been on the road a lot lately and have neglected my duty a bit.
There were probably times where it was fed only once a week, maybe
less! I know. its not fair to the animals! It still eats, in fact I am
still able to feed the mouth that is reduced to half its former glory.
I am feeding fresh gulf shrimp and clam. I will feed it as often as it
will eat until it hopefully recovers. It gets light only from the 20k
bulb, shaded from the 10k. I cant imagine this is too much light, the
tank is two feet deep and it doesn't expand to the point that makes
me think its reaching for light. It gets just enough current to gently
move the flesh now and again. I am adding iodide daily. Should I
increase flow, lighting...anything? <<Honestly it sounds like you
are on the right track, I wouldn't change much if anything'¦.just be as consistent you can.>>> My water
seems fine, I am back to weekly 5 to ten gallon water changes. I use
instant ocean aged for at least two or three days. Only R.O. water is
used for mixing salt and my top off unit. The top off water is buffered
before use. Another question! I have not noticed much growth in my
coral over the past year. I feed my refugium weekly with some flakes or
scraps from the food cuttings for the brain. It is full of little white
stars and Amphi/cope pods! I have baby snails (Margarita) coming out of
my...and there is good Coralline growth. Is there a need to house a
small fish or two for nutrients or something? <<A need to?
No'¦would it hurt, I don't think so'¦as long as
you made the right choice. It does sound as if your cnidarians could be
a little nutrient deprived though, a little extra feeding would
certainly not hurt.>> Other than the feeding the fuge and the
brain, I add no other foods. <<Google, Eric H. Borneman coral
feeding re: this.>> I do not get it! I have noticed that when I
turn my Chaeto over and the tank clouds up a little, that the little
hard tubes on my live rock shoot out what look to be old dusty spider
webs. It makes me want to stick a feather duster in there and clean it
out! I think I know the answer, but just to be safe, could these little
guys irritate my coral? <<No, harmless.>> I really
appreciate your role in this hobby, you are all a great source of help!
<<You are on the right track, keep going'¦good
luck.>> Thank you! Rob <<Adam J.>>
Brain Coral Damage, supplement use
3/3/08 Hello, <Greg> I recently made the mistake of adding
some powdered pH buffer (Sea Buffer by Aquarium Systems) directly to my
tank. <Such supplements should be added to and through water change
water... dissolved...> Found out the open brain coral did not like
this at all.? It began secreting a lot of clear mucous.? I think some
of the powder probably touched the coral before dissolving.? I removed
as much slime as possible and waited to see if the coral recovered.?
The slime production stopped and the coral re-opened.? However, after a
week or so I noticed a small part of the coral was not opening fully.?
There is a small (< 1/4") area that has developed a whitish
patch with something sloughing off.? Coral continues to open daily
(except for damaged area) and everything else appears normal.? I am
thinking some type of infection has taken hold in this area.? Is this
coral toast from the pH buffer contact or is there some chance the
tissue will heal?? <The latter... with good care, time...>
Anything I can do to help the tissue heal?? Lastly, how and when will I
know if this is a no win situation and I need to removal the coral
before polluting the tank. Thanks, Greg <Iodine/ate, improved
feeding... See WWM re. Bob Fenner>
Open Brain Coral... ID, hlth... 2/25/08
Greetings WWM, <<G'Morning. Andrew today>> I have
acquired and open brain coral, I stuck him on the bottom of the tank in
the substrate and he was all closed up and now he has puffed up like a
balloon is this normal? My water perimeters are great any suggestions?
Thanks from Colorado <<Species of coral? Would always prefer to
know you exact water parameters. <<Sometimes, yes this is normal
for an open brain to bloat up as its creating more surface area for
feeding. Maybe provide a photograph to enable us to better look at the
coral>> <<Hope this helps. A Nixon>>
Return Pump
Flow--How Much Is Too Much? -- 02/18/08 Greetings WWM Crew,
<<Hello Bill>> Here is my situation. I have an AGA
180-gallon RR tank with the 'MegaFlow' system--sort of.
<<Mmm'¦>> The ¾-inch return is now
1-inch, and the drains are 1 ¼-inch instead of 1-inch. The
'MegaFlows' have been replaced with Durso's. <<I
see'¦ I do hope this means you increased the size of the
holes/bulkheads in the tank'¦not just an upsizing of the
pipe>> I drilled out the 'teeth' in the overflows and
siliconed black plastic gutter guard in its place. My tank has an
Ocean-Motions 4 way Closed-loop plumbed according to Paul's
suggestion. This all drains in to an 85-gallon 'fuge,
<<Sweet>> and then to a 90-gallon sump. <<Really
sweet>> My skimmer is in the sump. The return I was using was a
Mag 1800, and up until last Tuesday it worked fine--then BAMM.
<<Hate it when that happens'¦ I have used these and do
think the Mag-Drive pumps usually serve pretty well, for the
money 'but I made the 'switch' to Ocean-Runner a while
back and have been very pleased with the result 'and when/if
you can get them big enough, Eheim is even better>> A friend of
mine that owns/runs an LFS said he had a 'new' (used for 5
minutes) pump he would sell me, so OK, I'm good to go right. The
pump is an Eco-Plus rated at 4950gph. <<Yikes! Much too much flow
for your overflows 'or are we talking 'closed-loop'
here?>> New plumbing was done--ball valve etc., etc., and I
turned the pump on--(now don't get ahead of me, I know what you are
thinking--but the ball valve WAS turned to 1/2 to start)
<<Mmm'¦okay'¦>> Oh, I forgot--I installed
a "Calfo Manifold" around the top of the tank in 1 inch PVC
in place of the double returns already in use. <<Very
nice>> I'm figuring my flow at about 3800 to 4000 gph--just
from the return. <<Not with 'two 1 ¼-inch drain
bulkheads' my friend (would only safely drain about 1000gph en
toto). I must assume this is a closed-loop>> With the 1-inch
return manifold--it has 12 outlets around the top--I can turn the valve
to 3/4 open with no problem. With ½-inch reducers in the
outlets, and with capped 45 degree pieces drilled with a small hole
attached, I can open the valve all the way, without overflowing the
tank. <<Okay, this 'must' be a true closed-loop
then'¦no way you would be running this much water through your
sump/through two 1 ¼-inch gravity drain lines>> I also
have 2 Koralia #4--1200gph each in the rear corners. My 'buddy'
at the LFS says it can never be enough flow. Is this too much flow
????? Thanks in advance, Bill Fletcher <<Well Bill, that depends
much on your livestock's requirements/placement and how this flow
is 'arranged' in the tank. A common rule-of-thumb for marine
systems is to have a water-flow rate of at least ten-times the
tank's stated volume. For your tank of course that would be
1800gph. I have heard of some hobbyists with flow rates of 50-times and
more their tank's volume. I believe 'lots of flow' is very
beneficial if applied properly'¦my own tank boasts more than
30-times the tank volume in water flow. I also believe the majority of
hobbyists 'don't have enough' flow in their tanks. So to
answer your question'¦if the animals in your system are not
having their flesh blasted from them'¦if the animals in your
system exhibit health and vigor, and the corals are not
'closed-up' all the time as a result of the flow'¦then
no, this is not too much flow. Regards, Eric Russell>>
Re: Return Pump Flow--How Much Is Too Much? -
02/19/08 THANKS for the reply Eric. <<Happy to assist,
Bill>> To start, the pump in question IS the tank return pump. On
my OM 4 way, I have a DART. <<Ah, thank you for the
clarification. I must say I think either there is something I have
missed, or the pump is encountering a 'bunch' of headloss as
there is no way two 1¼' gravity drains handling the flow
volume you mention (4,000gph+)>> Each return has 6 one inch
"T"s around the top of the tank, into which a 1" to 1/2
" reducer is placed, with a 45 degree PVC piece placed into that,
and then capped and drilled with a small, not real small, hole drilled
in the end. <<So'¦the water is returned to the tank via
these small holes in the caps? Well, that would explain how the drains
can handle the flow with the valve from the pump wide-open (the
'holes' are GREATLY restricting water flow)>> This allows
me to swivel the 45's left or right, and raise or lower the
"T"s as needed. The drain and return tank bulkheads were
re-drilled to accommodate the tubing upgrades.
<<Excellent'¦too bad you just didn't go a little
larger on the drains [grin]>> I did forget to add/state that ALL
plumbing is in the basement which is just behind the wall that the tank
sits in front of. <<Cool'¦does make plumbing/dealing
with some associated hassles a bit easier>> As of now,
everybody--all the animals in the tank--- appear to be doing very
well--I did tweak the 'nozzles' initially so as not to blast
anybody--so all is well. <<Very good>> THANKS again for ALL
you do for us in the hobby--where would we be without your help and
knowledge. Bill <<Rewarding and encouraging to read'¦We
are pleased to be of service. EricR>>
Open Brain Coral Question, overly lit hlth.
ish 2-18-06 Hey sorry to bother you. <No
worries> I've just recently picked up a 250w MH ballast
and XM 10000k bulb for my 75g tank. <A little bright there -
shallow water 'sps'?> I now have a few open brains..
one of them seems to be "droopy" like. <Guess not -
your lighting is excessive for 'LPS' corals, I would
seriously consider downgrading. Regardless of popular opinion,
throwing high wattage halides over everything is simply not
necessary, with the exception of a few species of course> It
is a metallic green open brain. It expands during the day and
opens up at night to feed...but when it expands during the day it
seems really thinned out and the on side of it seems to hang down
(left side in photo). Could this be a light problem? <Sure -
especially if it wasn't doing this before the upgrade, and
all water parameters are nominal> Water is great I test almost
everything except iodine. <Numbers are usually requested, but
okay> I think I bought it from underneath a few T5's. I
had brought it home and sat it in the substrate off to the side
for about a week before moving it more towards the center. Could
I have moved it into intense light too fast? <Yes, and yes,
and it may never acclimate to the brighter lighting, or if it
does, it may not open as far as it did> I fed it for the first
time after 2 weeks of having it. Could this be a hunger thing?
<Possibly, but not as likely, though you should have fed it
sooner. I recommend feeding more often - twice a week should
suffice> I bought some shrimp, successfully fed it and
haven't noticed any change in appearance. Everything else in
my tank is doing great. Could you shoot me any advice? Like
moving it to a new location, or is this coral dying on me?
<From the picture, I'd say nothing is wrong with the coral
- but you are going to know better than I am, as you see it every
day. I'd say if anything, the lighting is too intense>
Also it is in not heavy but moderate water flow. Could this be a
problem? <Doubtfully> Thanks a lot guys. <Sure thing -
when emailing us in the future, please make sure to use correct
spelling, capitalization, and punctuation> Jason <M.
Maddox>
Open Brain Coral Question Part Deuce
2-19-06 Good morning. <For those of us without chem lab,
yep ;)> Thank you for the quick response. <Sure> You say
I should downgrade my light set-up? I cannot do that, but I was
wondering...is there any way I could block some of the light
intensity by using typical black screen in between it and the
water? Would this work or is it a long shot? <It would work
fine - window screens work wonders in this situation. However,
unless you're keeping animals that require that much light,
why not sell/return your lights and get a 175w setup, or
T5's? Cheaper, less electricity/heat, etc> I really have
no way to move and mount the light anywhere else. It is where it
is. Another thing, what if I were to buy a 15000k or 20000k bulb
instead ( I hate the colour of my 10000k neways )? Probably wont
make any difference will it? <It will, actually - the farther
you move from the ~5500-6500k range the less photoactive
radiation (PAR) there is going to be, and wavelength intensity
decreases as well, if I remember correctly> Any overall
suggestions on killing off some of the intensity from the light?
<See above> Jason <M. Maddox>
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