Don't Understand What has Happened to my Brain!!
 

I am not to sure what has happened to my brain. It was open before christmas but not since then. Here are some pics.

Before:
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...h/100_2947.jpg

Now:
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...h/100_3030.jpg

Any idea's??? It still is feeding, when the light's go out it puffs up a little and feed's but thats it.

reply
 

Too much light? Sometimes corals deflate to protect themselves from too much light. If you think this might be the case, try moving it to a dimmer area of the tank for a while.

I am up for anything at this point. I got it from a fellow canreefer who have the same tank but I am not sure exactly what he has for light's . It was like this for a couple of week after I got it and them it opened up for a while but not now.

Less flow? Something by it stinging it? More food?

Hi Kelly

It is in the same place that it was when it was open. There is nothing near it at all except my other brain. I feed it every night and have started to add amino acid to my tank. I think I might try to move it to a shadier spot see what happens

My brain did the same thing when I first got it. It was sitting on the sand bed and that was too much light for it. I ended up putting it under an overhang (the edge of the overhang) where the only light it got was the light that bent around the overhang. It now stays puffed up all the time.

There may be something picking on it. Many fish like to nip at Brains.

My guesses are nipping, light shock, or parameter shock.

I was also thinking of nipping. What fish do you have in the tank with it?

Coral Beauty
Regal Tang
Fox Face
Yellow Tang
2 - BG Chromis
2 - Blue Reef Comis
Azure Damsel
6 Line Wras
Blue Spot Goby
Orange Spot Goby
Spotted Hawkfish
3 False Perc's

But I watch my tank every night and have never seen anything picking at it.

Phos parameter went a little hinky around xmas but are back in check now. I got to it very fast. Have been building up my Mg level as it was almost 0.

My purple tang was nipping at an open brain for a month or more before I separated the two. I think I only ever saw him do it once because he vary rarely would. If you cant move the brain to another tank you can build an egg crate cage to put around it. If it starts to expand again you'll know if something was picking on it.

If you're magnesium was nearly 0 thats a pretty big problem too... can we have a list with all of the parameters you can test for?

How much are you adjusting the Mg per day? But also check your fish or in extreme cases you should even see little bite marks (if you do then you know it's a livestock issue). Also wouldn't hurt to put it in a shadier spot just to see if it responds.

FWIW of the 3 options I'm thinking light is possibly the most likely, so I'd start with moving it to under an overhand or a tank edge and see where it goes from there.

Good luck!

Salinaty 1.026
Calcium 440
Mg 1250
Amonnia 0
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
PH 8.4
Phos .5
KH 11 dKH

Was doesing the max for the first 5 days, then switched to Reef Cystals and did a small water change of 10% and now it is @ 1250. A little low yet but I am planning on a 20% water change this weekend.

Can't see any nip marks on the brain. Moved it to a diffeent spot closer to the rock but don't really have any shady spot's.

Well I moved both of my brains to a different spot as shaded as posible. My one brain has responded and opened up more then it ever has but not the one I had posted the pic of. Hope it respond's.