Is this coral sick, or injured?

JT101

JT101

Member
I picked up a brownish-purple open brain coral the other day. A day after I got it, I noticed it had a small whitish "glob" on its outer rim. It didn't change for the better or worse.

Today (several days later) I noticed that the spot where the "glob" was is now exposed skeleton! It is about 1/4" wide. The entire coral is only about 4" across when fully inflated.

Questions please:

1. Is this sign of disease or injury?
2. If disease, can it be cured - or spread to my other brain corals?
3. If injury - can it be "healed" or will it eventually heal itself?

Thanks for any assistance!
John
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
I would watch it closely. If it gets bigger then I would carefullyremove the damaged area.
 
JT101

JT101

Member
Sorry for the delay. I was finally able to take a picture of the coral.

As you can see, a large amount of skeleton is now exposed and seems to be growing slightly each day. The coral extends its sweeper tentacles at night, but does not "swell" during the day as much as it did when I first got it.

On the right, you can see another brain coral I got in June that seems quite healthy.

I am getting the distinct inpression that this brownish colored one is "gone" and cannot be saved. However, I am open to ANY suggestions, please!

Thanks
John



Two_Brains.jpg
 
goldenmean

goldenmean

Well-Known Member
I am getting the distinct inpression that this brownish colored one is "gone" and cannot be saved. However, I am open to ANY suggestions, please!
Click to expand...

Hey John don't give up on him yet.
I have seen them look worst than that at my LFS and they can make remarkable comebacks. I wish I knew what would be best for this brain to help him recover. Pristine water quality is probably the most important thing.
I dont know if low or moderate flow or direct light or shaded would be best.
My initial thoughts are to place him under an overhang (at least partially) so he is not getting too much light and I think moderate flow would be good. But honestly I dont know if that is right.
Im sure if you do some research either here on RS or on the internet you will find the info you need to help him. Hopefully someone else will have some experience with a receding brain.
Good Luck!
 
fish wilson

fish wilson

Member
on most skelital species they require stronium and cal for proper growth, as well as iodine for healing. try doing some stronium for tissue resesion.
 
JT101

JT101

Member
fish wilson said:
on most skelital species they require stronium and cal for proper growth, as well as iodine for healing. try doing some stronium for tissue resesion.
Click to expand...


Thanks Fish Wilson. Will this have any ill effect on the healthy one to its right?
 
goldenmean

goldenmean

Well-Known Member
John - I believe Lynn said that before you posted the pic and it sounded like a white growth on the brain not exposed skeleton.
 
JT101

JT101

Member
goldenmean said:
John - I believe Lynn said that before you posted the pic and it sounded like a white growth on the brain not exposed skeleton.
Click to expand...

Actually if you look more carefully at my original post I indicated that it started out as a white glob but a few days later there was exposed skeleton, so that was why I thought she meant to remove the skeleton...
 
goldenmean

goldenmean

Well-Known Member
Trachyphlliidae
Has a little info on disease near the bottom of that post. It does kind of look like something has been stinging that Trachy before you got it. The rest of it looks so healthy.
Since he is extending his sweepers at night I would try to feed him. This will help him heal the damage. If your water quality is good and nothing else is currently stinging him I think he will recover.
 
JT101

JT101

Member
Very strange things going on...

More of the skeleton is showing. I checked my levels last night. Ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 10 (they are always between 5 and 10, so they have not gotten worse), salinity is 1.025, temp is 80F consistent. I don't understand.

Last night I tried to target feed with defrosted Cycop-Eez and even defrosted mysis shrimp (it even though its tentacles were not extended). It did not eat. About 20mins later I saw some tentacles exposed. I tried feeding it again but, whereas when it was new it would produce some kind of sticky sustance and "trap" food particles in this goo (later pulling it inside of itself as it folded in around itself), there was no goo to be seen. So, the food just floated off into the tank for my fish to gobble up.

This morning I noticed that more tentacles are exposed and it seems a little puffier than it has been but I didn't try to feed it.

My palythoa colonies are doing great, and so is my sun coral. So, what could be wrong? Even my zoas are fine.

NOTE: I discovered a huge colony of aptaisia in the back of some of my LR. It is far away from my corals, however, does aptasia produce any kind of waterborne toxins that could be slowly "poisoning" my tank?
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
Never heard of aiptasia doing that but you could certainly run carbon just in case. It won't hurt anything and may help.
 
JT101

JT101

Member
lcstorc said:
Never heard of aiptasia doing that but you could certainly run carbon just in case. It won't hurt anything and may help.
Click to expand...

Thanks Lynn, I'll give that a try. Tonight I plan on zapping all the aptasias with Joes' Juice anyway so I'll have a little more peace of mind.
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
Don't go overboard on the Joes. I had a bunch of aiptasia and tried to kill it all at once. The Joes sent my PH sky high. A small amount does not seem to effect it but don't go overboard.
 
JT101

JT101

Member
lcstorc said:
Don't go overboard on the Joes. I had a bunch of aiptasia and tried to kill it all at once. The Joes sent my PH sky high. A small amount does not seem to effect it but don't go overboard.
Click to expand...

OK, thanks. I have used it before, it its AMAZINGLY effective but it was admittedly only for a couple here and there. This time I have a whole friggin' colony that were growing unknown to me behind a LR.
 
JT101

JT101

Member
Well, it's over.

My new brain coral has receded so much (over 50% skeleton showing) that I decided to take it out. However, before I discarded it, I smelled it. It smelled foul. Now, I admit that I never smelled a brain coral before and didn't really know what was considered a "normal" odor, so I took my other (living) coral out and smelled that one. A very mild "seashore" odor, but not at all objectionable. Switched back to the other one - foul indeed.

It is now sleeping with the garbage. Too bad.

Fortunately, nothing else in my tank seems to have been affected HOWEVER, I NOW notice a slightly lesser amount of "puffing" on my older brain coral, so what I did last night was add a bag of activated carbon in the back chamber. This morning the remaining brain is "puffed up" but much less than it usually is. I am concerned that the dying one may have released some toxins in my tank. I will try a water change (NOT NSW, I will get some Nutri SeaWater for that since I didn't get my RO/DI yet).

PS - All my zoas, palys and my sun coral are fine as well as my inverts and fish.
 
JT101

JT101

Member
My original brain coral seems to be fully recovered from whatever was ailing it. I'll never know if it was the sick one in the tank somehow "poisoning" it, some undetected chemical that I eliminated by the addition of a good hefty sized mesh bag of activated carbon, neither or both:

P1060786.JPG
 
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