Brain & pagoda dont open

[SneakyOwner]

Hi, I have a brain and pagoda that just dont want to open. The brain has been in the tank 3 weeks and is not dying but it just doesnt blow up like it should. It inflates a little at night but still not so much. As for the pagoda it hasnt opened in a year or so. It used to open every other day but now it just doesnt do anything. It doesnt seem to be dead as there is a slimecoat that comes off it once and a while. My water conditions are perfect as well as adequate lighting. My candycane coral and torches are fine so I don't know what the problem is. Any input would be great. Thanks

[framerguy]

Could you be more specific about their placement and flow. They are both substrate dwellers and wont be happy anywhere else. Also give us the exact tank parameter. Are you feeding? Both of them need food given directly to them. Gonis must be fed tiny morsals everyday or at least every other day.

Goniopora.org:::Goniopora Reference Web Site

Here is a good site about Goniopora. Use the food formula or something similar and it should perk up.

Try feeding the brain (I assume Lobophylia? though there are several kinds of "Brain") some krill or silversides. My Lobo eats voraciously!

[SneakyOwner]

My tank is a 125 with 600 watts of power compact 3x96 actinic and 3x96 10000k. The brain is up a little on the rocks as well as the pagoda because my sleeper goby likes to drop sand on things. I feed both of the with DT's marine phytoplankton with a syringe directly into them. The brain does not ever open with tentacles in order to feed it a silver side or a piece since it is small. I work at the lfs and was feeding the open brain in our 29 biocube display and it was open huge with tentacles and all. I just dont know why mine doesnt open like that. Its very sad everything else opens fine. Very frustrating when water parameters are fine as well as vitamins and minerals in the water. I do water changes weekly.

[framerguy]

I still suggest putting them on the substrate even though they may get sprinkled with sand. Use a turkey baster to dust them off.

Both of these animals eat animal based matter (zooplankton). Phytoplankton is plant based and is not giving them the nutrition they need. No doubt some of the corals in the tank benefit from the phyto so continue to use a little. You could use the phyto to thaw out a meat based "mush" to create your own zooplankton. That's what I do and it works. In a blender combine meat based products such as shrimp (with shells on), clams, oysters, ocean caught fish, etc. Blend well with vitamins (Selcon) and freeze flat in a freezer bag. Then break off pieces to thaw in the phyto. Turn off the filtration system and use the turkey baster to SLOWLY and GENTLY feed the goni and brain the food. Feeding too forcefully will cause the goni to retract and not eat.

I'm not sure why the brain isn't extending tentacles. What kind is it?

[SneakyOwner]

I'm really not sure but I moved it to the sand and gave it some phytoplankton about an hour ago a took this picture figured it would help to let you see what it looks like. Keep in mind at night the brain does inflate to the point where there are no spines visible but still no tentacles.

[goldenmean]

Im not sure what is going on with your Trachy.
It should be inflating during the day when your lights are on and deflating overnight. After light out that is when the feeders may come out. I have had a red open brain for nearly 2 years and he does not use his feeder tentacle often. He does eat but not every time I try to feed him. They do get much of their Nutritional needs from the Symbiotic algae zooxanthellae which is why they are supposed to swell up during the day.

As for your other coral, the pagoda cup, I am confused do you have a Turbinaria or is it a goniopora?

[SneakyOwner]

Its not a gonipora but I've kind of lost hope since it hasnt opened in such a long time. As for the brain I would like to keep that alive as you can see it is very green. I had a thought today with the help of my friends at work that there is some kinda of chemical or something in the water that is pissing it off since the pagoda and brain are both kind of the same. I add dechlorinated tap water when I need to due to evaporation. I'm going to try and get an R/O unit and I'm starting to add R/O to eliminate any possibilities that could cause it to not open.

[goldenmean]

Yes there can be many other things in the tap water beside chlorine.
There must be something that these LPS are sensitive to.
If the polyps of the turbinaria have not opened in a year I would say he is no longer alive.

Can you see any areas where the brains skeleton is showing through the flesh? I mean can you actually see the white? I cant tell from your pic if the white i see is the skeleton or just some white markings on the flesh.

Another thought is that your brain has had some photo shock from your lights. it might not have been used to that much light previously. You might try to put it partly under an overhang to shade it a bit although having it lower in the tank now might help. I have read that greens. like more light than the reds.

Its only been 3 weeks so He could just be acclimating to your tank still. If I remember right it took some time for my red open brain to expand during the day and like I said he rarely uses his feeder tentacles. I am more concerned because the brain doesnt expand during the day than i am because you havent seen feeders. But he might just need some more time

[SneakyOwner]

There are two white spots on it where the flesh is gone to the skeleton but that is because it was knocked over by my stupid blue tang :-/ I bought it from a tank with halides so it may still be adjusting to the light. Im going to continue doing 10 gallon water changes every week and will use R/O to top off so hopefully that should do it and just give it time. The pagoda I dont think is actually dead. The tissue has grow its just that the actual polyp parts dont come out. Every once in a while they start to peek out but then decide to close up again.

[framerguy]

Dang it, Dang it, Dang it, Pagoda! I read it and saw flowerpot and that was that...it was a flowerpot coral! Sorry.

If you use the latin names then I don't do that. UGH!

[goldenmean]

Where are you getting your saltwater? From the LFS you work at? Is it RO?
Have you taken a TDS meter to it? Their RO filters may be in need of a change.

Good luck with them both.

[SneakyOwner]

Originally Posted by framerguy

Dang it, Dang it, Dang it, Pagoda! I read it and saw flowerpot and that was that...it was a flowerpot coral! Sorry.

If you use the latin names then I don't do that. UGH!

Its cool I understood when I clicked the link and said to myself hmm they must of though I said flower pot.

As for my water I don't get water and such from the store I work at. The Saltwater tanks are outside in the sun and its stagnant :-/ ewwy and the R/O membranes havent been changed since 2004. I get water from a friend of mines store where I know it is good. That is where I got the Brain coral.

[framerguy]

I was right about the trachy needing to be on the sand though..

Geez I feel stupid when I do stuff like that.

[JT101]

I usually wait until "lights out" (i.e., only the lunar LEDs on) and that's when my brain coral extends it sweeper tentacles. At that time I am not feeding it a single whole defrosted silverside ("spearing" if you live on Long Island NY where they live in our local waters) or a single LARGE defrosted krill. My brain absolutely loves either one. I am amazed at the appetite this thing has. I have been feeding it like this once every three days.

My palys and sun coral get a little shot of defrosted Cyclop-Eez. I am picking up some DT's Phytoplanton today (I tossed my Kent Marine ZooPlex and PhytoPlex in the trash after reading the Stony Brook University study ). Once in a while I give each polyp of the sunny a defrosted mysis. This is a royal PITA but well worth it.

I use NO flake foods, everything is frozen.

The key is to feed VERY CAREFULLY so that NO food is left floating around in the tank.

[sebastian]

man... i had!!! brain coral like this everything was ok and it didn' want to open.....after 8 weeks i took it back to LFS and after 2 days it openedm so i told them to give me store credit and....ONLY 60% of what i paid.... i 'm buying (use to) a lot from them and after this i told them nicely to k**s ****...so i took it back.....and after 10 more weeks.....gone... i checked everything, all other corals were doing fine... so maybe you can return it for cash credit at LFS (i hope you can get 100%)