Feeding a sick open brain

[ACBlinky]

I bought a bleached open brain from the LFS a few weeks ago for a few dollars, knowing I'd need to feed it well to nurse it back to health. At first it took food, but now it's refusing anything I feed it. I'm at a loss. I've tried Mysis, plankton, fish food pellets, Cyclop-eeze, 'Marine Cuisine', brine and squid - nothing works. Tonight it accepted a small piece of squid, only to spit it back out an hour later.

Tank conditions:
pH 8.3
8dKH
sg 1.025
Ca 470
Mg ~1300
NH3/NO2 0
NO3 5

The brain is in low-medium flow, on the sandbed 24" below 130W PC (daylight) & 28W T5 (actinic). It's not expanding during the day and only sometimes extends feeding tentacles at night. When it does I spot-feed with some larger food as well as some zooplankton. I have tried feeding it during the day as well as after lights-out, it doesn't seem to make a difference.

I'd appreciate any pointers, I don't want to lose the little guy.

[ReeferAl]

Once it will no longer eat it is probably a goner. Even eating takes energy and it just may not have any reserve. Good luck.

[ACBlinky]

Thanks for the reply.
This may sound silly, but is there anything that corals find particularly 'tasty'? The brain will take some foods but spits them out, which says to me that maybe it still has the energy to eat, but doesn't like what it's getting.

[brad23]

I'm having this problem as well, I put food in my brains mouth and it spits it back out.

[jedimike]

When my open brain started bleaching, it was because of the lighting. Once I moved it to a "shady" area, the color came right back. Also, I have read that they can't be touching anything... so you have to have them in an open piece of sand.

I feed my open brain 1/4" to 1/2" pieces of silverside 2-3 times a week.

[ACBlinky]

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it. I got the little guy to take some very small pieces of Mysis last night, and he hung onto it. There's hope yet
This brain definitely bleached because of lighting - the LFS had placed him 10" below brand new MHs and must have just shocked the heck out of him.
I've got him 24" below 130W PC & 28W T5 so it's not too bright. He's on the sand and not touching anything, I made sure of that. There's an overhang nearby that I could move him under, my only concern is that it's the cleaner shrimp's 'station'; he hangs upsidedown there waiting for customers all day and might disturb the brain. Since he ate last night I'm going to leave him alone for now and just keep crossing my fingers that he eats again tonight

[catdoc]

Mine will spit out food if it's too big. Mine seems to like mysis shrimp-sized food. It used to be that it would only feed after the lights went out (it was bleached too). Now, its feeding tentacles come out everytime I feed the tank. Sometimes I have to give my peppermint shrimp something to keep him entertained or he'll steal food from the brain.