Brain Coral

[squidlips02]

My Brain coral is dying and I'm not sure why, I have a couple of theories so I will sound them out, first I have a couple of red shrooms touching part of it, second I thought it may be not enough calcium in the water so I did a test and found it was low but not that bad, I have a few other hard corals in their that don't seem to be effected, I raised the calcium level slowley over the last week, do you think its the shrooms.
Thanx
Steve

[xdusty6920]

doubt the shrooms would hurt it. what kind of lighting do you have? did you check your params? maybe your nitrite or ammonia is a little high. how long has your system been up and how long have you had the brain

[Smo]

Your alk and ph may be outta wack!
What are your water params?
Open or closed brain?
What's it doing to give you the appearance of it dying?
Do you have too much light or have you changed your tank lighting recently?

[marie]

Mushrooms could definitely hurt it if they are touching the tissue anywhere. Move the brain coral, asap away from the shrooms and keep the affected clean in good (for a lps coral) water flow. Maybe feed a bit more often for awhile until it heals:D

Mushrooms can and will hurt or kill anything near them.

[ubas]

Are you target feeding it, preferrably after the lights are out?

[sedesh]

Hard to say without knowing anything about the tank, but ubastid has a point. Most brains rely quite a bit on feeding to keep them doing well. You may have a bunch of other inverts doing great that just have different requirements than your brain. Check the lighting / feeding / flow requirements of your specific brain and make sure you are satisfying all these needs. Also, sometimes you can get corals that are already on a "downward spiral" due to tissue damage or other problems incurred prior to your acquiring them.

As far as chemical warfare, I think a brain would be more of a threat to your mushrooms rather than vice versa UNLESS the brain was already unhappy based on some other problem.

[marie]

I have had mushrooms melt a head from a hammer coral, they have almost done in a colt coral and they have tried to do in a fox coral. This is all not chemical warfare but from direct contact from mushrooms. In all instances the corals have pulled through after i have scraped or moved the mushroom off of the coral.

Never underestimate the power of the shroom:p :D

[squidlips02]

OK guys
amonia is nil
nitrate is 5ppm
ph is 8.1
I did change my lighting recently I changed a 10,000 for a 20,000 MH just recently, I have had the brain for about three months, the reason I think it is dying is nearly 40% of it has turned white, I am not too sure about what type of brain it is I will post again with a pic, I am not target feeding it but I make sure it is in the path of the food, it has been doing realy well since I have had it all my water perameters have been the same since I started the tank 28 dec 04, the only things that have changed is my MH light as mentioned and the shrooms are now touching it.
Thanx
Steve

[squidlips02]

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/77457brain.jpg




OK this is the brain about 6weeks ago, most of it is now white hope I can save it.

[Smo]

The following excerpt was taken from the NewsGroup alt.aquaria 11/02/1992:
These corals will open their polyps at night and extend tentacles out in
search of food. That is normal behavior. Most non-fleshy stony corals ex-
tend their tentacles during the night. The polyps fold over or close during
daylight hours. This allows the symbiotic algaes to receive light.
You should see the outer membrane during the day which is stretched out
covering the coral skeleton. If parts of the skeleton are visible (ie -
white calcium structure) than the coral has receded a little. You should
watch the tentacles at night and guard against any coral to coral battles
due to tentacle touching.
My red Favites sp. receded in one spot where an Euphyllia ancora stinging
tentacle touched it. The F. sp. was moved away and has completely recovered.
The E. ancora is still extending 4 inch stinging tentacles in the area which
previously contained the F. sp..

Steve Tyree - Reef Breeder

So check your closed brain at night and see what is going on. Move the shrooms, cut em' back, or move the brain. You may wish to give him a little shade from that new light.
He is stressed right now so do one thing at a time. Get him away from the shrooms.

[squidlips02]

Thanx smo will do

[wahwoo]

Try to lower your Nitrates. That level is fine for fish but can affect hard corals.

Remove any mechanical filters if you have them. They haror and release nitrates. Add Some Macro algea to absorb the nitrates also.

Check your phosphate level which should be zero. And deffinately check your Alk.

[Ti]

What kind of lighting is it under?

[squidlips02]

I had a look at it when the lights went out but it did'nt look any different.

Its under 150 watt 20k metal halide, and two actinics.

[wahwoo]

What mechanical filters are you running?

Test your Phosphates and Alk

[squidlips02]

needle point skimmer, sump, chiller, four power heads, scwd

I don't have those test kits yet but I will chase it up.

[Ti]

Originally posted by squidlips02
I had a look at it when the lights went out but it did'nt look any different.

Its under 150 watt 20k metal halide, and two actinics.
Move it to the shade.

[laxing22]

Can't really tell from the pick if it is a favia or maze (but deff a closed brain) - They all need to be feed micro planton like DT's

[wahwoo]

DEFFINATELY GET THE ALK TEST!

Getting your balance right between Alk, pH and Ca does wonders for the hard corals extension.

Once you get the test kit then go to this link for help in adjusting your water parameters.

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

[wahwoo]

Wow. How do you like my new occupation? I just noticed.

Ya gotta love a wife with a sense of humor. Ya gotta love it.

[squidlips02]

Thanx for the link wahwoo, what is you'r new occupation ?

[wahwoo]

Someone... who shall remain nameless.... put "idiot" in my occupation line. Then I deleted it.

I guess thats better than "village idiot." Like I said... ya gotta love it