[5881]

Bought yesterday, my first LPS (?), only have one other zoo cluster in 4 week old BC29.
I think it's an open green Brain, but not sure. As I am new to this, in hindsight I am concerned about it's health. No tentacles out yet, and as you can see from the second picture, there is some "skeleton "? visible on the side, and it has a hard white "foot" on the bottom. Hate to sound dumb, but need some info please.

[FireEater]

Need more info on tank as in lighting. It does require good light.

You can feed it pieces of silversides or krill. Just make sure no inverts or fish steal it's food, even if you have to guard it with a stick until it eats.

Just drop a piece of whatever food in it and it should swell up to eat. Also make sure the power head flow does not wash the food out. Feed it about once a week to keep it healthy.

Remember, one must always read, research and learn before buying any new livestock. That way you avoid killing them and even deciding if it is something you want to take care of.

[Ninong]

Hi 5881,

Originally Posted by 5881

I think it's an open green Brain, but not sure.

Yes, that's what I think it is, too -- probably Trachyphyllia geoffroyi.

I am concerned about it's health.

It looks healthy to me.

No tentacles out yet...

I wouldn't be concerned. They will come out if it senses food.

...and as you can see from the second picture, there is some "skeleton "? visible on the side, and it has a hard white "foot" on the bottom.

It's a "stony coral." The "hard white foot" is for anchoring it in the sand bed so that it will be stable. It should be located on the sand bed in a position facing straight up with that pointed part of the skeleton aimed straight down.

What sort of lighting do you have?

[5881]

Thanks for the reply. I am using the stock BC white and blue (Anatic?) lights, and the coral is on the bottom of the tank. I just directed more water flow to it, not a high flow though, stock BC29 pump.

[Ninong]

Standard lighting on the Oceanic BioCube-29 is Coralife compact fluorescent -- one 36w 10,000K and one 36w actinic. That's probably inadequate lighting for your open brain.

[5881]

I had read that they need "moderate " light. Would my lighting be considered moderate, so I know for the future?
I think I'm losing the coral. I now see white ridges (skeleton?) where there was flesh in some spots on top. Have only had it for 4 days. Any chance of saving it? In hind sight (although I am new to corals) I think it was not in great shape when I bought it. I did ask a lot of novice questions before buying it, so if there was a health issue a heads up would have been nice.I hate to say it, but I get the feeling that SOME LFS will sell you anything if you ask for it. If I were to point to a near death fish and said "I'll take that one" they would bag it up. Let the buyer beware!? To make things worse, my son bought me that coral for my birthday (I feel bad for him, not me)

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by 5881

I had read that they need "moderate " light. Would my lighting be considered moderate, so I know for the future?

What matters is the amount of light that reaches the surface of the coral in question. This includes the intensity of the light, the spectral distribution and the photoperiod (how long the light in on).

There are two factors that influence the intensity of the light incident on the coral's surface: the lighting source and the distance between the lighting source and the coral (the depth of the water column between the coral and the lighting source plus the distance between the lamp and the water's surface). The intensity of the light falls off fast as this distance increases. What does NOT matter is the volume of water in your aquarium, which is why any reference to "watts per gallon" is meaningless.

You are starting out with 36 watts of 10,000K and 36 watts of actinic. That's really not much. Not enough for most LPS (large polyp stony corals) and certainly not enough for SPS (small polyp stony corals). Many soft corals will be okay under your lighting. It's possible that some LPS might be okay but only if placed high in your tank. Some LPS are more suited for the sand bed and don't do well on the rock structure.

I think I'm losing the coral. I now see white ridges (skeleton?) where there was flesh in some spots on top.

Tissue recession is not a good sign. Yes, that is the skeleton that you are seeing.

Have only had it for 4 days. Any chance of saving it? In hind sight (although I am new to corals) I think it was not in great shape when I bought it.

Sometimes you have no idea how long it has been since the coral was first collected and when you bought it. How long it spent in the collection, distribution and retailing process and how it was treated during that process. How many times it was subjected to osmotic shock of different salinities and what sort of lighting it was kept under.

I hate to say it, but I get the feeling that SOME LFS will sell you anything if you ask for it. If I were to point to a near death fish and said "I'll take that one" they would bag it up.

It didn't take you very long to learn Lesson #1. Lesson #2 involves the quality of the "advice" you may receive from some LFS employees.

I don't know what to tell you at this point as far as trying to "save" this coral. You might try making a secure spot for it somewhere higher up on your rock structure so that it won't fall off. At least it would be getting more light than where it is on the sand bed even though the sand bed is it's natural location. Place it so that it faces directly up.

I don't know what your current photoperiod is but you could keep your lights on at least 12 hrs/day (13 hrs/day even). That would increase the total amount of light the coral received per day. You could also try feeding it to see if it responds.