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FAQs about Mussid Coral Foods/Feeding/Nutrition
Related Articles: Mussid Corals,
Related FAQs: Mussids 1,
Mussids 2, Mussid Identification,
Mussid Behavior, Mussid
Compatibility, Mussid Selection,
Mussid Disease, Mussid Systems,
Mussid Reproduction, Stony/True Coral,
Coral System Set-Up, Coral System
Lighting, Stony Coral Identification,
Stony Coral Selection, Coral Placement, Foods/Feeding/Nutrition,
Disease/Health, Propagation,
Growing Reef Corals, Stony
Coral Behavior, | 
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Acanthastrea Feeding
Question 11/18/09
Hi Guys
<Hello Jakub>
Thanks for all the help your pages have provided.. Invaluable !
<You're welcome.>
I have a quick question: How soon after obtaining a LPS (acanth lord.
and "war coral") should I begin trying to feed them ? The polyps look
extended and full after this last week, but I am not sure if blasting it
with the
turkey baster so soon after placing it in the tank (jk about blasting)
will adversely affect its acclimation. I know that when I try to
acclimate to my relatives home during the holidays, the last thing I
want is someone
trying to force feed me the minute I step through the door !
<No harm in trying to feed the coral now. A short item here for your
reading. http://www.asira.org/acanthastrea. Sara, one of our crew
members, is the editor of this site.>
Thanks for any advice you can give !
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Blastomussa merleti health 10/25/07
Cheers Crew.
<good morning>
Someone was breaking down a tank and gave me a
small (5 or so polyps) Blastomussa Merleti frag. The polyps were
very full when I got it. Since adding it to my tank after
quarantine, however, it is not faring so well, as the polyps are not
nearly as full and portions of the skeleton/cup are visible.
<What kind of system was it in before you got it? i.e. what lighting
was it previously under?>
I have a 110g display with a 30g fuge
(4-5" DSB, Chaeto and LR) and 85lbs of LR. Lighting is six 54W T5 HO
(4 10000Ks and 2 460nm actinics). Mechanical filtration is a wet-dry
trickle filter and a Coral Life Super Skimmer. I run carbon in the
sump that I change out every 4 weeks. Flow is via a Little Giant
1345 gph return pump, 2 MaxiJet 1200s, 1 MaxiJet 900 and one cheapo
low-flow powerhead that I threw in for good measure.
<This is
still probably not quite enough water flow for a 110g reef tank.
Please see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/circmarart.htm
and
if you have the time/interest...
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/1/aafeature>
Livestock is a
Sailfin Tang (I know . . .), Gold Stripe Maroon Clown and BTA, Royal
Gramma, Brown Comb Tooth Blenny, Yellow Canary Wrasse, Filament
Flasher Wrasse, a Citron Goby, 2 Cleaner Shrimps, a Sally Lightfoot,
2 unknown tree corals, a Lemnalia tree coral, two small groups of
Pulsing Xenia, 6 Green Hairy Mushrooms, 5 red shrooms, 2 Ricordea
shrooms, and 4 unknown shrooms. I use RO/DI for top-off and water
changes (10% per week). I dose with B-Ionic 2-part calcium/buffer as
needed with testing and Kent iodine one per week with water changes.
<No more iodine. Or, please at least test the iodine levels in your
tank first. For some further reading on iodine:
http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2003/chem.htm>
Water
parameters are: ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate (SeaChem) all 0ppm,
phosphate (Salifert) 0ppm, calcium (Red Sea) 400, pH (SeaChem) 8.3,
SPG is 1.024-1.025, alk (SeaChem) is 3.5-4 meq/L, and temp is 78-80.
Based on these readings and a ton of Coralline Algae on my LR and
glass, I believe that my water quality is excellent.
<::sigh::
Well, I will agree that the results of your test kits do not raise
any alarms.>
I've read that Blasto Merleti like low flow and low
to moderate lighting, so I figured that my T5 setup would be
acceptable. Initially, I placed the coral in the lower portion of my
tank but have since moved it to the upper third to see if the
increased lighting might help. I have seen nominal improvement. I
have also read that supplemental feeding is not required, as this
coral is primarily a photosynthetic feeder, but I've also read that
target feeding with Mysis is not discouraged either.
<Hmmm,
where did you read that they are "primarily a photosynthetic
feeder"? I would have to disagree with that. Yes, these corals can
be slowly acclimated to tolerate intense light. However, usually
coming from mid-level waters, they prefer less light (or indirect
light). They extend extensive feeding tentacles at night and have
strong prey capture ability. As a side note, the phrase
"photosynthetic feeder" makes no sense. Animals do not feed
photosynthetically. If they are photosynthetic, they convert light
energy into chemical energy and store it in the form of ATP. Feeding
is when an animal metabolizes organic matter from another organism.
An animal can't "feed" on sunlight.>
I've tried to target feed
the coral, but it doesn't seem to eat the food. I target feed whole
Cyclop-eeze to my tree corals, so I would think that some of the
free floating particles are available for the Blasto Merleti for
what that's worth.
<When did you attempt to target feed the
coral? If you tried to feed it during the day, this might explain
why you didn't have much luck. You should try feeding the coral a
few hours after lights out. It might not start feeding right away,
but if you're consistent, it should start to respond in a few days
or weeks. Please see here for some coral feeding tips:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fdreefinverts.htm>
Any ideas on what
might be going on or what I can do to improve this coral's health?
<My guess is that the coral is stressed and/or starving. I would
move it slowly back down from the light and start trying to target
feed it at night.>
The only thing I can think of other than that
maybe my lighting is not sufficient is that it is positioned near my
Green Hairy Mushrooms, but not right on top of them or anything.
When it was in the bottom of my tank, it was not near any shrooms.
<It is a good idea to keep it away from the mushroom corals. Though
they might not kill the B. merleti, they'll compete with it for
space as they grow.>
As always, I appreciate your help.
Andy
<My pleasure,
Sara M.>
Re: Blasto Merleti... fdg. 10/25/07
Dear Sara,
Sorry--"I've read that they feed primarily through photosynthesis."
I hope that makes more sense to the scientists among you--It is
clear from your response that you understood what this fledgling was
attempting to say.
<Yes, I do understand what you're trying to
say. If you'd like to say what you want to say correctly, saying
"I've read that they obtain most their energy needs through
photosynthesis" would be more accurate. :-) >
I did take biology
in 9th grade, but it's been 20 years so I am sometimes not as
accurate as I should be. I'm just going to warn you now in the event
you have to respond to any of my future questions that I never took
Latin nor did I take any classes in college of the type that would
have exposed me to the manner in which Kingdom, Phylum, Class,
Order, Family, Genus, and Species should be referenced ;-p.
<No
worries. I apologize if you found my clarifications of the science
here to be pedantic.>
Now, turning to your questions/comments.
In all seriousness, thanks for the help that is embedded in your
other comments. I see now that I was
not feeding this coral at
the right time and I will try to feed after lights-out (if I can
stay up that late).
<No need to stay up too late if you adjust
your lighting schedule so that the lights go off towards the end of
the afternoon (maybe 6 or 7 pm).>
First, prior to my acquisition,
the coral was living on the outer edges of MH lighting (probably
250W, but I must confess that I have no clue).
I'm sure some of
its issues are that it needs to adjust to my environment.
<Probably>
Second, I read that Blasto. Merleti primarily feed
through photosynthesis on:
1. Liveaquaria.com:
<Ugh,
unfortunately, this is not exactly an authoritative source of
information.>
"Its body contains the symbiotic algae
zooxanthellae from which it receives the majority of its nutritional
requirements through photosynthesis.
<Wow, this is just wrong.
Corals do not obtain their "nutritional requirements" from
photosynthesis.>
It does not require additional food to maintain
its health in the reef aquarium,
<This could be true if
the tank as a whole is well feed. In well-fed tanks, healthy
colonies of these corals can get all they need without target
feeding. For some good general information on how to feed a reef
tank, please see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i3/Progressive_Recipe/Progressive_Recipe.htm>
but it will feed on micro-plankton or foods designed for filter
feeding invertebrates."
2. Reefcorner.com: "Feeding: Blastomussa
is photosynthetic and does not take any known foods."
<Again,
just flat out wrong.>
3. On WWM
(http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mussidae.htm): "Though all are
hermatypic, photosynthetic, most are voracious feeders of meaty
foods."
<Yes, this is accurate.>
And the same on many other
sites.
After searching again today, I found a post from Anthony
Calfo: "The real key to success with these (and most) corals is
feeding. 3-5 times
weekly ideally (or more). Use meats of marine
origin/zooplankton substitutes. Cyclop-eeze is a great choice.
Flying fish eggs (for sushi)
are great too. For smaller polyped
corals, DT's natural diet (oyster eggs). Best regards, Anthony"
<Yep, I agree with Anthony here.>
As you can see from the above,
there is a lot of conflicting advice with respect to this coral,
which is one of the reasons I posed my question
to WWM in the
first place.
<I can understand your frustration. There is a lot
of misinformation (and out-dated information) out there. Though it's
getting a bit dated, E. Borneman's "Aquarium Corals" is still a good
source for information on captive coral care. As for internet
sources, obviously, I think WWM is your best bet. :-)>
Third, by
my calculations, at least on paper, I have 2195gph of total
circulation, which is 20x total tank volume. Let's be realistic,
however, and assume that I get 2/3 of that, which leaves me with
13.3 x turnover. The info you linked suggests a 10 to 20 x volume
turnover, so
it would appear that I'm in the lower end of that
range and could stand to add another power head.
<Yep. Knowing
how to arrange your live rock helps too (make sure it stays away
from the sides of the tank and avoid building big walls of rock).
Since you're using power heads, you might find this helpful:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i4/power_heads/Power_Heads.htm>
Fourth, why the "::sigh::" in response to my listing of parameters
and statement that I believed they evidence that my water quality is
good?
Is there something else that the typical hobbyist should be
looking for on a regular basis or something that I am not doing
enough of/doing
wrong, or was my comment just plain foolish (and
if so, please explain so I can learn from this)? Please understand
that I was simply doing my
best to give you as much information
about my tank, measured water quality and other factors as I could
to assist you in understanding my
problem--I was under the
impression that you guys appreciated that.
<I'm sorry if you
were offended. The ::sigh:: was because I'm playing a drinking game
with Bob involving any time someone says their water quality is
"perfect" or "excellent" based on nutrient test kit results. No, no,
just kidding!
<<Gulp! I already drank mine. Dang! B>>
Seriously now though, yes, it is very good to be testing these
things. And you have my genuine respect for being such a prudent and
responsible aquarist. However, I would advice you not to let these
test kits give you too much of a false sense of security. These test
kits don't always tell you as much as you'd really like to know. For
example, the phosphate test kits don't test for organic phosphates.
More generally, we're actually quite limited in what we can test for
(while some things are taken up before they can be detected).
Additionally, it's difficult to define what "perfect" or "excellent"
water quality even is because it's relative to what kinds of coral
you are keeping.>
Andy
<Best,
Sara M.>
Re: Blasto merleti 10/25/07
Dear Sara,
Thanks for your
genuine response and helpful thoughts.
<my pleasure>
Notwithstanding the limited amount of time that I have in my life
for this hobby, I try really hard to understand the hobby and to
keep a good tank and clean water for my pets.
<Indeed, I can
tell you care very much for them.>
Of course I have made, and
will make, mistakes in livestock selection/care despite good
intentions and research.
<It happens to us all.>
As you might
have guessed, I am no biologist or fish scientist (but do have a
B.S. in mechanical engineering, which I haven't used in 12 years),
but I do "get" scientific concepts.
<Yes, I think any kind of
science background helps. But you'll be surprised by how much
biological science you'll naturally pick up as you read and learn
more about the hobby.>
I just think you guys sometimes forget
that most of us have nowhere near the incredible background and
knowledge that you have.
<Thank you. As I said, I do apologize
if I seemed pedantic or persnickety (<--great word, isn't it?).>
Although there are a few lazy people out there, I suspect most
posters are like me--they try to research issues before asking/doing
and have genuinely good intentions when asking questions.
<We do
appreciate your questions.>
I look forward to being a pain in
your butt in the near future.
<I do too. :-)>
Andy
<Best,
Sara M.> |
Mussid eating gastropods 10/19/07
Oops, I have one
last quick question that I forgot to include in my previous email. Is it
okay that my Cynarina is occasionally eating my snails? Will this hurt
the coral?
<Should be fine; not harmful except to changes in water
quality. BobF>
Thanks,
Jaime Cynarina
feeding/nutrition 12/21/06
Hi crew!
<Greetings and salutations! Mich with you tonight.>
I have a quick
question regarding feeding a new Cynarina that I purchased over the
weekend. While I am waiting for the frozen krill and Cyclop-Eeze that
is coming in the mail via Drs Foster & Smith, is it okay to feed this
little guy some of the Sweetwater zooplankton or baby brine shrimp that
I have on hand?
<Yes, is OK.>
Or would it be better
to just wait for his food to come in the mail?
<No need
to wait.>
Also, what foods would you recommend to enhance his
coloring?
<Soaking any foods you offer in Selcon may benefit this
coral. Varying the diet should also help. Cynarina are capable of
engulfing fairly large food items. You may want to consider offering
small pieces of seafood intended for human consumption.>
Thanks in advance & have a great holiday!
<Welcome! Happy holidays
to you and yours! Mich> Re: Mussidae Family/Feeding
5/25/06
So a 1/4 of a small krill is good enough ? Do I just
stick it all the way
into the coral ?? <Not forcefully. James
(Salty Dog)>
Feeding Mussid LPS corals 5/13/05
Hello,
I just lucked out on a single polyp of Blastomussa wellsi and three
polyps of Acan lord, my question is should they be imbedded in the sand
or glued to a lower section of live rock?
<My first concern is that
you got robbed (price-gouged really) in saying that you "lucked" into a
single polyps of Blastomussa wellsi. These are common in imports...
landing in LA for around $10 per colony (10-30 polyps). An appropriate
retail price for the whole colony would be $30-50. Single polyps are
worth mere dollars. Some unscrupulous hobbyists have been price gouging
these (as well as Acans and other corals) as "rare" to unknowing
hobbyists. I hope that you were not one of them my friend. As for
husbandry, Both can adapt to a wide range of light, but it is usually
best to err conservatively and start them low I the tank (bottom of the
aquarium is fine). The real key to success with these (and most) corals
is feeding. 3-5 times weekly ideally (or more). Use meats of marine
origin/zooplankton substitutes. Cyclop-eeze is a great choice. Flying
fish eggs (for sushi) are great too. For smaller polyped corals, DT's
natural diet (oyster eggs). Best regards, Anthony> Feeding time
Thank you for the help with the lighting situation. I had another
question about feeding my candy cane coral. I have tried to feed it
(using turkey baster, turning off all water movement) mega marine algae,
Mysis shrimp and brine shrimp but the tentacles only ever come out at
like 4:00 in the morning...I can't keep doing this. Is there a way to
get them to open up during the day, a certain food I should be feeding
them??
<Corals can be "trained" to extend their tentacles by feeding
at the same time each day and by "teasing" the polyps with a squirt of
juice from the food. It takes some patience and time, but it will
work. In the meantime, while I admire your dedication, you probably
don't need to get up at 4:00 each morning. This coral will do fine for
quiet a while without target feeding. Any chopped (BB size) meaty food
is fine.>
Also, my green bristle star has started making a
tent...waiting
for an unsuspecting fish. I have been feeding him
shrimp whole) but he has recently stop taking it...is there something
better to try and feed him??? Thank you very much for all the help so
far,
Todd Hawman
<Todd, as you seem to be aware, some brittle
stars are quite predatory when they get large. I would try smaller
pieces of shrimp or other meaty foods. Do consider whether you wish to
risk any fish or inverts by keeping this animal. Best Regards. Adam>
Coral feeding 6/11/04
I feel so stupid I post you guys like two
questions a day at the moment but I want to understand what I'm doing
and get it right I am beginning to understand it is not quite an exact
science though.
<no worries>
Any way my maze brain coral (if
that's what it is) still haven't fed it but I now understand I can feed
it actual food as in Mysis or krill mashed I thought it had to have
liquid zoo or phyto plankton.
<yes on the former... easy on the
latter. For this and all corals, just look at their polyps (size and
behavior) - "Form Follows Function". Large polyps that come out at night
eat zooplankton (amphipods, copepods, etc. and like substitute: Mysis,
rotifers, etc.). Tiny polyps that are out all day long or randomly, tend
to eat nanoplankton (perhaps bacteria, floc, phyto, etc.)>
Geo
Liquid is what I have had recommended know anything about what this is?
<no idea>
Is it what I need?
<if its a phyto substitute... no.
Not needed for this coral>
Thanks so much for answering all my
stupid little (and some rather vague) questions, cheers.
<all
good... best of luck. Anthony> Coral Excretion? 6/15/04
Hi again, cant find satisfactory answer in archives after two hours and
various detours from subject.
<a nifty way to learn>
My brain
coral is exuding a brown hair like substance from little openings in the
valleys between its ridges which are rather like very small volcanoes in
appearance. Please reassure me, is this it excreting waste matter from
its various mouths as I suspect it is?
<quite likely yes... have you
been feeding it or the tank well? If so, indeed this may be the scoop on
poop>
Or something much more sinister?
<the only other thing
commonly possible would be the expulsion of zooxanthellae packets if the
animal was light shocked. But that would be rather obvious - pale and
stressed coral under bright lights or suddenly increased water clarity
(as with sudden use of carbon in yellow water after many months without>
I have recently (this week) learnt to target feed it Mysis shrimp after
a period of unknowing starvation (three weeks or so) during which it
still opened nightly and occasionally over the day.
<ah, yes... good
to hear you are feeding. This is a hungry coral>
Seems other wise
happy but I realize this can be deceptive. Fed it twice a day for three
or so days to boost it up after having starved it (unknowingly) now down
to once a day. Is this too often to feed it?
<very nice if you want
fast growth... but a few times weekly would be enough>
How often
should I feed it? I turn off pumps first thing in the morning before
lights on while it is still all open and target feed with plastic
syringe (no needle) then feed fish so they leave it alone and it seems
to get heaps, all ridges swell, soft and trap Mysis. How long should I
leave it to eat before I turn pumps back on which invariably blows the
shrimp away for fish to pick up in current? Five minutes/fifteen
minutes/half an hour?
<tough to say... and do invest in an
electronic relay switch that automatically turns power/pumps back on.
Human error is inevitable in time and if you forget to turn the pumps on
for an afternoon, overnight, etc., it could be disastrous. 10-15 minutes
sounds fine to me for feeding opportunities>
Thanks heaps.
<we
have piles of it. Best regards, Anthony>
Saving Lobophyllia (not Silverman) 10/3/04
I hope all is well
with you today.
<and with hope for you in kind>
I do
need some help in saving my Lobophyllia. My flame angel was nipping at
it continuously and causing it to recede to not much more than a
skeleton. Since I have a 180g tank with much
live rock, catching
the flame angel was nearly impossible until I recently moved and had to
drain the tank. Since that time the Lobophyllia has expanded from about
2.5” in diameter to over 7”!
Just when I thought all was perfect
(for over a month), now my purple tang has apparently grown to love the
taste of the Lobophyllia.
<heehee...>
The coral has
once again deflated to a little more than a skeleton. I really like the
purple tang and prefer to leave it in the tank (not to mention I do not
plan to drain 180 gallons of water again!). Is there anything that can
be done
to stop the tang from nipping at the Lobophyllia and to keep
the both healthy in the same tank? --Greg
<nothing at all... really,
short of separation. Its a compatibility problem that cannot be
conquered by extra feedings, etc. Do consider placing the coral in a
small inline refugium instead - perhaps the best of both worlds.
Anthony>
Scolymia
I have a Scolymia in my 29
gallon reef aquarium. I have had him for about five months, and he
doesn't seem to be acting like he used to. I feed him frozen krill. His
mouth opens up when he is hungry, but lately, he is constantly keeping
it open. After I place a creel in his mouth, he does not want to eat it
anymore. He looks a lot skinnier in the mouth area than he usually did.
He used to be big and plump in the middle.
Some additional products I
add to the tank is Chromaplex, Zooplex, Iodine, Reef Buster, and
PhytoPlex. I also have exceptional lighting (Coralife light). What can
be making the Scolymia act the way he has been lately? Also, are there
any other helpful hints I may need to know about the Scolymia eating
habits.
<How large are the krill you're feeding? If you're feeding
whole krill, then the animal is probably declining from starvation.
Feeding such large portions is unnatural, and is not usually digestible
by any Cnidarian. They engulf it, for sure, but expel it later, and
acquire virtually nothing from the food item. Feed small minced portions
no larger than 1\4" across, and VARY the diet! Try Mysis, prepared
foods, scallops, fish, Cyclop-Eeze, etc. Also, soak the food in a
HUFA\OMEGA3 supplement such as Selcon>
Thank you,
<You're welcome,
and good luck!>
Holly
<M. Maddox> Feeding Brain Corals
Hey Y'all, I don't know who is going to answer this, but I could sure
use a little assistance...
<then I'm your man... I measure 5'6"...
5'8" if my hair is poofy>
I just picked up a Diploastrea Heliopora
from my neighborhood fish store and was given some mis-information from
the owner so I was wondering if you could help me with a couple of small
matters :)
<Hmm... a "little" assistance... "small" matters... I'm
starting to form a complex here. Its a good thing that I have a big car>
I was told this coral was a filter feeder but I didn't believe him so I
tried giving it some defrosted mysis shrimp which it snapped up
eagerly!
<All corals are filter-feeders to some extent... some
zooplankton, others phyto... some both. Others still won't feed
organismally but will feed by absorption. The bottom line is... there
are VERY few corals that don't filter feed in some manner and all
essentially need fed in the aquarium. Yes... most all we keep need some
feedings (weekly if not daily)>
Do I have to feed every opening that
is putting out those little tentacles or is a general feeding of as many
openings as possible going to be ok?
<the latter>
Is there
something better than mysis to feed this guy?
<actually... mysis are
high protein and a good primary food. Still... offer a variety
(Gammarus, Pacifica plankton, etc)>
And how far out do those
tentacles reach?
<far enough to capture passing food particles<G>>
I don't want the possibility of the polyps and stony corals close to it
getting stung.
<no worries here... all corals should be at least
6-10" apart but that will only keep you safe for 1-2 years for most.
Move or propagate as necessary>
Thanks for the help. Andrea
<best
regards, Anthony> Cynarina Care
Dear Bob/crew,
<PF
with you here tonight>
Thanks again for your site, it is always
informative and accurate.
I recently acquired a lovely large Cynarina
or Scolymia, difficult to tell, about 6"x 3". It inflates very nicely
during light hours and it is a great green/brown color.
Before I
bought it I read that its husbandry is similar to the
Trachyphyllia/Lobophyllia type corals, that is feeding is advised after
lights out. I tried feeding then with a solution of SF bay entree and
some liquidized mussel meat enriched with Zoë and vitamins but the
tentacles didn't seem to take in much although they would be enticed out
by the waft of food.
<Well, they don't eat liquid so much as
shredded, think pieces the size of parmesan (sp?) cheese.>
Also can
you clarify if the central opening of the coral is a mouth or is it the
anus?
<Yes. Think about it. ; ) ><<Tis both. RMF>>
Should I aim
to get the food in there or will the polyps just absorb the nutrients
dissolved in a kind of osmosis?
<Not directly only it, but above it.
You should turn off all the pumps when you do this, and let the food
drift down.>
Can you clarify the feeding requirements for me?
<Finely shredded pieces of shrimp (uncooked) and fish (ditto)> The
lighting is good 2x250W <They can be sensitive to bright lights, and
need to be acclimated. If you have eggcrate over your tank, you can
layer screen (like the kind on doors) over it, one piece removed each
day, 10-14 pieces) and the oral is at the bottom of the tank with just a
gentle indirect current.
<good on the current>
It pumps up nicely
in light hours and deflates somewhat during the daytime - my tank is not
far from a window to avoid nuisance algae brought about by too much sun
I keep the tank shielded in the summer time until the lights come on at
5pm.
<Daylight doesn't promote algae, to many available nutrients
does. A common, but false idea>
All other water parameters are fine
and my tank is thriving. The Cynarina/Scolymia was very well handled and
well kept at the LFS where it was kept. Thanks for your answers, Massimo
Brighton UK
<You're welcome, if you have a copy of Anthony's book,
the section on the Mussidae's (Blastomussa, Cynarina, etc.) is pages
259-260. Have a good night, PF>
Bubbles in my Brain!!! (air trapped in coral tissue) 4/19/03
ok.. I attached a photo, but this morning is the first time I've
seen this occur on my Lobophyllia.. it looks almost as if there are
air bubbles inside the flesh of the brain coral..
<there are
several possible reasons for this not entirely uncommon occurrence.
In the safest/simplest circumstance... some corals simply "eat" air
bubbles (or are fed it trapped in food). As strange as it might
sounds... the deliberate ingestion is done by some of the more
heavily mucous species for the purpose of capturing food and
elements such as proteins that are attracted to the air bubbles
(Yes... indeed like the organics "stuck" to air bubbles in protein
skimmers). In these cases though... the tiny air bubbles are easily
purged. When they are large and apparent as in your case here... it
leads me to believe one of two things... forced ingestion of an
inappropriate food (freeze dried foods for example... that have much
air trapped inside)... or stress. The former is self-explanatory...
and the coral is likely to expel it in time, although you don't want
to make that a habit! In the case of a stress induced symptom
here... there are a few things it could be... and neither are good.
The first is over stimulation (over-driving/photoinhibition) of
corals by light that is too much or on too long (for this species if
only in the tank). New bulbs, cleaned lamps, improved water clarity
(carbon used after an absence), etc... all are things that improve
or increase the quality of light and cause the zooxanthellae to work
overtime to the extent that they produce oxygen inside Cnidarian
tissue that cannot be processed fast enough. The other possibility
is supersaturation of the water with oxygen by a leak in the
plumbing (causing the aspiration of air to super-sat-levels)...
OR... the inappropriate addition of hot water to cool water (during
a water change or evap top off) to make "warm" water which drives
the O2 out of solution quickly (the reverse of super-saturation).
This can occur right within the corals tissue just like divers that
get the "bends" from nitrogen. Not good at any rate.>
it's been
fine up until now and the only thing that is changed is that I fed
it chunks of krill last night before I went to
bed.
<no
worries unless the krill was freeze dried or any food that floats
that world indicate trapped air>
is this something I should worry
about? or take caution of?
<perhaps... do consider the above
possibilities and why it may have occurred>
another thing I was
wondering was that I have a large toadstool leather that stopped
opening during the day... I've noticed polyp extension at night
about an hour after the lights go off, but other than that it fully
expands during the day.. just that there's no polyp extension.
<interesting... generally not a big deal (they do not feed
organismally with their tiny polyps by much. However... in light of
the Lobo's symptoms... the polyps shutting down early does indicate
a possible lighting problem. Are you one of those kooks using 400
watt halides on a 20 gallon aquarium <G>? Perhaps have your lights
on too long (over 8-10 hours on MH... or over 12-14 on
fluorescents). Perhaps changed to brand new bulbs recently? Hmmmm...
many possibilities here.>
I'd really appreciate any information.
Jonathan
<best regards, Anthony> | 
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Air Bubbles in Coral Tissues ("Bubbles in my Brain") 4/19/03
thanks for the response.. it makes sense on the light stimulation... he
had just been recently moved to a higher point in the tank.. but has
since been moved into another tank in which his air bubble situation
returned to normal..
<ahhh, yes... very plausible and consistent with
our theory. Great to hear that your brain is not so gassy <G>. FWIW...
corals that express such symptoms (air bubbles from excess light as with
sudden move to higher point) can in fact acclimate to the new higher
position in time... they just need to be acclimated slower to prevent
the air bubbles from forming. Use the screen method (suggested in my
articles here on WWM and beyond) to adjust the coral to brighter light
over a period of a couple weeks>
and I almost forgot to add.. I LOVE
your coral propagation book..
the wealth of information is priceless
and I've been looking for a book exactly like this for years. Jonathan
<thanks kindly, my friend! Best of luck to you in your endeavors.
Anthony>
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