Brain Not Extending It's Tentacles/Trachyphylliidae/Health 8/27/09
Hello.
<Hello Sharon>
I have had an open brain coral for about a month and it swells pretty well when the lights are on and is maintaining its colours. However, it does not extend it's feeding tentacles at night. Since buying it, I still have not seen it extending it's tentacles before. Does that mean that it is unhealthy or is there something wrong with my water? All the critical parameters are in check and I place it on the sand bed. I try to feed my
corals several hours after lights off..
Please comment,
<Well, you do not mention lighting being used, would be very helpful here, along with stating additives being used, if any. Please respond and we will continue on.>
thanks!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
`Sharon*

Re Brain Not Extending It's Tentacles/Trachyphylliidae/Health 8/28/09
Dear James,
<Sharon>
I'm using a single 250w Reeflux 12k MH with Lumenbright mini reflector supplemented with 2 actinic blue plus T5. I dose Purple Up daily and Seachem Reef Advantage Calcium, magnesium and carbonate to maintain ionic balance.
I also do around 10% water change weekly using natural seawater that my LFS sells.
<May be a problem here depending on where the water was collected from. I believe you would be better off just using a reef blend of artificial sea salt mix.>
Thx for the prompt reply. Hope to hear from you again.
<Always include your measured levels of calcium, magnesium, dKH, and pH, does aid in our response. I would add iodine to your additive list. As for feeding, cut back to no more than once weekly. Corals produce most of their food by way of photosynthesis and frequent feedings can have a negative impact on water quality.
Do read here and related FAQ's for helpful information on keeping this coral. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/trachyphlliidae.htm
James (Salty Dog)>
`Sharon*

Re Brain Not Extending It's Tentacles/Trachyphylliidae/Health 8/29/09
Alright, I will try my best. Thanks for the help!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
`Sharon*

Open brain bloating halfway 4/16/09 Hi, <Howdy> I've got an open brain, and over the last week, I've noticed that it has been bloating up weirdly. From the picture, you can see that only half of it bloats up and the other half not. <I see this> Previously, it (the whole coral) was bloating up fine. Water param.s have not changed much. Appreciate any inputs on what this is happening? Cheers, Jeremy <Perhaps not much... I might increase/pulse your iodine/ide here a bit, change out a bit more water next change, and clean up your skimmer... but not much else here given the paucity of information provided. Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/trachydisfaqs.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Deflated Trachy   2/17/08
Gents
I'm writing to you from Guernsey, a small Island in the British channel! I have a question that so far, despite trying many different people, have not got an answer. I have a Trachyphyllia Geoffroyi that has been deflated for about 3 weeks. I've had him for about 8 months and has always looked amazing. I recently upgraded my skimmer to a Deltec apf600 on a 325 Ltr
(90 US Gallon?).
<About 86>
I changed my carbon and phosphate remover but nothing different to my normal routine. My coral has since deflated. The flesh was very tight over the skeleton and I thought all was lost. I was really gutted as he's my favourite coral. I didn't remove the coral but left it for a few days.
One night I noted he looked a bit inflated but the next day he was the same. I have since put him in a Pyrex bowl on the bottom of the tank so that I can get to him easily. I feed him in the bowl and he feeds well but still no inflation. The flesh is no longer tight over the skeleton but definitely not inflated. Any ideas what the problem is?
<Mmm, first guess would be a nutrient shortage from your new, more efficient skimmer.... Do you have measurable phosphate?>
My conditions are:
S.G - 1.025
pH - 8.2
KH - 8
Ca- 420
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 15
I'm afraid that's all I test.
I do 25 Ltr water changes every 2 weeks with good quality reef salt. Use a Ca reactor, Carbon, Phosphate remover,
<This too is too-likely a culprit... I would pull this media for now. Some soluble HPO4 is absolutely essential to all life...>
Live rock, DSB, skimmer. All other fish / corals are in good health and no fish appear to be irritating the coral.
Many thanks for any help.
Cheers
Jeff
<And a bit of iodine/ide supplement, and let's see how this Open Brain does in a week or so, eh? Bob Fenner>

Strange/Rare Trachyphyllia Behavior  10/7/08 I have had a green and red "Open Brain" for about six months now. My 55 gal tank is a year and a half old all levels are GREAT and water change up to date. For the most part I don't have any disappointments. I am coming to you for advice as I have exhausted all other possible resources. I have looked on the WEB, WWM website and called multiple local fish stores. About 3 weeks ago my "Open Brain" seemed to be detaching itself from its base. <I see this... and some possible cause/s> At first I figured it was going to die off rapidly. Well to my surprise it remained brightly colored, tentacles out and it was just beautifully full. Just four days ago it seemed to be almost just hanging by a string (almost like a balloon). Pics attached. I was told by my local fish store that the Open brain wouldn't/shouldn't survive as it is detaching from its base. <Mmm, can/do "leave" if conditions aren't right...> I took pictures to prove what I am witnessing. The last pic attached is from this morning already completely detached from the base and more than six inches from it on the sand by the xenia. How could this be? <Tore loose from the corallum> and could this open brain survive like this? <Hopefully will regenerate its base... can do so> Please Help!! I just need an answer... its almost like closure. Thank you so much!!! <Mmm, some of the surrounding organisms... the Zoanthids below, the Clavulariids to the left, the Arrow crab... may well have irritated this animal to the extreme... "We'll see". Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/trachysysfaqs.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner> Re: Strange/Rare Trachyphyllia Behavior I truly appreciate your time! THANK YOU!! :) <Thank you for sharing. BobF>

Bloated Open Brain (Trachyphyllia) 6/25/08
Hi WWM Crew,
<Hello Cindy!>
I am very much hoping that you can alleviate my worries about our open brain.
<I hope so too!>
We've had 'him' for about 4 weeks now and until recently it appeared as though everything was going well. Until the past few days his tentacles would come out every evening - dinner time for everyone else as he was curious. Twice a week we feed him a small morsel of clam, muscle, shrimp or octopus; which he accepts gladly.
<Great! Glad to see you must have researched husbandry a little. Too many of these starve to death in aquariums.>
There are never any leftovers and he hasn't spewed anything back into the tank. The rest of the week he will get left overs that may drift to the bottom once the fish have had their fill.
As far as I can tell he's well fed. Recently we have upgraded our lighting and we are trying to acclimate everyone slowly to the better lighting.
Since we've changed the lighting though the open brain coral has bloated and his tentacles are extended all the time. Based on all the research I've done I was sure that his tentacles were a sure sign of hunger and the bloating was generally reserved for the day after meals; but for the past three days they are out almost 24/7 and his bloating is incredible; he expands by about 50%. He still expands/retracts but the bloating is so much more than we've seen in the past that I'm worried about the behaviour. Is he incredibly hungry or just loving the new light? Do I step up the feeding/reduce/change it??
<This is a stress response, most likely. Expansion means more surface area, and therefore more passive cooling/waste diffusion. Even if he isn't cooking, full of waste, or wanting more light a coral only has so many responses to stress. If something seems wrong and all you can do is puff up, you're going to puff up- know what I mean?>
Tank details:
6 months old, 45 gal -corner tank, 40lbs live rock, 2" live crushed coral covered by 1" fine live sand. 2 percula clowns, 1 cleaner shrimp, one engineer goby, 1 hammer coral, 1 bubble coral, 1 open brain :-), green Zoanthid polyps, 1 doz assorted snails, 3 red hermits, various blue legged crabs, small refugium with 4 mangroves, Tunze 50 gal protein skimmer, Fluval filter, 78 degrees, 8.2 ph, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 20 nitrate??, 380 calcium. The calcium levels is slowly being increased (over the course of 2 weeks) to 400. The nitrates are frustrating, they are always there, we've tested the change water and the nitrates are 0, but after 1 day they jump to 10, am hoping the new lighting will increase the algae and that will help to take care of the nitrates.
<Well, to run the colloquialism through the nitrogen cycle..."nitrate happens". It can be tough to control in smaller tanks...but it sounds like you know how to stay on top of it.>
Change water 10% twice weekly. Old lighting: 2 x 18" 15w fluorescent bulbs 1 x 10,000k (ocean sun), 1 x 20,000 (coral sun) - new lighting: 1 250w 14,000k metal halide.
<VERY good lighting! Keep an eye on that 14k, I've heard sometimes they don't hold their spectrum as long as the 10k or 20k flavor.>
Thank you very much for the hours upon hours of reading material that you have provided for us!
<You are very welcome! Thank you for reading them! I think your brain should return to normal as he adjusts to the new lighting. If he begins to bleach or show other signs of serious stress consider slower acclimation to the light- and feel free to write in if problems arise.>
Cindy
<Benjamin>

Wellsophyllia Brain Swelling/Compatibility
Hello Again, Happy 4th of July!
<Hi, Pufferpunk here. Happy 4th to you too!>
I'll make it short and simple. 75 gal. reef tank. 100 lbs of live rock. 390 watts of PCs (3 month old bulbs). Ammonia levels are 0, Nitrite 0, Phosphate 0, Nitrates barely detectable. I am aggressively skimming and changing about 20% of the water every 4-5 days.
I have a Green Wells Brain
<Wellsophyllia>
that is awfully close to some silvertip Xenia. The brain eats every couple of days ...some Mysis, and Zooplankton. The Brain has grown excellent and has doubled in size in the past 4 months. The brain is overall about 7" in diameter. However, today I noticed that it looks swollen or "puffed up" and I was wondering if this is normal behavior.
<Mine shrinks & swells daily.>
I also noticed that for a short time today, the Xenia was closed. I placed them so close because I was told that the "Chemical Warfare" would not be an issue.
<Agreed>
The Brain is showing no skeleton and aside from being swollen, it looks very healthy. Are these two species compatible?
<They should be fine. I run Purigen in my sump, just in case.>
I am supplementing Bio-Cal, Bio-Stront, Tech I, and Tech M.
<Are you testing for calcium & alkalinity?>
P.S. Am I wasting my money adding DT's Phytoplankton to a tank with Leathers, Xenia, a Wells Brain and assorted zoos and shrooms?
<Not at all. There are tiny creatures in your sand bed that need to eat too. They help keep your tank healthy.>
Just wondering... I am using HOB filters with powerheads and Carbon.
<Sounds like your tank is doing great. I had issues though, with my brain not receiving enough light from PCs. Eventually, I had to loan them out to someone that had more light over their tank, until I upgraded to T5s. Good luck to you. I hope you enjoyed fireworks somewhere! ~PP>

Brain Coral/Health 4/4/07
Dear WWM,
<Hello Paige>
After reading through your site, I am slightly confused about open brain corals. Are they supposed to puff up, or not. I have been taking care of one for about six months. When I started, it did not puff up, the tentacles did not come out at all and it had some white spots on it.
Then about a month ago, it started to puff up and turn a bright green.
Then last week, it went back to not puffing and got the white spots again. I did vacuum the sand two weeks ago. Could this have affected it at all? I have a 100 gallon tank with three Fluval filters, the salinity is about 33.6 ppt, the pH has been constant at 8.0, the calcium is about 480, alkalinity is 3 meq/L, the nitrates are 0 as is the phosphate. I am also doing 5% water changes weekly. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
<They should puff up slightly in the evening hours when the tentacles are expanded.  They do best in a well established reef aquarium that incorporates moderate to strong lighting.  You do not mention what type of lighting you are using.  Along with a moderate water current, the addition of calcium, strontium, and other trace elements are beneficial to the coral's health.  They will also benefit from weekly feedings of Cyclop-Eeze or similar food.  They should only be fed when the tentacles are fully expanded.  Sounds to me like there may be a water quality issue here along with insufficient lighting.  You mention the use of three Fluvals, are the filter pads cleaned and rinsed weekly?  If not, there will be an excess of dissolved nutrients in the water which is not favorable to their overall health.  A protein skimmer helps immensely in this regard along with the use of Chemi-Pure in the filters.>
Thank you very much!
<You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>
Sincerely,
Paige Wachtler
 

Wellsophyllia a.k.a Trachyphyllia radiata   8/24/06
Hey guys hope all is well! I have one question, it was mentioned in one of your previous responses but I would like to make sure. I have Trachyphyllia radiata that I have recently purchased. It has fed once (krill). I have two Kent marine drip systems in place one for food and the other for additives. The coral seems to inflate and deflate. Is this normal? Thanks for any help you may give.
Mark
<Yep. BobF>

Open Brain With Backwards Behavior   6/16/06
Hi Web Crew!
I would like to say thanks for all the helpful information your site contains and the on going dedication of everyone. Your my first source when it comes to difficult reef keeping questions!
My Specifications:
125g All-Glass MegaFlow with a 55g sump/refugium, Two 9.5 mag drive pumps,
Light: One 160w 72 inch Actinic, One 160w 72 inch 10,000k, One 250w MH,
Temp:78, SG: 1.023, PH: 8.1, A: 0, N:0. N:0 CAL:480
I recently purchased a red Trachyphyllia geoffroyi. It looked great and healthy at the LFS but when I acclimated it into my tank I have had a few issues.
I made a few errors to begin with. One, maybe I should have acclimated it for more than an hour.  Two, I had it under the 250 MH to begin with and may have ³light shocked² it (now under the softer light of the actinic/10,000k).
Three, it does have nick in the flesh on the ³underside² exposing some skeleton. Four, I have a Flame Angel that took a little nip at it once or twice, but has now lost
interest in it.
The brain contracts during light but expands some (but not fully) sometime during the night (tank lights off) because I check on it in the morning. I have been placing food on it¹s mouth every other night, alternating brine and a raw shrimp, scallop, homemade blend. All tiny pieces. I monitored it with a flashlight and noticed it did engulf the food. My concern is it¹s tentacles aren¹t active in the feeding process even when I blow ³food juice² on it 15mins before to stimulate feeding.
Also, I¹m thinking of blowing lightly some Kent Iodine on it with the concern of preventing that nick getting infected.
Do you know why it¹s contracting in light then expanding in the dark, and do you have any advice on further treatment or steps in regaining the health of my brain?
<<Clayton: Most brains will take several days to adjust to the conditions in your tank.  They like to be on the sand.  If yours is eating, that is a good sign.  On mine, I only see the feeding tentacles at night when the lights are out.  As long as the flesh is not completely receding away from the skeleton, you should be OK.  If you don't have a test kit for it, you should monitor alkalinity. Best of luck, Roy>>

Open brain retracting  - 04/05/2006
I just want to start by thanking you guys for everything you're doing.   About 2 weeks ago I purchased a gorgeous open brain coral.  I didn't notice
in the store, but as I was acclimating him at home I noticed a small spot where it looks like he is retracting from his skeleton.  I've had him for
about 2 weeks now and it hasn't gotten any worse.  My nitrate, nitrite and ammonia are all 0, pH is about 8.3-8.4.  I have a little bit of a phosphate
problem and if I remember correctly its about 1 ppm, and I  just can't keep my calcium very high because of my corals.  It is at about 300-350 ppm.  I'm
wondering if this can be something that happened in shipping or how I can tell if its getting worse?
<Perhaps a series of close-up digital pix you can save, send to compare>
It doesn't seem like its getting worse, but it doesn't look like its getting better.  Thanks again for all your help guys.
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>