Brain coral hitchhiker care?

[hunterisgreat]

Posted here as I understand brain corals are LPS? Full disclosure, I'm brand new, know little about coral care so far... but I'd like to keep these brain corals thriving. Several died (white skeleton showing assume that means they are toast, or can they recover?) but a few seem to be thriving... yet even attempting to spot them feeding or open at night has not been successful. They were hitchhikers on florida liverock

Here are a few pics so let me know if these are indeed brain coral, and if they look healthy. Thanks!

This is the healthiest looking one (to me at least)



Here are a few others


Also, there are lots of hidden cup corals... any special things I should know to keep them thriving?

Thanks!

 

[TheKman]

how long have you had this tank up and running? what do your parameters look like?

 

[hunterisgreat]

about 6 months? amm 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5, ph ~8.2. temp 68 (this liverock came out of ~55-60 degree water)

 

[TheKman]

What are you planning to put in that tank? The temp is really really cold for those critters, I believe for those to survive the temp needs to be around 76-78F degrees

 

[hunterisgreat]

What are you planning to put in that tank? The temp is really really cold for those critters, I believe for those to survive the temp needs to be around 76-78F degrees

There is a heater in there as of this morning set at 76. I asked the seller what temp the water was that the rock was coming out of and that I had no heater at that time, and he said 50's and that would be of no issue.

I didn't "buy" this coral, he just came along for the ride (wasn't necessarily coral ready yet which is why I haven't bought any). Still, the first pic that one has improved and gotten more vibrant in the past week. The others were in decline but appear to have turned around. There is another cluster on 3 on a rock that are near the end (90% skeleton).

I'm seeking to have a strictly western atlantic/caribbean species reef/fish tank

 

[alb_56]

Thats amazing, where did you get the rock from? In my experience stability is the most important thing with these guys. Get them at a steady salinity and temp, provide the correct lighting. Otherwise whenever I have one with a problem I put it on the sand bed and leave it alone until it starts to seem like its not getting any worse, once it stops getting worse give it a couple months alone in the same spot and it will heal. If you have lighting for a reef you should be good. Congrats by the way on such cool hitch hikers.

 

[alb_56]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=597+321+429&pcatid=429

I think this is the same.

 

[Art13]

i think it looks more like a maze or worm brain, platygyra.

 

[hunterisgreat]

all i know is its definitely a species out of the south florida waters lol

 

[Art13]

This one popped up when i searched florida brain coral, looks pretty close to yours.

 

[hunterisgreat]

I will grab a picture with the actinic lights off

 

[hunterisgreat]

Found a pic from two weeks ago of the same one

 

[discocarp]

It is a manicina. That's florida aquacultured rock from a lease site, right?

 

[hunterisgreat]

It is a manicina. That's florida aquacultured rock from a lease site, right?

Yup

 

[discocarp]

Care is like most other LPS, but it can probably tolerate a little cooler water than the pacific brains. Still, it would be best to keep your temp up in the range of reef temps. You need to not frag/trade that imo. I think it is only legal when it comes in on the aquacultured rock.

Nice score!

 

[discocarp]

There's a paragraph about them in this article:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/2/aafeature4

 

[hunterisgreat]

Thanks!

If you compare the pic from today, and the pic from a few weeks ago, its been getting more vibrant and "fleshy" looking, particularly around the ridges... so thats a sign its doing alright, right?

 

[jhuntington12]

kinda looks like the one I got. I keep my tank at 78F and it just explodes during the day all meaty and plump. Hope yours makes it...its really pretty under blues.

 

[betamed]

i doubt you will find many people with this exact species since this type of coral cannot be legally collected in florida. i would suggest moderate flow and light. if its color is improving your probably doing it right where it is

 

[hunterisgreat]

After a little accidental damage from a too-aggressive turkey basting of junk off my rocks (I did't realize this thing was so "fleshy"), its recovered quickly! This morning

With camera flash on


With camera flash off