do you have to feed brain corals?

[sds]

Just curiuous if you have to feed brain corals for them to survive. And if so is it all types .

thanks
scott

 

[2639]

i would give my open brain a hit with the turkey baster every 4 or five days or so.

Unfortunaetely, she hasn't opened in several weeks

 

[Sk8r]

I have a maze brain that goes nuts when I stir the nearby sandbed surface, as I learned when I was setting it in. 6 inch sweepers in a quarter sized area of a 3x4 " specimen, and the whole surface fuzzy. Whatever's down there seems to be delicious. I've also had a positive reaction from oyster eggs and cyclopeeze.

 

[GreshamH]

Sweeper tent. are for attacking others, you mean feeders right?

Sweepers are typically longer (and loners), where as feeders are tyically close to the polyp (not really long) and don't stretch out super far.

 

[MCsaxmaster]

All corals need to eat. Depending on the amount of food put in the tank intended for other organisms, some corals may get enough just from leftovers but it is highly advisable to make some attempt to provide appropriate food.

Chris

 

[2639]

I think sds was just curious though if oopen brains are photosynthetic or not. At least that's how I read that

I agree that they all need to eat..Just some get their nutrition in other forms

 

[jman77]

I don't think "all" corals “need” to be fed ... You can keep brains and not target feed them and they will be fine.

That said... I do target feed all my corals as i feel it's beneficial for them.

 

[2639]

{ whistling the tune from Wizard Of Oz }
...If i only had a brain...

 

[naka]

I feed my brain coral once a week. Piece of shrimp for each mouth.

James

 

[sds]

thanks for all the help
I have a brain that has receeded and you can see its skeleton
its been this way for a while now. I dont know what I should really do with it. I havent fed it it just seems to be a controversy over feeding corals. I guess that should be target feeding. Any help would be appreciated

 

[sds]

I do have a leather coral that has been having a hard time due to my clownfish. I cannot keep it attatched anywhere because of the clown. He is a real pain!!! I have read something about leather corals and brains not doing well together.

 

[2639]

That's cause leathers like to emit toxins on their neighbors. I'd keep the brain far away from leathers especially if it's receding.

 

[musty baby]

Lack of feeding wouldn't be the reason for the recession, you've likely got something else going on with your tank or the brain's placement that's causing the recession. Where do you have it in the tank, what are the flow and light like, and what are your water parameters.

It doesn't hurt to feed corals, but if the coral is "happy" in your tank you shouldn't have to.

 

[MCsaxmaster]

I don't think "all" corals “need” to be fed ... You can keep brains and not target feed them and they will be fine.

All corals need to eat--exactly how much depends on many factors. Whether they will get enough food from leftovers from feeding fish, from fish waste, etc. or not again depends on many factors. It would be wise to actively try to make coral-appropriate food available in the tank though.

Lack of feeding wouldn't be the reason for the recession, you've likely got something else going on with your tank or the brain's placement that's causing the recession. Where do you have it in the tank, what are the flow and light like, and what are your water parameters.

It doesn't hurt to feed corals, but if the coral is "happy" in your tank you shouldn't have to.

Lack of feeding definitely could be a reason for recession and I've seen this happen to many corals. However, there are a lot of other factors that can cause recession besides starvation and most of those are often more common. How "happy" a coral is in a tank though has nothing to do with whether or not it needs food. That would be a bit like saying that if a person walks their dog twice a day and pets them often (keeping them happy and stress-free) that they don't have to feed them. Yes, yes they really do.

Chris

 

[jman77]

I pointed out that I do not believe that "all" corals need to be fed. What they pull out of the water column ( fish waste, bacteria, nutrients, algae, ect) is not feeding the coral directly.

What scientific data, study, or research can you provide that proves that it is "necessary" to feed all corals ?

You can’t make a comparison of a coral that receives it’s main nutrient from photosynthesis, to a dog that extracts his, from food it ingests . A more logical comparison would be to that of a plant.

Again … I do believe it’s beneficial …but that it’s necessary for all corals… no.

 

[Catharsis70]

I feed mine directly only once a month and thats only if I remember too. I do feed cyclpopeeze in the water though...

 

[phishy2]

i have had my closed brain for two weeks and it has not showed any feeder tenticles at all, i have tried target feeding but it didnt help....

 

[duec22]

I've had a green brain for three years that when I initally got it I feed it once a week or so. Then I followed some very poor (at least IMO) that they don't need to feed. Well over the corse of the next 6 months the brain went from great to good to poor to almost dead. It took me a week or so to get it to "remember" how to eat and another month for it to grow new feeding tenticals.
If you are one of those people who dump a ton of food in the tank, then you can probably get away without direct feedings, but if you are like me and feed the fish a very minimal amount of food, then you would be better off doing direct feedings.

jman77, the fact that all corals that I know of have gut areas to hold food, and the means to capture their prey (yes, even SPS) would be evidence enough.