Green bubble problem

[Nht8134]

Hey guys, I need help with my green bubble coral. I got it about a week ago and it was doing fine at the fish store but ever since I brought it home, its been acting really funny.

The first few nights, it never opened fully and all its its feeder tentacles were out so I fed each mouth some raw table shrimp. The following days, it would sometimes open up but then it would completely retract. Then just yesterday and today, it started expelling some brown stuff out of its mouths(zooxanthelle?).

I love this coral and Im praying that this is normal as I really do not want to lose it. I have it placed in the middle of the tank. Please help.

29 Biocube 135watts pc
Nitrates 0
Nitrites 0
Amm 0
Salinity 1.25

Tank has been setup for 3

 

[AustinVines]

I find that my bubble is very resilient and hardy. It does occassionally eject spent zooxanth. which freaked me out the first time it happend but it has always come back. Maybe it isn't used to the flow or lighting in your tank? You should see the bubbles sway but if they are getting pounded they won't open fully. How long has your tank been up? 3 months? 3 weeks? If you really put food on each group of tentacles it could also be overfed, too

I feed this one and the other LPS in my tank minced table shrimp (about 1-2 teaspoons and the "coral food" from H2O-life (one square), alternating foods, about twice a week. In your tank, I would think half a cube would be more than enough. Good luck!

 

[Nht8134]

sorry, I meant to type 3 months. That is a beautiful bubble you have. Is it under MH or actinics?

 

[AustinVines]

Thanks for the compliment. I bought the tank used and it came with it. It is probably 5" across the skeleton and opens up the size of a large honeydew melon. I keep it under 440w vho's (2 x super actinic; 2 x 10k). Any change in yours?

 

[Justin74]

Nht8134: What type of lighting was on it at the LFS, would you happen to know how long it was in there system? This would be a normal response even up to 3 months if it is coming from a brighter lit system let alone the wild. May indeed be zooxanthellae, just keep feeding it if it will eat, not to big or too much, just easy to consume small bits. It will eventually acclimate to your sytem, maybe a lil lighter in color unless you have a fairly shallow tank.

-Justin

 

[porky]

FWIW, I would recommend NOT spot feeding this coral.
My bubble has always done best when not spot fed...

 

[Justin74]

How come?
Mine accepts food readily, and seems to puff up and look nice the next day.


-Justin

 

[reefkoi]

Yeah in my exp. bubbles grow like crazy target feeding krill or mysis shrimp. I had one that was not inflating well, and just surviving, I started feeding as per the LFS advice and the thing is doing great now.
Porky,maybe you are putting something in your tank that they feed off of and thats why they dont need target feeding from you possibly? Maybe when you feed your fish if its heavy the current blows food at the bubble?
Chris

 

[boomsticks]

How often do you feed it? And that brown crap it spewing is probably just waste. Mine will spew crap out usually two or three days after feeding nothing to worry about.

 

[porky]

IME, this coral is very susecptable to being overfed. Espcially when fed meaty, chunks of food a lot of times that food is not fully digetsted and can end up rotting in the gut.
And remember "just because a coral can be fed doesn't mean that it should be fed..." Eric Borneman!
And besides my bubble looks its best when it is allowed to "hunt" food in the water colum as opposed to being fed...

 

[porky]

Here's my boy in all his glory this coral has more than doubled in size (actual skeleton) since I purchased it about 3 years ago...