Help, My Brain is Shrinking!

[Pufferpunk]

Actually, both my open brains. Weird, cause all my other LPS are doing fantastic. I wouldn't worry if it was just 1 of them but both are totally receded & hard, instead of fat & soft. They still have full color. All parameters are perfect.

Also, does anyone know why my new orange linkia is hanging 1/2 out of the water?

 

[Oblivionis]

Re: Help, My Brain is Shrinking!

Help, My Brain is Shrinking!

So many jokes, so little time.

 

[Rod Buehler]

Nitrates? Do you feed the brains with meaty foods?

 

[tkudlik]

Gotta be lack of food, try DT's Oyster Eggs/Marine Plankton, open brains and Blasto Wellsi's love it, so does my hammers/frogspawn...also like Rod said check you nitrates, this is actually about the only test I do just because I do reef crystal water changes every week......oops, forgot I always check my Calcium also, very very important for LPS. Good Luck.

 

[zonco]

Are the brains still shrunken down or are they puffed up again , mine shrink when they do there business and then go back to normal.

 

[Pufferpunk]

Nitrates are 0. They actually both usually eat quite well--pieces of Zoe-soaked shrimp & Rod's food. (Can't feed them now that they have shrunk though.) Weekly water change w/Reef Crystals also. Usually 10%, yesterday 20%.

 

[Pufferpunk]

I would also still like to know why my orange starfish is always at the top? Even when I put him at the bottom, he goes right back up. Is that ok? There's no food up there.

 

[zonco]

I wouldn't touch the linkia there pretty delicate , mine goes to the top to every once in a while probably to eat film on the tank . As for the brain have u got it in direct flow or in a medium flow area.

 

[Pufferpunk]

I'm feeling better about the star--attached itself to the back glass, where there's tons of yummy algae to eat.

The brains are both on the substrate, in medium flow from a small pump. I wouldn't be concerned if it was just one of them, I know lots of corals take brakes.

 

[tiny tentacle]

check calcium, magnesium, and carbonate hardness.
Look for red bristleworms under the open brain .
and do you have a lot of red slime algae?

 

[Pufferpunk]

No red slime algae at all.
Ca 420, KH 7, don't have a test for Mag.
Checked under both brains. Nothing under the wells, the red & green brain has some white sponges & a tiny 1/2" brittle star (I think that's what it is) on it's underbody. It looks better than the wells.
I would think if the water parameters were off, the starfish & clam would be suffering.

 

[Pufferpunk]

The only new thing going on in my tank lately is my Seio 820 pump is sucking air into the tank, about every 2 minutes, even though it's 4" below water level, blowing tiny bubbles into the tank. Going to soak it in vinegar now...

 

[Douglas LEHMAN]

Hello Jeni
How new are the corals? The Alk looks to be a little low (7?) I like to keep my coral tanks around 10 dkh. Did you ever get a PO4 test kit, current value ? I wouldn't worry to much about the Mag level as RC mixes to 1100 ppm or so here in Des Plaines. If they are new imports how does their color look, light/bleached. If so I'd put them in a shady area and keep an eye on them. How old are the lamps ? Wattage ? Years ago I had a bubble coral (Plerogyra sinuosa) that looked to be on deaths door. With patience, good water a steady diet & some voodoo magic it's about the size of a football 4 years later after cheisling off a frag or two!

 

[Pufferpunk]

I've had them both for 5-7 months. Colors are still great--very bright. No skeleton showing. I've always had problems getting KH higher than 7, always been that way. I generally hate adding additives but I do have Kent Superbuffer dKH. PO4 tested at the LFS & they are very low (don't remember the exact number--yeah, I know I probably should keep notes...).

Lights--PC 2 65wt 10,000 (on 10am-9pm), 2 65wt actinics (on 9am-10pm). 2 months old.

They really don't look like they're dying--just concerned, cause they usually swell up 3-4x their size during the day.
Where do I find some of that Vodoo?