feeding a brain coral

[eric b 125]

is it possible that a brain coral will get enough of its food through photosynthesis that it wont put out it's feeding tenticles? i've had this thing for a few weeks and i have yet to see it try to eat. i've tried spot-feeding it with a turkey baster and it does nothing to get food from the water. would adding something like kent marine 'phytomax' benefit it in anyway?

 

[carlos413]

I have an open brain and he gets feed like once every two weeks.

 

[btldreef]

What type of brain? I don't feed my Lobo's or my Trace, but I do feed my maze brain. I'm fairly certain that mine do grab some of the fish food when I feed at night or when I add live food for the filter feeders.

 

[eric b 125]

tis a closed green brain coral (Wellsophyllia sp.). it's in a 125, on the sand bed, with a 250 MH almost directly above it.

 

[bla403]

I feed a capful of oyster eggs into my tank every few days and my brain/corals seem to love it. My corals started growing much faster once I started adding it, especially my chalices.

 

[truperc]

Do you happen to have a pic of the coral?
I feed my Wellsophyllia occasionally by placing a piece of raw shrimp on top of it with my pump and powehead off to prevent it from coming off the coral just after placement.
My Wellsophyllia is a hungry coral, and encloses the shrimp relatively quickly.
Mine will feed on shrimp day or night, but if I do not feed it shrimp the tentacles will typically come out at night only.

 

[eric b 125]

i still have yet to see the tentacles of my brain. it's starting to look 'deflated' in spots. what are your thoughts on this?

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by Eric B 125
http:///forum/post/3188355
i still have yet to see the tentacles of my brain. it's starting to look 'deflated' in spots. what are your thoughts on this?
I've never seen the tentacles on mine either and have owned it for over a year. However, if I place mysis on it and keep the fish away, the mysis disappears

 

[eric b 125]

alright, so i have frozen mysis. you think that i ought to just spray some towards the brain via turkey baster? i've been trying to do that, but i dont really think the brain gets any.

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by Eric B 125
http:///forum/post/3188378
alright, so i have frozen mysis. you think that i ought to just spray some towards the brain via turkey baster? i've been trying to do that, but i dont really think the brain gets any.
I don't like feeding my coral while the pump or PH's are on. You may want to try turning everything off and then feed some mysis.

 

[eric b 125]

i just tried with all of the pumps off. i slowly emptied about 3/4 of a cube of cyclops on it (thought i still had mysis, will have to get some tomorrow). it didnt take long for my naso to get excited and swam past the brain, blowing all of the cyclops off. i hope this doesnt sound real stupid, but how does it ingest the food? i see little 'slits' in the brain, but i've never seen them open.

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by Eric B 125
http:///forum/post/3188401
i just tried with all of the pumps off. i slowly emptied about 3/4 of a cube of cyclops on it (thought i still had mysis, will have to get some tomorrow). it didnt take long for my naso to get excited and swam past the brain, blowing all of the cyclops off. i hope this doesnt sound real stupid, but how does it ingest the food? i see little 'slits' in the brain, but i've never seen them open.
I believe those slits are the mouth

 

[eric b 125]

thats kinda what i figured. it looks a little better- or maybe it wasnt starting to look bad in the first place. i totally forgot to get mysis today. maybe i'll try some plankton and then try mysis this weekend. i guess the realy problem is that i dont know what to be looking for when i feed it, to be sure it ingested the food.

 

[eric b 125]

after giving it a good long look-over, i think it was getting just a little too much direct flow. i adjusted one of my powerheads, and that side of the coral is looking much better.

 

[btldreef]

That's what the tentacles should look like.

 

[eric b 125]

mine NEVER looks like that. i wonder why...?

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by Eric B 125
http:///forum/post/3189737
mine NEVER looks like that. i wonder why...?
Well if it makes you feel better, neither does mine. I took that from another site I belong to. Mine has NEVER looked like that, yet has almost doubled in size in the last year

 

[mikersof]

Originally Posted by BTLDreef
http:///forum/post/3189762
Well if it makes you feel better, neither does mine. I took that from another site I belong to. Mine has NEVER looked like that, yet has almost doubled in size in the last year

I added a Wellsophyllia about 3 weeks ago. I have yet to see mine open either. I have tried to get a reaction with different meaty bits on tweezers waving around the coral but there has not been any reaction at all. When I place the food on the coral, it is quickly stolen by the fish. I add Phytoplex and Zooplex 2-3 times a week. My Wellsophyllia has kinda pooched up in the middle but seems to be happy. Color is good.
I'm hearing many good things about the oyster eggs. I'm going to look into some new products and vary my feeding more.
So, being new to LPSs, no advice here. Just what's going on in my 80 =)
Best wishes!
james =)

 

[racingtiger03]

My brain only sticks its feeders out late at night (usually 3-4 hours after lights out). I use to be able to feed it during the time, but since upgrading my lights, it will only take food if its feeder tentacles are displayed *shrug*

 

[truperc]

My brain frequently looks like the picture, although not as big.
I realized in my first post I called my brain a wells, but it is actually a trach.
Must have been tired.
Tentacles come out sometimes during the day, but they are always fully out at night.
Tentacles come through the slits near the edges of the coral, the slit in the center is the mouth.
If I put a small piece of raw shrimp from the seafood counter on the coral, it closes over it day or night.
Even though mine is a Trach, I believe the Wells acts the same.