folded brain coral

[heyitsliz88]

Hi everyone! I got myself a beautiful folded brain coral, green and blue. I put him on the sand bed in an area of the tank with minimal flow, and lower light. He seems very happy! I was wondering though, should I refrain from getting a sand sifting goby or anything of the sort? I like those little yellow headed sleeper gobies with their blue striped cheeks. I was told by the LFS that if my brain coral gets even a tiny tiny amount of sand on him, he'll die within hours. But as we know, it's not a bad idea to double check LFS advice on here! Lol. I also have a pretty bubble coral on the opposite end of the tank in low flow and low light. He's sitting by himself because of aggression tendencies, but he's pretty cute too. Is it the same story with him?
Thanks for all your advice and help, you all have been great!!!
Liz*

 

[michaeltx]

They wont die within hours but the sand will cause cause irritation and eventually can cause it to die. bubble corals are usually not put on the sand though they are usually attached onto the rock work. When you say they are in low light and low flow what type of lights and flow do you have on them..

Mike

 

[heyitsliz88]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the response. Good to know I have a few hours before irritation gets too much for the brain coral. I've been watching it closely and have been using a turkey baster to gently "blow" the sand off of him. Better than picking him up and shaking him off I think! The bubble coral is currently placed on a piece of holey rock at the bottom of the tank. The skeleton actually fits into one of the crevices nicely so that he's not tipping over, and is not brushing against anything with his bubbles. The rock goes up and shades him a little too. He seems pretty happy there, he's opening up a lot. I fed him a piece of shrimp last night. As for lights, I'm currently working with metal halides. The LFS loaned me these until they got the proper lights in. I'm getting LED's. The tank doesn't have too much flow currently. It's a 60g cube, and I'm thinking I may need to put in a powerhead or two to produce more flow. Any input would be much appreciated!


Thanks!
Liz*