id please

[nihoa]

im not usually one to buy first ask questions later but occassionaly you spot a good deal and i know i can pass it along to another reefer should i be unable to care for it. generally, we have very similar things in our tank anyway.
this was sold to me as a dented brain but i have my doubts. any other opinions?

and while we are at it, this was sold to me as "some sort of brain thing" for dirt cheap and i figured id pounce on it. i cant tell if its a favia or perhaps an acan?

 

[reefforbrains]

Top looks pretty bad. Yes dented brain, open brain ( wellsophyllia )
Bottom is an Acan colony. Looks to be in considerably better shape.

 

[reefforbrains]

Colors look awesome on the brain but you really have your work cut out for you with this guy. IF he survives you could have a beautiful piece.

 

[nihoa]

what kind of brain is it? what about its care is difficult? light, parameters, calcium/elements?

 

[reefforbrains]

Hahah I typed it out but figured better to be unsaid so you would have to look it up.
it is a Wellsophyllia, or open brain. The hobby is becomming less and less picky about the Wellsophyllia and Trachyphyllia distinctions. People are just now callig them the same thing. Many people much smarter than I am can pinpoint you on the subtle differences and similarities. I usually just go by the bottom cone shape on the Trac vs the wrinkled and irregular style of the Wellso.
For any scientist or oceanographer this is blashemy. To most any hobbiest it works fine.
What can make them difficult is they are so sensitive to other corals, sensitive to getting sand kicked onto them. Hard to get keep properly nourished.
Yours has great colors but looks to have seen a lot of abuse and/or neglect.
It has all of your typical requirements of LPS but with the adds for being tender with it.
Loose rockwork, active fish that kick debris onto it, too high of flow all can make this a difficult one to keep.
Not hard, just find a suitable spot and treat like any other LPS and you should be fine.

 

[nihoa]

thanks, i needed to be pointed in the right direction. ive been looking online for it but photos of the diff brains do not seem to match what i have or what the colony looked like that this was fragged off of. hah, if its looking ratty thats cus this piece was cut from the colony only a few hours ago and only in my tank a few mins before i took this pic. thats not to say you dont see some neglect there beyond the roughing up it took today to get to my tank. hopefully it starts looking better over the next few days.

 

[reefforbrains]

Be patient with it, it may take months to recover from its condition.
Just really try and keep water to spec, keep it fed and out of danger. Thats the best you can do. It should look wonderful when it heals provided it makes it.

 

[nihoa]

the closest id ive found for the brain is Symphyllia agaricia and the acan is Acanthastrea echinata for anyone else that was wondering.

 

[aquaguy24]

lobe a type of brain coral.