LR/Coral Question??

tomato clown

tomato clown

Member
Ok I just bought lr for one of my 29's last week, There seems to be what looks exactly like a brain coral on one of the rocks, what can I do if anything to ensure it's life and growth?
Right now my tests are almost perfect ammonia .015, PH 7.8, nitrates 0, nitrites 0, salinity 1.023. It is approxamately 1/4 to 1/2 an inch in diameter, and looks exactly like this picture I found here in swf.com.
I asked my LFS, but the guy told me that there is nothing that can possibly live on the LR. especially coral....this from the same guy who i bought it from and said "lr is full of living things"
Thanks
Dan

[ December 03, 2001: Message edited by: Tomato Clown ]
 
predator

predator

Active Member
If it is in fact a brain coral you need good lighting. I'm not to framiliar with that type of brain so I can't say for sure what they eat. I'v got a huge lobo brain and he eats silversides. But I do know you need good lighting.
 
predator

predator

Active Member
Oh yeah, I have a nice piece of acaporo(how ever you spell it)coral that came on piece of my rock.
 
y2says

y2says

Member
Just put it near the light and hope for the best. Keep an eye on it and see how reacts to things. You might want take it to your lfs and have them hold it for you until the tank is cycled. That's a thought.
 
q

q

Member
I don't have my book handy. (will check later and get back)
I am prety sure that brains are not photosynthetic. You need to feed them. Some brains tolerate more light than others and I believe they like a moderate flow.
If the tank is cycling then you should put it in a quarintine tank with the proper alk and calcium levels.
[ December 05, 2001: Message edited by: Plato ]
 
dr. msu-fish

dr. msu-fish

New Member
Brain corals do in fact photosynthesize. They, like most other coral species, contain zooxanthellae which privide the organism with vital nutrients during photosynthesis. Otherwise, why would we spend all this money for lighting systemes :)
Good Luck and be liberal with the light!!
 
q

q

Member
Correct: I looked it up last night. ;) They also feed on zooplankton so an occasional brine shrimp would do them good.
 
mlm

mlm

Active Member
Is the brain coral a pink color? If it is Florida Aquacultured rock then this type of brain is extremely hardy. I see them all the time scubadiving. They grow all over the gulf coast of florida on shipwrecks in all depths of water and go through temp changes from 50f in the winter to 84f in the summer. The water they live in is not the clearest of water vis ranges fro 10 to 35 ft compared to 100 to 200 feet in the tropics where most of the coral comes from. Anyway I have one of these in my tank that came on a piece of live rock and it has been through everything and it is still around. It is has come back from being partially bleached so I would not worry about it going through your tanks cycle. I think the common name for it is lesser starlet brain or somthing like that. I will check when I get home and give you the correct scientific name.
 
tomato clown

tomato clown

Member
thanks for all the input.
Mal no it isn't pink, its the exact shade of green as in the picture. I did however ask my lfs where they get thier stock(l/r) from and they told me it's from a place somewhere arround the red sea.
Luckily it didn't take but 6 days for my tank to finish cycling, so I have added my other corals and they are all doing great, the small piece of brain is a tad duller in color right now, but I believe it should do better (I hope)
I changed my lighting to a 10,000k bulb, from the one that came with the top, I do plan on doing a double bulb set up and adding the atinic blue 50/50. this a good idea or should I go with something stronger? It is only a 30gal. tank, so space is somewhat of an issue for where it is.
Dan
 
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