new brain... is he ok?

[snowflakejason]

I just bought a brain coral, when I got him in the store he was huge all spread out and open, and then when he went into the bag he closed up which is to be expected and when I dropped him into my tank he stayed the same sized closed up, he started to kinda shrivel up and he has been that was for 5 hours now... is he just in shock or is he a goner? Doesn't look like he is dead because he is moving every now and then. I know when I get new fish they dont come out and play.. same when I got my anemone he sucked all in and I thought he was dead too.. anyone have experince with this?

 

[spsfreak100]

It's completely normal. It may take corals a few days to completely open up after being a completely new environment. There's nothing to be worried about, unless this continues for the next few weeks.
Take Care,
Graham

 

[cincyreefer]

Yeah, its perfectly normal. It can take many stony corals a week or two to completely open, but you should start to see it open up a little within the next day or two. If it doesn't then i would check all the water parameters and do a small water change. Corals always seem to respond well to water changes.

 

[melissa v.]

Originally posted by waterfaller1
Did you acclimate him before you placed him in your tank?
You beat me to that question
Melissa V.

 

[snowflakejason]

Originally posted by waterfaller1
Did you acclimate him before you placed him in your tank?
yes and no.... I adjusted him to the tempature but I didn't adjust him to the Ph by putting water into his bag.. I never really got that approach.. and all the fish seem to be fine without it... but it probably wont fly with coral.. Well.. early this morning when I woke up he was back to his normal size but he was closed, but now he has shrunk back down again to a small little closed brain...

 

[shanev]

Yep proper acclimation will help, and while some fish are ok with it, the longer they have been in a bag or the larger the difference in water the more important step this is.
The reasoning behind it is say a fish is shipped to you. The moment you close the bag the oxygen starts to deplete and the PH starts to drop. For any animal to rapidly change ph is very stressful to them. It also helps all the other levels that are different in the water like salinity levels. Even for fish ,especially fish that are susceptable to diseases caused by stress, this is important.