Open brain owners please come in.

[shnabbles]

How many keep your open brain under MH lighting?
Since i brought mine home it looks like absolute crap... the skeleton shows throught the flesh during the day and after lights out the starts to puff up slightly..
I only have shaded area under my protien skimmer pump so i have moved the brain there to give it some shade, but that is up on the rock work.
I was just wondering if these thing can survive under MH lighting or if it is to much light.

 

[schadiest1]

I keep mine under 260w of PC lighting. I've had it for almost 2 years, in direct light with no problems.

 

[misfit]

That sounds pretty bad i have 2 1 open and 1 closed both under 3 x 250 HQI DE with no problems and both are in the sand bed.What lightiong do you have parimeters ect

 

[shnabbles]

salinity 1.026
Alk 8.2
Calcium 400
PH 8.3
Temp 82ish
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
Magnesium 1250 (alittle low)
I have 2x150 MH and 2x96 PC's over a 55.
The coral was open very nicely at the pet store, though i think they had it under PC's only.. brought it home stuck it in the tank, next morning looked like crap.

 

[sharkbait9]

you may have shocked it. If it was under pc lights for a while and got used to them, then you get it put in your tank under Mh with out any acclimation first it could be shocked. Place it in a dark area not right under the Mh lights for a little while and slowly work it back out. My brains (open and closed) are under 3 x 250 HQI straight from Pc. Did a slow move to the HQI and they puffs up all day all night unless going number two then they kind of deflates for a little while to help pinch it off

.

 

[shnabbles]

sharkbait, how long do you think the recovery could take?

 

[sharkbait9]

It could take a couple of weeks. Place it in a dark/shaded area of the tank, as it starts to puff up and stay for a day or three start to bring it back out into the open, but slowly. a little a week until it starts doing the same thing every day, puff up deflate puff up deflate. You need to let him adjust to new stronger lights. Some of the LFS use pc instead of MH knowing that the coral will sell fast and not have to worry about them degenerating. I have pics of one of my green opens that I rescued from a lfs due to being stuck in a tank with pc lights. it was completely wasted away only a spot of green left inside the skeleton, now its re-growing with a vengeance. I have to look to see if I still have the pics if not I can take a pic of the present day and you will see the recession and the re-growth. Also make sure (don’t know if you have any other coral in the tank) but some coral sting and if your brain is close to another coral it could be getting stung.

 

[shnabbles]

I have several other corals in the tank but it now is in direct shade under the protein skimmer pump... Its on the rocks, but at least its in complete shade.

 

[sharkbait9]

That should work. two are on the rocks and two are on the sand. its said that the flesh gets broken down and rubbed raw from rubbing on the rocks. As long as the flesh is not stuck under the skeleton and the rock I don't foresee a problem.