Question about my brain

[michelle13]

Well not the one in my head...I know it's messed up! The one in my tank...well I'm not even sure it's a brain. First it has several "mouths" with one of them being larger than the other. Which one do I feed? All of them? And is krill a good food choice? Second, part of its skeleton is showing???? I don't know why. My parameters are: Ammonia, trite, trate all 0, calc 370 (can't get it up), alk 8 dKh, ph 8.2, temp 80, salinity 1.024, and iodine is barely detectable. I dose coral vite and essential elements once a week or less, a two part calc and alk buffer, Dt's twice a week, feed invert food directly to corals once a week, and feed my fish daily. I have a 29 gal tank, 10 gal sump, and 2 gal fuge. I have 175 w MH and two 17 w NO's. That's all I know to tell you. I would appreciate any help with it! Also the box on the upper left is the skeleton, the rest are mouths. Thanks!

 

[michelle13]

No one knows???? Hmmmm......back to the books then!

 

[the claw]

I'd love to help you, but you stumped me. Nice looking coral though.

 

[rickster]

This is your brain on drugs.
Sorry, no way to ID that from the pic. How big is it? where and when did you get it ...what changes have you seen?
Do you have Sprung's "Corals: a Quick Reference Guide"? It appears that I am the designated evangelist of this book tonite.

 

[the claw]

I'm thinking it's a Lobophyllia sp. (possibly L. Hataii) which is one of my favorite corals. Here I am at work with no reference books again. I just haven't seen one that color before. Unless that's the photo. I also haven't seen one quite that shape. They are lobed like that with multiple mouths, (hence why they are called lobed brain coral). My favorite Lobo.. also did the same thing and after about a year started to go through what I thought was RTN. I was target feeding it krill at the time.

 

[bdhough]

It looks like lobophylia but lobo's usually have seperate bodies and one mouth unless its spliting really wierdly. Is the skeleton one ovaly piece? It could just be an open brain that has grown four mouths. The color shading at the top of your picture suggests that. Dunno. More pics i guess.

 

[bdhough]

btw if you wish to feed it night time is the best when it opens up its tentacles. Other wise you have to hold the food in place until he closes on it. Feeding is a really good way to nurse him back to health too. I saved my brain from some serious bleaching.

 

[the claw]

I had problems with a brittlestar that would steal his food from him even after he would start to suck it in. It doesn't help that the brittle star looks like something from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

 

[bdhough]

fire shrimp, dead now, formerly known as two finger bandit.....

 

[michelle13]

Thanks for the help. I will keep feeding it and try to get it healthy again.