How do you keep/feed a Brain alive???

[fish_who?]

I picked up a brain coral that is about 3" from Jeff's last weekend. I placed it on my sandbed for now. Where should it be? On the sandbed or on the rock? What should I feed it? I tried to feed it small pieced of squid last night, but it would not stick to it. Maybe it was not hungry?? How often should I feed it? How does everyone else feed their brain? I have 2x250w Mh's, is this too much light?

Thanks

 

[kevjtomy]

Mine is on the sand. I feed mine a chunk of krill roughly once a week. Watch yours at night (lights out) for its feeder tenacles to come out. Once they are out feed it and it will slowly suck in the food. They will come out during the day from time to time also, mainly when feeding the tank. Thats what works for mine. Good luck.

 

[GMH320]

I keep 2 open brains on the bottom in the sand bed. You can feed them during the day, but must first shut down all the pumps to keep the food from just blowing off. Just lay a piece of shrimp or clam in the center. Within a few minutes it will get drawn in. I find it easier to feed about an hour after lights out when the tenticles are extended. The food sticks on and is then drawn in without shutting down the pumps. My biggest problem is keeping the hermits and cleaner shrimp away long enough to let the coral feed.

 

[J Crew]

just a quick question... i read on another post about a week ago that open brains actually did not have to be feed directly. meaning that you didn't have to specifically target the brain for feeding. is this true? just curious... don't have one. heck i haven't even gotten my tank setup yet, but i was wondering if there's any truth to this since i'm constantly reading about people feeding their OB's. thanks

 

[MIKE NY1]

J Crew, it's true they don't have to be fed if their lighting, water requirements are met, but they just tend to to do better and fuller with an occational feeding. I have a GOB that I feed maybe once a month because it just looks great all the time and I have a ROB that I feed once or twice a week for the above reason.

Mike

Remember our American Heros...NYPD,FDNY,PAPD

 

[kah225]

Sorry for the piggy-back, but this is a good topic.
I have a open brain that I've had a few months. I have it on the bottom on the sand. It looked great for a while, now it's not as puffy, and seems to be getting a little hard.

Any suggestions?

TIA

 

[Katspaw]

Hi Fish who,

I have a green open brain. really cool coral. I also run 2 250 watt 6500k isawski's. I have mine down low in the rock work, not in the sand, maybe 8 inches below the waterline. I feed mine two ways. I feed with a turkey baster brine shrimp in to the area of it's mouths, and I feed ESP photoplankton three times a week. My brain is about 7 to 8 inches across, and I have seen it grow very much since I got it. This is mine.

Sorry for lousy picture.

Tracey

 

[fish_who?]

Thanks everyone for the input. I will try to feed it tonight. hoepfully the tentacles are out.

 

[fish_who?]

It worked. I had to fight off the peppermint shrimp, and the cleaner shrimp, but 30 minutes ofter lights out (except for the moon light) I fed a chunk of brine. It still looked hungry, so I fed it 2 smaller pieced of squid. This morning when I woke up the lights were still out and it was puffed up. Looks great now, hopefully some of the tissue grows back and it gets huge.

Thanks for all your help!!!

 

[davelin315]

Ever since I finished law school 4 years ago, I think my brain appreciates not being fed anything (of the knowledge or alcohol type) and it's starting to perk up again. Oh, wait, you're talking brain corals....

I have an open brain that I will stick a piece of shrimp on periodically and watch it slowly eat it (I have to way overfeed the rest of the tank, though, to keep the shrimp and crabs off, just like Greg). I also have a closed brain, and that sends out sweeper tentacles at night. If I try and feed it during the day, no luck, food just blows right off of it. I don't know that they get all that much bigger when I feed them, but I do know that they appreciate moderate light and lower current.

By the way, the open brain was a rescue attempt from a LFS, and one thing I think that helped it to recover was a lugols dip.

[ November 15, 2001: Message edited by: davelin315 ]</p>