TENTACLES coming out of my green brain coral??

[mindytoy]

its like this one, actually the same just this one isnt mine...

http://z.about.com/d/saltaquarium/1/0/f/J/drosslg.jpg

last night i saw atleast 5 4-6" see through tenticles with white bubble at the tip coming out of it. is this normal or what? it tripped me out! i touched it and it didnt sting, i also touched an aptesia to see if it would and na...

what are they or what??

[seapug]

yep. Sweeper tentacles. Perfectly normal. Make sure no other corals are within reach-- you may not feel the sting, but they will strip the tissue right off other corals

[sassafrass]

That coral can oroduce both feeding tenticals and sweeper tenticals the sweepers are to sting any coral that's to close . It is a survival mechanism to ensure adequate space to grow. I can't feel the sting of any corals I have come into contact with so far, which is a lot of species .I am sure there are some that could me pain like fire corals. Hopefully I'll never find out!!!

[seapug]

I had a hammer coral that would give me rashes on sensitive skin like the underside of my arm if I brushed against it. Elegance corals and Torches can leave marks as well. Fire corals and some sponges can be extremely painful to the touch.

[mindytoy]

so its normal for it to have these things? so those are to sting corals not to eat? wow im happy its normal! the kenya tree next to it isnt doing too well...plus i only saw this last night i had never seen it before in the last month that ive had it for! is it like once a month or nightly?

[sassafrass]

It seems that corals can sense the proximty of other coral species .I have a favites that will only extend sweepers when I put another coral close. To answer your question it will extend it's sweepers until the kenya tree is moved or dead. And believe me it will kill it!

[seapug]

usually a nightly occurance with many faviids. They use them for defense and for "fishing" for food in the frequent nightly plankton swarms.

[mindytoy]

so the brains dont feed of off light? i didnt know it needed actual food?

[greenbean36191]

Like all reef building corals, they get some of their carbohydrates from photosynthesis. Only some corals can meet all of their carb demands that way though and all corals need additional sources of other nutrients, especially nitrogen (protein), since these demands cannot be met by photosynthesis. There are a few weird ones like Xenia that seem to meet theses demands through absorption from the water, but most corals do very little of this, so they must actively feed. Depending on the coral, that food can be anything from bacteria to large zooplankton with some feeding along the entire continuum (like the brain here).

[mindytoy]

wow i didnt know that. very interesting here. so the brain must be by itself?

[Michael]

mine does the same, however only in the dark, when i open the curtains in the morning you can see them but they soon disappear when light gets into nthe tank, they are not 4-6" long mind but certainely tentacles are evident

[GrantMeThePower]

Mine does the same and are easily that long. you can see which way they go in the current, and i dont think they are strong enough to fight the current so just keep anything sensitive away from that part.

[mindytoy]

yeah they just flow with the current...can u guys post pics of your brain corals??

[weaselslucks]

i can tell when mine is hungery because it will set out the tenticals during the day. You can feed the mysis.just turn you pump off for an hour or untill they are done eating.

[greggnyce]

here is my trach.
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb3/greggnyce/Tankjune2007013.jpg
there is two favids in this photo
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb3/greggnyce/shabang-family-nano074.jpg