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View Full Version : odd open brain behavior

lewk
11/25/2009, 08:47 AM
Hi,

I bought an open brain from a fellow reefer that was breaking down his tank about a month ago. He had it listed as a 'donut brain', but honestly, I'm not sure what type it is. I'll try and snap a pic later if I can once the lights are on. It's green in the center and red around the outside. It's been doing great. Last night I was just sort of sitting and staring at my tank as we all tend to do. I noticed a cleaner shrimp sort of walk across it, and this red slimy stuff sort of came out of the brain and out into the water. He walked across it again, and it did the same thing. After that, the mouths in the center of the coral (I'm guessing they're mouths) opened up and it sort of deflated for about 30 minutes or so, then gradually started swelling back up. I'm curious what the reddish stuff was that it let out and if this is normal for them to do from time to time. Thanks in advance.

Params:
SG 1.024
Alk 8.4
Ca 375
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 0
Phos 0
TwistedEnvy
11/25/2009, 08:53 AM
I'm no expert in brains, but it sounds like he was throwing up his food. I haven't seen my OB dispell red gunk though... My mushrooms dispell gunk like that whenever I try to take them off their rocks. It may have been just irritated.
lewk
11/25/2009, 09:16 AM
Hm. That's a possibility. When I was feeding the tank the other day, the shrimp got all excited and was scurrying around the rocks. He knocked a small piece of LR or (1/8 inch) onto the brain. I think it thought it was food, because the tentacles came out....and it wrapped it up and started pulling it in. I tried to get it out of there with a baster, but it was already stuck in there pretty good. Could be related to that.
username in use
11/25/2009, 10:06 AM
Are your lights much brighter or dimmer than the person you got it from? It could be spitting out some zooxanthalae.
lewk
11/25/2009, 10:17 AM
I'm running a single 250mh over the tank, and he was running dual lamps...not sure of the wattage.
Ohiomom
11/25/2009, 11:12 AM
Could have been pooping too..that is how they expel it from the mouth and makes sense that the shrimp would try and get it..if it inflates normally today would bet that is what it did..
lewk
11/25/2009, 03:57 PM
Could have been pooping too..that is how they expel it from the mouth and makes sense that the shrimp would try and get it..if it inflates normally today would bet that is what it did..

Ok...mental note...don't touch the red stuff that comes out of the open brain. It's back to it's old self today, so that may have been it. Thanks.