Brain damage!

[Michelle L]

I have an open brain that, for some freaky reason, has attracted the attention of my yellow tang. I wouldn't have believed it, but last week I watched him swim up and take two good bites on the brain. Up until that point the brain was happy, healthy, and growing. It seems that the tang has a fondness for the rocks that the brain sits on, and I wonder if sometimes takes a bite just to experiment.

Anyway, today I saw that my brain has a small hole in it and I can see the skeleton underlying the flesh. It is releasing a small amount of stringy material from one of it's mouths, and it is shrunken and doesn't look good.

Is it a goner, and is there anything I can do for it?

[Bcollins111900]

It is not a gonner. Is the thread liek mateial it is releasing brown in color? If so it is zoanathelle(sp) which is normal. it is extra that it does not need. When it expedls this the coral will look like it is in bad shape. I would removed the tang or the coral, coral being the easier of the two. It should heal with proper lighting, water conditions, and feeding. If it continues to worsen I would dip the coral.

[Michelle L]

No, it wasn't brown...it was just one tiny string of white slimy goo, coming from it's mouth.

It looked even worse this afternoon, shrunken and small, and refused to take food. I tried to place a piece of krill in it and it just wouldn't stick. Also, it's mouths were open. I swear it looked like it died.

What would you recommend that I dip it in? (I am new to this, I apologize if this is common knowledge stuff.)

PS- Love your avatar!! :cool:

[Avi]

I don't think that dipping would accomplish anything. I think that the only way to save that coral it to make it certain that it doesn't suffer that kind of injury any further at the hands of the Yellow Tang, so to save it you would have to make that choice. If you do protect it from further injury, just keep it in a place where there is some flow over it and reduce the light over it so that the boney skeleton, while exposed, doesn't get attacked by adventitious micro-algae, which would be its worst enemy...after the Tang is gone.

[saz_75]

hi
i had the same problem a couple of months ago with my salifin tang takin chunks out of my open brain. it did same as yours closed up n refused to feed.
and unfortunately it slowly died. i tried movin the brain to where tang couldnt get it but it never helped.

[iamquockie]

I have one in about the same situation. It is showing the exoskeleton now, I saw the peppermint shrimp eating away at it last night, could it be the culprit? You guys ever heard of such a thing? I can't catch the shrimps

sorry for jacking the thread, not my intention, its just I need same area of advice as you.

[Michelle L]

No problem...the more advice, the better!

My brain was looking better yesterday...almost fully open, mouths closed, etc. It is putting out feeder tentacles at night now, but it still refuses food, at least in the PM. I will try to feed it again today when I get home from work.

[Michelle L]

My brain seems to be fine now. I got home last night and it was fully open and plump, and looked great. I fed it some krill, and while it ate a little slower than usual, it did eat and then extended its feeder tentacles. It's back to appearing normal and behaving as it always did.