Brain coral losing to cleaner shrimp?

[IWishIWasAFish]

So, before I trade away a coral my class and I adore, could someone more experienced just tell me I'm diagnosing correctly? Although any awesome solutions would also be welcome of course

I'm including some pics. I put him mid way up the rock work and he was very happy for a while after I got him, all puffed out and smooth, then he shrunk and wrinkled all up like crazy. Like he does if I touch him when moving him, only much worse. So I stuck him under a plastic tupperware with holes in it(thanks for the great idea ) and he got better...so I decided it must have been the shrimp, though I've never caught him - he does like to steal food though, and I've seen him pry it out of a couple of other corals. I can only guess he's prying at the brain after the lights go out. And the tank is at school, so I'm not generally here that late.

Anyhow, I'm only running a bank of 4 T5s on a 37g tall so I don't feel the sand bed is appropriate for him. That, and I don't want to have to keep him under a plastic tub all the time. Kind of defeats the purpose of having a pretty coral So I put him up on top of the rock work, where the shrimp is scared to go...he was better for a few days, but now looks wrinkly and shrunken again

Please look at pics and confirm for me? He's eating well even now, shows no unusual anything, the other corals (mixed softies, SPS, LPS) are healthy, the water parameters are okay though not spectacular (they are the same as when he was happy) I skim, run carbon every couple weeks and have not quite as much as desirable water movement. I also dose calcium and magnesium and do regular small water changes. He's not living downstream or directly adjacent to anything nasty - that's a xenia below him in the pic. The clownfish is new today, so he can't be the culprit either.

Thank you for your help.

 

[Myteemouse]

I'm guessing it doesn't like the flow?
that power head is blowing right over the top of it..
Try putting it in really low flow (my acans and lobo's hate high flow)

 

[luisse25]

is that an open brain?put it in the sandbed....

 

[luisse25]

i dont see any recession so im guessing its just not happy...

 

[kevinpo]

Hello,
Is the picture you posted an example of when you consider it expanded or withdrawn? Your coral is a Trachyphyllia geoffroyi and normally is kept on the substrate but can be kept on the rock work as long as when it expands the tissue doesn't rub or is blown so it scrapes on the rocks. They can tolerate low light as long as fed 3 times a week or so. Here are a couple of pictures of mine. The first is of normal daytime expansion and the second is when feeding.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[1fishkeeper]

Im going to have to go with flow also on this one. I would find a nice place on the sand bed where theres not alot of flow going on. Im sure it will puff back up and look really good for you then.

 

[IWishIWasAFish]

Thank you. Can't tell whether it's helping yet, but I moved him to the sand bed at about 10:45 this morning. There is moderate flow across the bed from the K1, which is now blocked and reduced to a quiet eddy by the xenia-covered rock in front of him. Here are two pics as of now(12:15) I didn't touch him much, or drop him or anything, but you can see he went super-raisin-wrinkly in response, and shrunk. Fully expanded he's about 3x the size of these pics.

The powerhead he was next to before is pretty wimpy and concentrated flow which was passing above and to the side of him.

Kevinpo, the first pic above was of him in what I think of as a "moderately irritated state." As in the first pic of your brain, when he is happy he puffs out all smooth, though not with quite so many rolls as your gorgeous guy. It's the sort of wrinkled-raisin appearance of his "skin" I am concerned about, along with the shrinking in size.

He gets fed at least 3 times a week, usually 4, mostly defrosted mysis shrimp.

 

[Myteemouse]

perfect placement..
Try that for a few days and see what gives.

 

[IWishIWasAFish]

He's all shrunk up worse, and now two small spots of necrosis. I clapped the plastic thingy back over him to keep the cleaner shrimp off. Any of you want to come get him to try and save in their tank? I'm sure your parameters are all better than mine. I'll check messages in a few hours, and give you a call if you send your number. I'll be around most of the weekend. The tank is in Issaquah.

 

[IWishIWasAFish]

...so, I didn't have time to elaborate earlier, but I pulled out the finger leather coral. I'm doing a small water change, pulling out most of the zoanthids as well, and the other leather(taking them home) and running carbon, in case he doesn't like them. Reducing the bioload a bit in that way might also help him.

Looks like it might not actually be necrosis, maybe just an area losing color/turning greyish. He's looking a tiny bit better - I think he really likes that plastic cover so, I'll keep him covered except for feeding and hope he recovers. If he recovers fully, I'll try taking the cover off in his new and hopefully suitable location, and if he shows distress I'll put it back and trade him away.

*Crossing my fingers*

 

[luisse25]

is that the only lps u have in your tank?

 

[OCDreefer]

I would be shocked if it was the shrimp. If your worried and it starts to get worse we can place him in my tank.... nurse him back to health and give it any other go about in your tank.... I'm just up the hill from you.

 

[OCDreefer]

side note: I have a really nice rosebud bubble tip anemone your new clown would love. I have too many SPS and he moves around some.... free

 

[IWishIWasAFish]

I've got another LPS - a neon green thing, maybe a candy cane? and I think the hammerhead is a little bit similar...both those are very happy.


Hmm... I like the RBTA idea I'll have to think about it - thank you for the offer, and if the brain doesn't look better tomorrow I'd love to bring him over. I've got a bit of SPS and such, but nothing super fancy, so the anemone might be compatible. I'm not sure this clown will host though - he seems particularly domesticated He's a misbar, tank-raised, happy with pellet food, no instinct to hide in the rocks...lol a real cutey though.

 

[OCDreefer]

Sounds good i'll be around all day tomorrow, well tell seven. You should try the rosebud out, he's just chillin in my sump. My tank raised black mis-bars hosted, took about four months but they hosted, then about a week later I took it out. Would like to see it in a tank.... can always give/trade away if he moves to much for your liking.

 

[IWishIWasAFish]

I'll do it then Thank you.
The brain is actually looking better, he even ate today in spite of my complete dissasembly of the rockwork to get a fish out. What a pain. Anyhow, give me a few days to get the fishy thing resolved, and the system to calm down, and I'll come by for the rosebud. I pulled the corals off the most prime anemone real estate to make a space for it

Sounds good i'll be around all day tomorrow, well tell seven. You should try the rosebud out, he's just chillin in my sump. My tank raised black mis-bars hosted, took about four months but they hosted, then about a week later I took it out. Would like to see it in a tank.... can always give/trade away if he moves to much for your liking.

 

[OCDreefer]

Glad to hear your coral is doing better, just let me know.... its looking all sad in my sump

 

[Bosco83]

Any update on how your Brain Coral is doing?