Brains shrinking

[Man From Atlantis]

I have two brains in my tank, but they have both started to shrink, my water is perfect, well that's ph, nitrate, nitrite and ammonia. I am not sure and have not checked the alkalinity, what could be causing the brains to shrink.

[bigronbo]

you hand feeding them? is the lighting good enogh but not frying them? they in good flow but not getting bean by the waves? thats a few things. they need good food hand fed and protected while they eat it as the fish, shrimp and others will steal their food. i used a plastic strainer with a rock on it to protect them till they get it down.

[Man From Atlantis]

I have 6 t5 lights they are at the bottom of the tank in relatively calm flow, lights are on 10 hours a day (is this to long) the only feed I use is kent marine micro vert, what is the best feed for brains? Should I be checking for alkalinity?

[bigronbo]

i feed mine silver sides or krill some thimes but have been feeding them radgers food lately. my one brian both of my brains actually colored up very well with the rogers as well as my elegance. my acans like it too. I also hand feed my plates with all of it too. I don't test my water much but my stuff grows fast as i over feed and supplement more than most. give your brains small pieces of krill or silver sides and protect them while they eat they are slow. like i said i have a strainer i use with a rock on it but use a plastic one.

[bigronbo]

wow typos like big time rogers food i get the best one but AE needs to get more in. or someone else.

[Man From Atlantis]

Thank you for your help, I have never supplemented my water before, I think I need to start adding calcium or something to help my corals, I need a test kit so I would no what to supplement, is that how do it or just add when you feel is necessary. I need to know a way of getting everything perfect.

What would you reccomend, what supplement to use, calcium, iron magnesium???

[tbone74]

I recoment Bulk reef supply for material to dose into the water. Alk is most important. If you test for anything that should be it. Phosphate, Nitrate, Magnesium, and calcium in that order. After you get these tested you may want to think about dosing kalkwasser in your topoff water.

[RickMartin]

wow typos like big time rogers food i get the best one but AE needs to get more in. or someone else.

lol spell check is your friend


I recoment Bulk reef supply for material to dose into the water. Alk is most important. If you test for anything that should be it. Phosphate, Nitrate, Magnesium, and calcium in that order. After you get these tested you may want to think about dosing kalkwasser in your topoff water.
+1
ALK is most important
nitrite ammonia are only useful when you cycle your tank or if you have a big die off

[bigronbo]

i just pour stuff in avery once in a while. I dose iodine for the shrimp and others to molt. magnesium, potasium, calcium for my clam and other corals. they use stuff up. i have found the seacem or whatever i won when we did the fresh water dip 8.3 ph buffer works a lot better and longer that kalkwasser. I have 2 containers of kalwasser that i will use but when its gone i'm gettinf the other stuff from then on. i never test amonia or nitrites as rick said that should not be an issue after your tanks running and cycled.

[Man From Atlantis]

Thank you for the response, do you have a recommended test kit to test for all of these, magnesium, calcium, phosphate and potassium.

[five O]

You could prob get away just testing for mag, phos, cal & alk. Check out Tom's write ups on Hanna checkers.

[five O]

Start with a good Alk test first. Its the most important IMHO.

[tbone74]

Salifert for calcium and mag. Hanna checkers for alk and phosphate. I don't dose potassium so I don't test for it. I didn't even think you could test for potassium. I would not dose anything without being able to test it. There is way too much room for error

[bigronbo]

i have heard good things on both tbones suggestions for test kits esp the Hanna, most don't dose as much as me. i'm an over feeder and over doser but my stuff is growing great and my PH is kept as close to 8.2-8.3 as i can and 0 or close to 0 nitrats most times. if you have a lot of corals and you use a skimmer you will lose trace elemints. They will be used up by your live stock and without a lot of water changes and salt loaded with trace elements how do you think they will just jump into the aquarium if you don't dose? I don't do a lot of water changes and i dont run a filter sock. my filter feeders rely on non filtered water to filter food that a sock would capture. my skimmer and carbon take care of enough bad stuff but everyone here has their own way of doing their tank. I don't say anything bad about anyones setup or habits as it is their choice how they do their tanks. when ask i'll give my 2 cents and thats all it is listen to everyone and develop your own statogys. What works for one may not be the best for another. I will say one of my best investments was a RODI unit no more water from walmart.

[five O]

Keep it simple for now. Test your water, and do more water changes with quality salts. Do one thing at a time as far as dosing (unless its is a 2-part.) That you will know what works for you and what doesnt. If you started doing mulitple supplements, you would not know what was giving you positve results and what is giving you negative results.

[TheGreatAukSociety]

I would do Calcium, Alk, Give coral food.

[Man From Atlantis]

Thanks for all the response, I will get a test kit ASAP and then I will start to dose accordingly. I will keep you posted on how the corals do

[Man From Atlantis]

I tested my water and my calcium level without dosing is about 420ppm. with my brains shrinking would you guys recommend supplementing the calcium, I do have a lot of corals but I do weekly water changes. My alkalinity is 11dkh would you recommend lowing this.

Please respond with your thoughts

[wazupjames]

Both those levels are fine. Is this towards the end of you water change cycle or beginning?

[Man From Atlantis]

I have had one brain in the tank for about 6 weeks and it hasnt came out at all, I purchased a new brain and it has done the same thing, I am not sure if raising the calcium in the tank will help them. My waters do seem to be perfect, what could be the cause of them shrinking?

[Man From Atlantis]

Sorry the beginning of my water change, but I do it weekly, so it shouldn't fluctuate to much, 200 gallon tank.

[wazupjames]

You would be surprised how much a week of consumption causes perameters to fluctuate. Check at the end of the week and compare. Keep in mind Stability Promotes Success.

[Man From Atlantis]

I will check again then, if I need to supplement what's brand of calcium and alkalinity buffer would you reccomend

[johnboy411]

what about salinity, my tank i keep on the high side no luck for me on low side
odd that they never opened
6 t5s how deep is tank - maybe too much light?

[Man From Atlantis]

The tank is 31inches deep, by 2 feet width and 5 feet long.. Salinity is between 1.025 and 1.026. Do you think it is to much light, my lights are on for about 10 hours a day.

[johnboy411]

i run 3hrs in morning and 3hrs in evening i have 2-250w metal halide
no expeience w t5, maybe need to bring up a little
you could try for half day i would think you would see it do something

[Man From Atlantis]

I thought brains have to be on the bottom of the sand bed, if you reccomend bringing them up I can try and place them on the rocks, would that be alright to try it with out damaging the coral

[tomgl]

I have experience with T5's. What bulbs are you running, how old, and how far from the water? I have not read all the posts what brand of fixture are you using?

[Man From Atlantis]

Hi Tom, I am using 6 t5s, aquatic line 420/460 54w AR, that was all what was written them, the fixture doesn't seem to be the best it has no brand name, the reflectors seems to be ok. The light bulbs are about 8 weeks old. Would you reccomend raising the brains higher in the tank being as it is 31inches deep.

[Luke]

didnt you just buy a big aquatic life fixture?

[Man From Atlantis]

No, I looked at them but thought the one I had was ok. Does the right light fixture make a big difference to the output of the bulbs?

[tomgl]

Brains do better on a solid or sandy surface. Since your levels look good lets look at other things. Are you using GFO? How much flow is on the bottom of the tank. I am concerned about the lighting on such a big tank. T5 bulbs are important. I use ATI bulbs and I hear Giesemann are also very good. Check out this site http://home.comcast.net/~stevelarsen00/site/?/home/ it has great T5 info and there is also a great thread on RC.

[tomgl]

No, I looked at them but thought the one I had was ok. Does the right light fixture make a big difference to the output of the bulbs?

When it comes to T5 reflectors are everything. ATI has the best followed by Tek. Aquatic Life has made some major improvements on their line in the last year. I have not seen any comparison reports yet?

[Luke]

reflectors also make a big difference

[tomgl]

When it comes to T5 reflectors are everything. ATI has the best followed by Tek. Aquatic Life has made some major improvements on their line in the last year. I have not seen any comparison reports yet?

Correction reflectors and bulbs are everything.

[Luke]

pretty sure your post wasnt on there when i posted... you better not be correcting me! lol

[Man From Atlantis]

Are the bulbs good enough that I have? What is the best light set up out there which would house the bulbs I already have, or would I upgrade to something else.

[tomgl]

Are they all 420/460?

[tomgl]

pretty sure your post wasnt on there when i posted... you better not be correcting me! lol

I think not.

[Man From Atlantis]

After checking them, 1 thing I am now blind, 2nd thing is 4 of them are 420/460 and two are purple t5 HO 10,000. I have no idea if these are good.

[Man From Atlantis]

I have a cheap calcium test kit and after checking it a second time, it is telling me it is around the 800ppm, not sure if this is possible being as I have never supplemented, and just do the weekly water changes.

[tomgl]

I'm not a big fan of the 42/460's. I like this combo
Front
ATI Blue+
ATI Purple Plus
Blue+
GE 6500K
Blue+
Blue+
rear

[Man From Atlantis]

What I have is 2 blues at the front followed by 1 purple, 1 central white 1 purple and then 1 blue, I like the colour it produces, but I am not sure of the output of the bulb it self. This stupid test kit that I have is now saying on three consecutive tests that my calcium is approx 800ppm, what the f...., is this possible without supplementing

[tomgl]

I'd try another test kit.

[Man From Atlantis]

That's what I thought I will head to fish store and let them test it for everything. I will make a decision on a new test kit once I know what is wrong. Appriciate all the help, I will keep you posted when I get it resolved.

[five O]

Just FYI, Blue Reef Aquatics has ATI bulbs in most sizes if your going that route. I think they are the only one in town that carries them. I just changed out some bulbs in my lighting with ATI's. I'm in love with the color output. My coral all seem to happier as well. Helo lights in another good place to order bulbs. They would prob be a buck or two cheaper per bulb, but then you have to pay for shipping.

[Man From Atlantis]

I got my water checked out by the fish store and they said that my water was to clean, I was doing weekly water changes but changing to much, so there was not enough feed in the water. the plan now is to feed the corals more othen and see what happens :-). I think sometimes I am to careful, I just need to feed a lot more.

[bigronbo]

If you reflect back to what i said. I don't do much as far as water changes and i don't run a sock so yes my water has food floating for the brains which are flurishing in my tank. I have a 48" t-5 on my 6 foot tank and they are doing great but my tank is 24 deep not 31. i do hand feed them a few times a week also so they are fat and happy. If you change water too much your taking away the good bacteria and more. My belief is no need to change unless your nitrates get high for some reason. don't go nuts on feeding like you could do more than me lol. you want to make sure your bio load grows with the feeding at a small enough rate to get the good bio things even so nitrates don't spike. It would be like putting 6 fish in at one time. balance of the bio environment is a slow progression. Do start hand feeding directly to the brains and cover to protect from fish stealing the food before the brain eats it.

[tbone74]

Maybe there's nothing wrong with what you're doing and the coral is just sick.

[Xcali1985]

My brain does that every now and again after it has fed. I say check the flow and light if both are good let It do it's thing.

[johnboy411]

same thing happened with 2 brains, wont open
it would seem something is not quite right

[Man From Atlantis]

it was totally down to not enough food, I thought I was being good to have the water nice and clean, your totally right bigronbo, I need to have more nutrients in the water, I started last night with supplementing with feed, directly and broadcasting it through out the whole tank. the large brain started to feed, but my smaller one did not, I will keep adding feed and hope they will both take to it. lights are new and great, have anemones and claims growing like wild in there. just need a boast on nutrients.

Thank you for all your help.