open brain questions

[hayday]

ok, kids, i've got two questions about my flourescent green open brain:

a) i've noticed that during the day it inflates. and by inflate, i mean that it looks bloated as though someone is pumping it full of air or water. i'm convinced that taking a pin to it would cause it to fly around the tank like a popped balloon. it then deflates back to its regular size when the lights go off.

is this normal? it looks otherwise ok and it still has its original coloring and will eat when offered food.


2) where should it be placed in the tank? right now, i've got it fairly high up in the tank under 220 watts of pc lighting- 110w of 10k and 110w of 50/50. i'm in the process of upgrading my lights by building a canopy which will house both the 220w pc lights and the 440w vho lights i just bought.

most tanks i've seen (or at least the tanks i've seen pictures of ) place open brains low in the tank, usually on the sandbed. i've avoided doing this to keep sand out of it but i'm happy to move it lower in the tank if that's where it should be.


thanks in advance.

-hayday

[Geoff]

both my Favia and Favites are on the sand. they are under 400w iwasakis, but they are in a somewhat shaded area.

mine only expand at night, they stay closed up during the day. i can only give my observations here, since i have not had them more than about 3-4 months.

G~

[mnreefgeek]

Mine is placed on the bottom of my 20 under 400wt MH. It inflates during lights on and closes up in the dark.

[ReefDave]

Sounds healthy hayday, and when you upgrade lights you can probably move it lower in the tank.

Also I sent you a PM but I found the answer on a reciept that I had. And also, when am I going to see some pics of a fellow Mid-MO reefers tank?

Dave

[30 Gallon Gal]

What & how do you guys feed your open brains? I've got a beautiful red & green multi colored brain that gets huge during the day when the lights are on & I've fed it Zooplex & DT's but wasn't sure if I should be feeding it something else - I haven't been able to find much info on these open brains anywhere.

[Mkelly]

Mine will actually eat small pieces of shrimp, fish qnd squid. As far as the sand if it really bothers you blow it off gently with a turkey baster. He is perfectly capable of dispelling the sand all on his own by the same expansion and contraction you mentioned. Sit and watch him.

[hayday]

a) i'll post pics of my tank as soon as my wife teaches me how to use her digital camera

2) i've fed my open brain shrimp pellets and i've watched him catch bits of the brine shrimp/formula one/prime reef/whatever-frozen-food-mix-i've-concocted. once i use it up i'll start making up my own blender mush.

-hayday

ps: dave, maybe we should plan on a time to meet over at picses pets.

[ReefDave]

Hayday,
Good idea. Actually I called Brian today and put two False percs on hold for me. I might go get them on Saturday as Friday is looking pretty busy....else I will pick them up on Monday....

Probably not a good time however, as I will probably be in and out pretty quick this time. But I'm up there about every other weekend for one reason or another.
Dave

[yardboy]

My open brain eats anything anbody else does in the tank, as in mysis, flake, mush, etc. He sits on the sand bed off center of 250MH and 2-96WPC, slghtly shaded by a spaghetti-tentacled sarcophyton. He puffs up day or night, with no real rhyme or reason that I can see, he's that way about 75%of the time.