Getting An Open Brain Coral To Eat

[jerseyguy1996]

As many of you may know from previous posts I am having lots of difficulty getting my brain coral healthly. He is pretty much bleached and he refuses to eat. Now he is starting to lose tissue. I want to know every idea you all have for getting it to eat. I have heard that garlic juice will stimulate their feeding response. Are we talking about actual garlic i.e. the stuff that we put into pasta sauce that makes our breath bad?

[betamed]

It's plain garlic just the juice not chucks o garlic. Kent makes it too, but I've heard it works for fish not so sure about corals

[dobejazz]

I'm not sure garlic works on corals. Have you tried frozen cyclopeeze? that may get the tenticles out so you can feed meatier foods

[seasalt dreams]

cyclopeeze makes both my brains go crazy!

[JennM]

What have you tried to feed it? I wouldn't try to force the issue. I had a green Trachyphyllia that came in bleached and 6 months later it's pretty much got all its colour back after being pasty white for months.

We use a turkey baster to feed 2 times/week but we don't "insist" that each coral eat - we broadcast food at it and if it opts to eat, great, if not - so be it.

I wouldn't try to force feed it. If it's bleached keep it out of the most intense light as it can't reflect it away if it has no zooxanthellae, and make sure that small particle food gets blown each way a couple of times a week.

Jenn

[ScruffyRubicon]

What works for me is to put a very small amount of cyclopeeze into the tank to get everyones attention, followed by the main feeding about 10 minutes later.

[Loverotties]

Cyclopeeze is a good thing to use.

[Elegance Coral]

If you don't have food stealing fish or shrimp, one sure fire way to get them to eat is to gently place a small piece of shrimp on its oral disk. If it is healthy enough to eat this will work.

I agree with JennM. Keep it out of bright light if at all possible. These guys don't need much light at all. Good luck.