brain dead!

Discussion in 'Inverts' started by italymanru, Apr 7, 2008.

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  1. italymanru

    italymanru Astrea Snail

    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2008
    Messages:
    64
    Location:
    NJ
    so i fed my brain coral some krill like to lfs said to. i put two pieces on its mouth and its tentacles grasped it and pulled it in. I was happy because I though I was helping it get some good nutrition. My room stank after that. The krill food is disgusting and my whole room smells even with the bottle closed... i just put a box of baking soda next to it to rid that smell... but what i am really here to say is later that i night i saw one of my peppermint shrimp snacking on the brain. I didnt think anything of it because it usually cruises on my corals and eats scraps and what not so i let it be. the next day i looked at the brain and it was hollowed out.... completely eaten with just the green outter rim left... the internal stomach and tentacles were all gone.... is this normal for the shrimp to do or did it just smell that krill on the brain and go nuts on it... im angry and wanna go flip out on the lfs for telling me to feed it that if the krill is the reason... please give me some input on this haha... thanks guys
     
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  3. paulg

    paulg Feather Duster

    Joined:
    Mar 20, 2008
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    212
    Location:
    warren michigan
    I never feed mine. With enough lighting you dont have to feed it, maybe the shrimp did smell the krill and munched away on the coral as well. Sorry to hear about your loss
     
  4. tazzy695

    tazzy695 Feather Duster

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2008
    Messages:
    216
    Location:
    flint, michigan
    I would say that the shrip killed the brain to get to the krill and I am shure it was helped by some other critters also

    if you plan on feeding corals like this I would recomend getting rid of that shrimp
     
  5. mattchew

    mattchew Bristle Worm

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2008
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    Location:
    Cleveland area
    or the shrimp was doing its job... cleaning up a dead critter in tank
     
  6. sharkboyyyy!

    sharkboyyyy! Plankton

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2008
    Messages:
    6
    Location:
    Baghad - NOT the green zone
    Nearly EVERY SINGLE CORAL we keep in our tanks benefits from target feeding. They're almost universally carnivorous as well.

    These large, fleshy corals like brains,fungias, euphyllias, etc. all benefit GREATLY from target feeding... so that's NOT where you went wrong.

    I'm really sorry to hear about your coral - that sucks

    One or two things are likely:

    1) That's a cambelback shrimp, not a Pepp... Happens, they look alike, and Camels tend to be destructive, especially when after food inside a coral (I seriously doubt a single peppermint shrimp could/would "devour a brain" overnight...).

    2) the brain was already on the way out, and the "assault" by the shrimp pushed it over the top, it sluffed tissue (essentially like RTN) overnight and/or got picked clean by the clean-up crew.

    What fish do you have in this tank? they too could easily have helped this brain find it's way to doom...
     
  7. deepbluesea

    deepbluesea Astrea Snail

    Joined:
    Mar 20, 2008
    Messages:
    47
    i have seen pepermints and skunk cleaners attack corals after target feeding. if i do any feeding i give the shrimp a big meal before i feed the coral to keep them busy.i dobut the brain would feed if it was already on the way out usualy they have no feeding response if there checking out.sorry to hear about your brains misfortune.
     
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  9. RHorton

    RHorton Pajama Cardinal

    Joined:
    May 11, 2007
    Messages:
    1,407
    Location:
    upstate NY
    I have had my peppermint shrimp attack my corals after feeding , I actually watched him tear pieces of my dented brain coral after feeding it.The weird thing was he wasn't eating the coral he was just tearing it apart to get to the food.