Brain Coral Care
Beginner and experienced reef enthusiasts alike will choose to keep brain coral in their home tanks and aquariums, as brain coral care is generally simple and adaptive to many environments. Overall, the nature of the brain coral is extremely hardy, which makes brain coral care less restrictive and time consuming than other types of coral.
Brain Coral Care In The Reef Aquarium
The ideal parameters for brain coral care include clean water conditions, moderate lighting and water flow, sufficient space between other specimens in the tank, and including trace elements such as calcium and strontium periodically in the water. The exact color of the brain coral may determine the strength of lighting used in the tank- keep this in mind for overall brain coral care. Setting the temperature in the artificial tank will also help keep the brain coral care in optimal health- the water temperature should fall between 75 and 84 degrees.
Substrate For Brain Coral Care
Since brain coral is a sand dwelling organism, having a tank that is lined with sand, gravel or a mud filled bottom is a crucial element of brain coral care. If brain coral care does not include a substrate lined tank, the brain coral will not be able to use their extended flesh to propel themselves towards optimal lighting and water conditions. Because brain coral does utilize a defense mechanism of stinging rays, adequate brain coral care will depend on having its own established place in the tank so the coral doesnt sting nearby creatures.
Brain Coral Care And Diet
Because brain coral contains photosynthetic algae in its tissue, brain coral care does not depend on supplemental feedings. However, brain coral care can include filter feeding food (that is used for invertebrates) in addition to various micro plankton, fish flesh, shellfish or crustaceans. If your brain coral care does include supplemental feedings, the coral should be fed no more than twice a week- and only when the brain coral is open (usually at night).
Propagating Specimens During Brain Coral Care
Part of brain coral care does include the option of cultivating the coral in a home aquarium or reef tank. Because the brain coral reproduce asexually through fragmentation in the wild, the process can be mimicked during brain coral care in an artificial environment.
Brain Coral Care And Overall Health
You should be vigilant about maintaining your corals- proper brain coral care includes making regular assessments of the corals health. Warning signs to look for when doing brain coral care assessments include bleaching, tissue becoming detached from the corals skeletal system, and the how regularly the polyps extend, in addition to how much they extend. Most likely you will need to adjust the water quality of the tank if these things are found during overall brain coral care. Another possibility is aggression from a neighboring specimen which may threaten develop of the brain coral.