Brain coral that is ball shaped?

[Lionfish hunter]

I have searched high and low to find what species of brain coral grows spherical or roundish to resemble about the same shape as a human brain. Any body know which brain corals grow this way? I attached a photo of what i am talking about. None of the corals i see for sale look like this.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

It is a platygyra coral, known as maze brain.

 

[HuduVudu]

If left to grow long enough "brain" corals will take on this shape. I have a Favia that is starting to do this.

TBF piorites will also do this minus the "wrinkly" part.

 

[elysics]

You don't see that for sale because that's years of growth, many "brain corals" end up looking like that if you wait a decade or longer, maybe many decades.

Platygyra gets the pattern right early, but don't expect a sphere, be content with a small mound. Or wait forever. I'm sure lighting and flow play a role too

The one in the picture might be a Manicina sp., not sure

 

[Lionfish hunter]

okay thanks guys. Also what are the chances a queen angel or moorish idol will eat these? Always been a fish guy but have the lights space and water quality and have always wanted a brain. I know it is risky which i am fine with, just don’t want to do it if there is very little chance for success. I have some zoas in quarantine that came free from bluezoo aquatics but I don’t see much chance for them lasting long.

 

[elysics]

If you've never kept any LPS then I'd probably start with some small frags that look nice, don't spend a huge sum on a massive colony as your first hard coral.

Realistically, it's going to take years anyway to get a proper brain, so waiting another getting the hang of it with smaller frags isn't going to change much

As for the idol and angel, no idea, maybe

 

[jcolliii]

You see relatively small frags for sale, that's why. Occasionally, corals.com has some decent sized smaller platy colonies come in, but they are fairly spendy. Platy's will grow in that rounded habit relatively quickly (like 1 year), but you have to give them a rounded rock to encrust over to get to that. See that Platy frag in my avatar? A year after adding that to a round 'frag rock' that I fashioned out of some rubble and some aquamend epoxy, and this is where that one is about a week ago now. It's probably 2.5 or 3" in diameter or so now.

They grow pretty fast, but I feed mine relatively frequently. All powerheads and pumps off, and I drizzle a relatively thick mixture of reef roids over all of the LPS. They trap it on their mucus layer and reel it in relatively quickly to their myriad of small mouths in the valleys between the ridges. I have 4 Platys of various different color combos and they are all growing at a similar rate.

 

[jcolliii]

WWC has a pretty good selection, more so in their ebay auctions than on their main site. I would love to get my hands on a piece of their rainbow Platygira...

 

[ZoWhat]

If you have the fantasy of having the above in your tank as a cool shaped coral.... let me save you hundreds if not thousand of dollars trying to pursue smthg that is exxxxxxxtremely hard to keep. You might find a miniature one of these but in no time flat sections of it will die off.

IMO leave that fantasy a fantasy and pursue easier corals.

 

[jcolliii]

I have to disagree with the above. IME, Platys are incredibly easy keepers. Just keep them out of reach of more aggressive corals as they will usually lose a sting battle.

 

[ZoWhat]

I have to disagree with the above. IME, Platys are incredibly easy keepers. Just keep them out of reach of more aggressive corals as they will usually lose a sting battle.

Easy if you dint lump it in with a mixed coral tank. They need their own light and flow standards

When you start setting up an environment fir a mixed reef, brains don't di well and sections bleach out and die

 

[jcolliii]

You did see my full tank shot above, right?

 

[Lionfish hunter]

You see relatively small frags for sale, that's why. Occasionally, corals.com has some decent sized smaller platy colonies come in, but they are fairly spendy. Platy's will grow in that rounded habit relatively quickly (like 1 year), but you have to give them a rounded rock to encrust over to get to that. See that Platy frag in my avatar? A year after adding that to a round 'frag rock' that I fashioned out of some rubble and some aquamend epoxy, and this is where that one is about a week ago now. It's probably 2.5 or 3" in diameter or so now.

They grow pretty fast, but I feed mine relatively frequently. All powerheads and pumps off, and I drizzle a relatively thick mixture of reef roids over all of the LPS. They trap it on their mucus layer and reel it in relatively quickly to their myriad of small mouths in the valleys between the ridges. I have 4 Platys of various different color combos and they are all growing at a similar rate.

What a great idea! I will try for sure if I find a cheap frag

 

[jcolliii]

If you look back through my build thread, you might be able to find photo of the rocks I crafted as scaffolds for them to grow over. You might also look for frags of the genus Oulophyllia - I am sure one of mine is a Oulphyllia. They have taller septae in the corallite walls (the walls separating the valleys). WWC has a couple of ebay auctions going on right now on some Platy's.

 

[jcolliii]

Here was my avatar brain 15 months ago. It's the one out of focus in the lower left. You can see the rock and blobs of epoxy that I crafted into a rounded ball around it.

 

[HuduVudu]

To make "brain" corals "easy", it's as simple as feeding them.


Shortly after your lights go out, most brain corals you will extend feeding tenticals extend around the eye or center of the polyp. Turn off the pumps and shooo away maurading bristle worms, crabs and fish that might be awake. Put in the food and let it "sink" into the polyp. On new corals this might take some time. Keep it up and you will see them start take in the food in very quickly.

Some corals don't have the little tenticals. My favia does not. Instead they get puffy. You can do the same thing with them though and watch the food sink into the center.

There are very few LPS that don't take food so I always try to feed. For me this makes them hardier than my SPS (yes I have both). With feeding they seem to take tank changes better. Also in time as the corals strengthen up they will be able to kill and eat amphipods and other small creatures. I have also seen them get bristle worms that get too brave.

Last note, it is better to target feed these creatures than it is to broadcast, though both work.