Is this meat coral appearance normal?

[stellaNova]

I've had my meat coral for a while now and it's been looking great most of the time - huge and healthy, but then out of nowhere it'll shrink up and its mouth will be slightly open. This happens about 20% of the time, and I'm wondering if this is normal.

I've been feeding it pieces of shrimp about three times a week, just dropping them in the sand bed, and it's under 400 watt metal halides. Does anyone know what could be causing this - is it something I'm doing, or is this just a normal thing for meat corals to do?

[stellaNova]

I'd say that's pretty normal behavior for a meat coral. They tend to expand and contract depending on their feeding schedule and environmental conditions. Since you're feeding it 3 times a week, it's possible that the coral is just adjusting to its nutrient intake.

Also, 400 watts of MH lighting can be quite intense, so it might be experiencing some stress from that. I'd recommend keeping an eye on the coral's overall health and making sure it's not getting too much or too little light. As for the mouth being slightly open, that's usually a sign that it's just relaxing or getting ready to feed.

[Finzo11]

My coral does the same thing, looks great most of the time, then shrinks up. It's probably just expelling waste, like a natural process.

[felinxo]

Key to their survival is the ability to inflate, if that's still happening then you're in the clear. Once they start 'drooping' and the flesh gets damaged on those sharp skeletal spines, it's game over. Keeping them partially buried in the substrate seems to help, they'll inflate more evenly like a saucer and that should promote longer term health.

[Kairosa9]

Does this deflation happen later in the day, or is it random?

[axonify]

I've had this issue consistently. It does tend to happen later in the day for me. It's not just one type of coral either, I've seen it with my lobo, wellso, and trachy. Water parameters remain the same, but I think it's related to the changing light throughout the day.

[Kairosa9]

I've had this issue consistently. It does tend to happen later in the day for me. It's not just one type of coral either, I've seen it with my lobo, wellso, and trachy. Water parameters remain the same, but I think it's related to the changing light throughout the day.

Does it deflate later in the day, like after the lights start dimming or something?

[axonify]

T5s and LEDs, I'm running a combo setup.

[Kairosa9]

I've had this issue consistently. It does tend to happen later in the day for me. It's not just one type of coral either, I've seen it with my lobo, wellso, and trachy. Water parameters remain the same, but I think it's related to the changing light throughout the day.

Reason I ask is that if its happening later in the photoperiod they're probably getting more light than they can handle. I've seen it before, larger LPS getting toasted with LEDs. I've got a 6 bulb T5 over my tank and I have to be careful with the lighting, don't want to stress the corals.

[axonify]

I've got a 4 bulb ATI Sunpower, with 24 3w blue LEDs attached to the back. You think that could be the culprit. It's a 75 gal tank, so the LEDs aren't directly over them, but still.