As you can see here:
I kept a nice red and green open brain in my 20 gallon, under 96W of
PC. It thrived there. When I moved it into my 75G with 2X75W
MH and 2X(forget wattage)
actinics, it started to stay a little more closed/deflated. I then moved it under a shaded shelf and it was okay again.
Open brain corals don't like INTENSE flow. Picture a "zodiac" boat in heavy currents; it gets blown around. They do like flow. Enough to bring them foodstuffs and enough to push their waste away. They also do best on a sandy substrate. I cringe when I see people putting them in rocks. Again, picture that zodiac on the rocks.. great chance of tearing it to shreds eh?
They are actually built for the job. Their calcerous bottom is shaped like a pendulum and when smallish, is most often attached to some rock where they landed as a result of a spawning/fertilization etc. As they get older, they break from the rock from natural forces and settle in the substrate. This calcerous bottom then helps them to stay settled in the sand. If they get silty or burried a little too deep in the sand, they will actually overinflate and literally lift back up out of the sand. It's kind of neat.
They do enjoy meaty foods so target feed them with raw shrimp, formula foods, squid, etc. MAKE SURE the food is completely defrosted and "tank temperature" before feeding or they will literally heave it back up.
Dave
icon under their name to add to their reputation. 
Linear Mode
