Acan coloration and lighting.

ctyler85 · Feb 13, 2015

I'm sure the dead horse has been beat, I've searched around and I've asked around so I'll ask here now. Where do you have your acans for great coloration? Mine have always grown very well, new heads are always popping up like weeds. I don't get the big fluffy umbrella look like I see some acans do and my coloration always ends up drab, so I have about 6 frags that are almost the same color now. I've heard lower light for acan color, I've heard higher lights browns then out do to the excess growth of zooxanthellea but I just can not seem to find a happy medium. Where is your acan to get that insane rainbow color?

huskyguy · Feb 13, 2015

I have the same problem, I can never keep an acan the same color. hope we can here from the experts.

NanaReefer · Feb 13, 2015

IMO You would be better off asking....under what lighting are those pictures taken? T5HO, MH, LED's how much blue and white and % intensity.? Oh and what camera are you using, what setting is your white balance on, on and on and on oh and is it photoshopped?

Tab28 · Feb 14, 2015

For me too high light turns them reddish orange. Even high end rainbows will look like a $50 mini colony frag. I like the puffy stretched look but that is preference. A lfs has great acan colonies maintaining colors in 150 par area of tank. I do not have a par reader so in my tank i have no idea where that would be.

ctyler85 · Feb 14, 2015

NanaReefer said:
IMO You would be better off asking....under what lighting are those pictures taken? T5HO, MH, LED's how much blue and white and % intensity.? Oh and what camera are you using, what setting is your white balance on, on and on and on oh and is it photoshopped?

I'm talking in person results, I have a buddy who has his under a kessil and the colors are OMG. They seem to be in really high lighting, but the kessil fall off can be quite a bit. As soon as I can get a hold of a par meter I'm heading over to his house. I know a large majority of pictures are taken under blues and adjusted for color pop.

Braves Fan · Feb 14, 2015

I keep my just budding Acan collection in a dedicated tank just for them under Razor LED lights. I keep the Acans under mostly the blue LEDs and very low white LEDs, just 1% or 2 %. My plan is to just play with the lighting till I find a setting that will show off the Acans color at their best with the Razor light, and then use that setting for just a hour or so during the evening when I am at home. I have read LEDs will fade the color out on them, this is just something I am trying to prevent that from happening.

ghostman · Feb 14, 2015

My acan collection is under a kessil 360we and I've maintained colors, or had them improve. I keep the light low, and think that is the key. I haven't had one shift colors on me yet ( in a bad way ). With some good feedings, they are thriving.

Elysium · Feb 14, 2015

I keep my acans under a custom Reef Breeders Nova. I've maintained the colors on my rainbows and have a couple going even more rainbow than before.

The light is 18" above the water line and the acans are 12" deep in the tank. Max intensity is 55% blues and 30% whites for 1, average for the 5 hours with both is typically 50% blue and 15% white.