Acans dying other LPS not thriving

[SashimiTurtle]

I raised it because I read that it could help my pH (it's mostly low because of no windows open and running the ac). I do have BRS dosing pumps set up with my Apex. 10mL/day calcium and 11mL/day alkalinity. It seemed my system (around 50 gallons total) was not balanced and was using more alk than calcium. I'll knock that back down to get closer to 8-9 dKH.

Don't try and chase pH with Alk. Alk is WAY more important to keep right than pH. If you want higher pH I'd look into more aeration, or if you have high CO2 in your house, running an external air line into your skimmer. I wouldn't suggest chasing pH at all and let it be what it is, as long as it isn't below 7.6ish... which it shouldn't ever get there with proper aeration and salinity.

 

[nkyreef]

I'm assuming they're all on the bottom. How deep is your tank and how high is the light above the water? Have you tested the lighting with a par meter?

The tank is 24"x23"x18". The Kessil is centered and 8" from the surface of the water. I don't have access to a par meter. I wish I knew what my par levels are because being at 38% intensity max (spectrum 30% max) seems low according to most threads I have read. The advice from my local store was to reduce intensity (it was @ 52%) and see if that helped things out but I saw no change.

 

[nkyreef]

Don't try and chase pH with Alk. Alk is WAY more important to keep right than pH. If you want higher pH I'd look into more aeration, or if you have high CO2 in your house, running an external air line into your skimmer. I wouldn't suggest chasing pH at all and let it be what it is, as long as it isn't below 7.6ish... which it shouldn't ever get there with proper aeration and salinity.

I like to open windows when it cools to decrease the CO2 but my a.c. has been running non stop. I have a gyre at the top and just yesterday I adjusted the deflectors to get more surface agitation.

 

[reeferfoxx]

I suggest reading about phosphates writen by Randy Holmes-Farley here
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php#5

With the large amount of nutrients, possible increased dissolved inorganics producing co2 and inadequate water will result in coral death. Lighting isn't a huge factor here but if it were lighting, we would probably see lots of algae.

I would reduce feedings, work on nutrient export, get the DI filter, and don't buy any new coral for a while.

 

[Jimbo662]

The tank is 24"x23"x18". The Kessil is centered and 8" from the surface of the water. I don't have access to a par meter. I wish I knew what my par levels are because being at 38% intensity max (spectrum 30% max) seems low according to most threads I have read. The advice from my local store was to reduce intensity (it was @ 52%) and see if that helped things out but I saw no change.

I had that same light several years ago and my tank was either 18 or 20" deep and I want to say I was running them close to 50% intensity. It wasn't until I switched it to a different tank and got a par meter and discovered that was still too low. I'd definitely see if any local reefers have a meter that you can borrow to test it. I learned the hard way that LEDs are very misleading to the human eye...what looks like a bright light may not be as bright as you think as far as corals go.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

The tank is 24"x23"x18". The Kessil is centered and 8" from the surface of the water. I don't have access to a par meter. I wish I knew what my par levels are because being at 38% intensity max (spectrum 30% max) seems low according to most threads I have read. The advice from my local store was to reduce intensity (it was @ 52%) and see if that helped things out but I saw no change.

I have acans under an A160 13" deep tank and the light is 6" over the tank. They are on the sand bed at the outer edge of the tank. 60% max intinsity and max 30% color. I don't think light is your problem.

I like to open windows when it cools to decrease the CO2 but my a.c. has been running non stop. I have a gyre at the top and just yesterday I adjusted the deflectors to get more surface agitation.

I'm in South Carolina, you don't have to tell me anything about an AC unit not turning off... I think mine has ran constantly since April.

 

[david_ma]

It seems like they did that for me when I water was too "clean" with zero nitrates

 

[AntarcticIkeelu]

I have an acan sitting un my frag rack under gen 4 radion xr30 pro. The light is about 12" above the water and the coral is about 8" below surface. I run my light at 95% and the acan is doing well. I would try and increase your light slowly and look for a change.

 

[nkyreef]

I have an acan sitting un my frag rack under gen 4 radion xr30 pro. The light is about 12" above the water and the coral is about 8" below surface. I run my light at 95% and the acan is doing well. I would try and increase your light slowly and look for a change.

I will try that. Currently the Kessil is 9" from surface and the acan is 24" total from light (there is a 4 head blasto right beside the acan looking okay). When I asked for advice from the owner of my LFS he told me starting off he did more harm to coral with too much light rather than bad water parameters. I was willing to give it a try. What percentage could I safely raise the intensity? 1%/week, 2%/week....? Here is my current lighting parameters (lights on @ 12:00 and off @ 21:00)

 

[AntarcticIkeelu]

I will try that. Currently the Kessil is 9" from surface and the acan is 24" total from light (there is a 4 head blasto right beside the acan looking okay). When I asked for advice from the owner of my LFS he told me starting off he did more harm to coral with too much light rather than bad water parameters. I was willing to give it a try. What percentage could I safely raise the intensity? 1%/week, 2%/week....? Here is my current lighting parameters (lights on @ 12:00 and off @ 21:00)

I would raise the power by 1% every three days. If you don't see improvement in 3 weeks, then you have something else causing your problem.

 

[nkyreef]

Updates-

(1) added a DI filter to my RO system- TDS still 0. (2) slowly increased my Kessil's light intensity to 90% max. Max time is 5 hours total light time is 9 hours. (3) Red Sea Coral Pro salt now being used. (4) removed chaeto reactor while GFO used sparingly.

I noticed right away an increase in growth in everything and now I've added a third acan. Dipped and placed in DT about 3" off the bottom four days ago. I've yet to see it inflate. Even target feeding reef roids does not provoke a feeding response. It's beginning to shrink. Why in the world can't I grow Acans? Everything else looks okay minus the lack of feeding response from others.

Salinity: 1.026
Temp: 78 F
KH: 8.8 dKH
Calcium: 425 ppm
Magnesium: 1540 ppm (1374 Triton)
NO3: 10 ppm
PO4: 0.24 (questionable-will test again later)

 

[Jimbo662]

Updates-

(1) added a DI filter to my RO system- TDS still 0. (2) slowly increased my Kessil's light intensity to 90% max. Max time is 5 hours total light time is 9 hours. (3) Red Sea Coral Pro salt now being used. (4) removed chaeto reactor while GFO used sparingly.

I noticed right away an increase in growth in everything and now I've added a third acan. Dipped and placed in DT about 3" off the bottom four days ago. I've yet to see it inflate. Even target feeding reef roids does not provoke a feeding response. It's beginning to shrink. Why in the world can't I grow Acans? Everything else looks okay minus the lack of feeding response from others.

Salinity: 1.026
Temp: 78 F
KH: 8.8 dKH
Calcium: 425 ppm
Magnesium: 1540 ppm
NO3: 10 ppm
PO4: 0.24 (questionable-will test again later)

Is your mag reading correct?

 

[nkyreef]

Is your mag reading correct?

That's what I measured last with my Red Sea kit. It incorrectly reads high. I sent a sample to Triton Labs 12/6 and their magnesium measurement was 1374.

 

[Jimbo662]

Have you gotten your lights ramped up?

 

[Jongalt26]

Acans are sensitive to PO4, need to get that number a lot lower. Mine are successful at .03-.04 po4 and alk below 9dkh, mine hovers around 8.7 I can tell when i need to change my GFO media by looking at my acans.
Nitrates are high too, i suggest getting that to less than 5ppm

Out of the numerous acans i have, some like low light and others like higher light

 

[Jimbo662]

Acans are sensitive to PO4, need to get that number a lot lower. Mine are successful at .03-.04 po4 and alk below 9dkh, mine hovers around 8.7 I can tell when i need to change my GFO media by looking at my acans.
Nitrates are high too, i suggest getting that to less than 5ppm

Out of the numerous acans i have, some like low light and others like higher light

Yikes...I misread that reading thinking .024. Agreed...needs to come down some. My last test was at .04 and here's what mine look like.

 

[Jongalt26]

Nice n fluffy !

 

[cumbeje]

I can not keep Acans either. Everyone of my parameters are perfect but for some reason they don't do good in my tank. Can't figure it out.

 

[g5flier]

I had about 5 nice and very healthy Acan colony's in my 139 gallon reef tank; all of them grew dozens of new heads over about a 3 month period and were always one of things that looked very healthy all the time. Despite really good water parameters and no changes to lights or flow rates they all died over about a 4 week period. Never did come up with a reason, to this day I have no idea why they died.

 

[wattson]

Stray voltage, any equipment leaching metals into water,,Low O2..
just throwing things out there that were not mentioned in thread..