Color on small/baby acan polyps...

[aerius007]

I wish I knew some trick to keeping the color on small acan heads. I have tons of acans that are nice, but the new polyps have killer colors. I guess its just the nature of the beast, but if you know something I dont please share.

 

[All Delight]

they just haven't hit puberty yet

 

[inactive]

Babie polyps usually don't get as much light as the larger polyps. Acan lords look best under lower lighting... hence the babie polyps always coming out super dope... If you throw your colony in the shade for a month it'll color up more IME.

 

[sexycorals]

the key is to give them as little to no light ... i experimented alot and i know the green and blues dissapear when it get med to high light.. thats why most acans turn all orange. Trust me... put it in shade for 3 weeks and take it out.. all the green and blues will come out..

 

[Alpha Aquaculture]

I agree with the comments above but I think that each acan is different. I have some examples of acans that are placed in lower lighting and actually lose their amazing colors. I think that some pieces have colors that come out better under higher lighting, most are better under lower lighting.

but as far as the babies having more color... Some of my pieces have babies that are nearly clear from getting little light. Other sets of colonies are growing together and puff out so much that they shade each other. The polyps that get shaded are getting the bright green.

 

[aerius007]

Good feedback everyone. ^^^

So what is the opinion of feeding them? Most of the acans in my frag tank get fed often. Does feeding them mysis and krill help with coloration or do they look better hungry?

 

[inactive]

When hungry, polyps are not going to out as much as when they are not... typically, the more expansion of LPS flesh, the duller the color becomes. It would be safe to say that most LPS looks the brightest when retracted.

 

[WT INC]

thats nice Kraylan.

 

[inactive]

What?

 

[Alpha Aquaculture]

Yes it seems when the polyps are retracted the symbiotic algae that give them their color are more concentrated and thus would make the polyp brighter. Like the polyps in your avatar aerius007. On the other hand polyps that are constantly retracted are not healthy and potentially will die ime. Feeding makes acans healthier and gives them energy for growth. A larger colony has more color than a smaller one

My acans get fed every other night a good meaty food and then on the alternate nites I give a nice zooplanton mix like coral frenzy.

This next photo is of the same acan as the bottom one in the last photo, note the baby polyp with the green stripes, it was being shaded by the acan above it when they were fully expanded

It also appears more colorful when retracted

 

[aerius007]

Cool. I have a couple of once rainbow colonies that Im going to cut up and experiment with. Some will get high light and food, some without food. Others will get next to no light with and without food. I have plenty of the same colonies, so if I make 6 frags of each (2 high, 2 medium, 2 low, half fed, half not) I should be able to come up with some kind of data.

And I do agree with Kraylen that the colors are brighter when the polyps arent so open, you have more color in a smaller area (same principle of why smaller TV's generally look better than their bigger brothers).

 

[Reef Dreamz]

interesting..I didnt know shade did that... now I have to do my own investigation...