Having problems with Acans

[Mikemccafe]

Just curious if anyone one else has problems with Acans not opening in their reef tanks, I have a mixed reef tank that I restarted 9 months ago. I have lps/sps/and soft corals along with my reef friendly fish. Everything is doing great I would like to have a small acan garden in one section of my tank. I tried a frag about 5 months ago and it never opened up and withered away. This week I figured since everything is doing so well I'd give it another try picked up a frag from my lfs, tried to find the one that was fully open brought it home, acclimated it and after 3 days has never opened. Totally dumbfounded only think there's some kind of chemical warfare going on but why with only acans, usually a relatively easy coral to keep according to most information I have read.

 

[CodyRVA]

What's your lighting like? They're not bleaching are they?

 

[Jimbo662]

What are your water parameters? They tend to like the water a little dirtier. Can you get a pic of it?

 

[CodyRVA]

What are your water parameters? They tend to like the water a little dirtier. Can you get a pic of it?

I run ULN and mine do fine, but they don't really grow all that much. I don't spot feed either, but they're always open and happy.

Have you tried placing them in different locations in your system?

 

[MermaidTail]

My acans love actinic light and spot feedings directly into their mouths.

 

[ahiggins]

My acans love actinic light and spot feedings directly into their mouths.

Mine do as well
Its surprising that your acans (which are usually the hardiest of lps) are not doing well but your sps is...
Im thinking not enough nutrients in the tank or too much light.

 

[stevo01]

Im going with too low of nutrients too. They like to eat. A lot!

 

[stevo01]

Mine are constantly in feed mode and rarely retract. +1 for actinics too!

 

[Cment]

Ill have to agree with the above, try spot feeding them a few times a week and put in an area of low light even somewhat indirect light.

 

[Leadfooted]

Ill have to agree with the above, try spot feeding them a few times a week and put in an area of low light even somewhat indirect light.

Also try shutting off the flow when feeding them. Diced mysis, oyster eggs with a few sprinkles of roids and appropriate measures of Phyco pure mixed in a cup and spot fed works for me.

 

[Mikemccafe]

What's your lighting like? They're not bleaching are they?

Running Kiesell 360 put them on the sand this time in a 24" deep tank

 

[Mikemccafe]

What are your water parameters? They tend to like the water a little dirtier. Can you get a pic of it?

My water is very clean, only thing is I have zoas and palys and they supposedly like dirty water also but they are doing great. I'll try and get a pic but I haven't graduated to the photo stage except with my Iphone always too dark to see detail. The frag is closed up tighter than a drum

 

[Mikemccafe]

I run ULN and mine do fine, but they don't really grow all that much. I don't spot feed either, but they're always open and happy.

Have you tried placing them in different locations in your system?

Tried that too, higher, lower, on reef now I'm on sand bed. I would try to feed them but it's so closed no chance of that

 

[Mikemccafe]

Also try shutting off the flow when feeding them. Diced mysis, oyster eggs with a few sprinkles of roids and appropriate measures of Phyco pure mixed in a cup and spot fed works for me.

I usually add some oyster eggs before feeding mysis to rest of tank to wake up the LPS the acans don't even budge

 

[brandon429]

For sure a too white setting can cause that reaction. I have same lights same issues when set closer to the 10k mode which brown algae favor as well. My kessils run heavier blue for months and algae dropped and all corals reproducing.

 

[Vaughn17]

Do you have a cleaner shrimp? IME, the two I've had would go from coral to coral after the lights were out, looking to steal a meal whether I'd spot fed (lps) or not. They were so aggressive in this behavior that I re-homed both.

 

[Mikemccafe]

Do you have a cleaner shrimp? IME, the two I've had would go from coral to coral after the lights were out, looking to steal a meal whether I'd spot fed (lps) or not. They were so aggressive in this behavior that I re-homed both.

I have 2 cleaner shrimp, a blood shrimp, and a fire shrimp they do stroll around the tank but so far they get fed enough the don't resort to stealing

 

[Shaddow_wolf169]

I have 2 cleaner shrimp, a blood shrimp, and a fire shrimp they do stroll around the tank but so far they get fed enough the don't resort to stealing

Hahaha never heard of an honest shrimp that's great.

 

[Vaughn17]

I have 2 cleaner shrimp, a blood shrimp, and a fire shrimp they do stroll around the tank but so far they get fed enough the don't resort to stealing

IME, I fed my one cleaner shrimp more than the fish, which resulted in it growing large, quickly. To say that it had a voracious appetite is an understatement. Anyone ever see the sci-fi movie District 9? Whoever wrote the screenplay must have had a cleaner shrimp.

 

[reeferbuddy215]

Would a spotted hawk fish eat a cleaner shrimp? Mine ate a blood red shrimp a few years back it barely fit in his mouth took 3 days to swallow but would he leave the cleaner alone ?