Help with acan

[potatocouch]

What's wrong with this acan (bottom in picture) ?

It has never ever fully open.

Originally was on the substrate, still looking bleachy, so not sure, moved it to middle, looks worst, then move it back to substrate (different location) and looking like the pic.

No3 40 ppm.
Salinity 1.026.
Temp 25c.
Mg 1260.
Alk 7.7.
Ca 420.

 

[Shep]

Does it have brown fuzzy looking stuff on it?

 

[jetmaker]

Does it have brown fuzzy looking stuff on it?

Yeah that nitrate looks a little high for a acan

 

[potatocouch]

Does it have brown fuzzy looking stuff on it?

Yeah it does, some sort dirt looking.

So what's happening?

 

[potatocouch]

Yeah that nitrate looks a little high for a acan

I thought all LPS quite resistant with dirty water/high nutrients/high nitrate?

I just bought bleeding apple Scolly, will I have the same issue?

 

[Shep]

Yeah it does, some sort dirt looking.

So what's happening?

It might be Brown Jelly Disease, google pics to check. If it is, just toss the coral out before it spreads to other LPS. Trust me, its nothing to mess around with.

 

[hybridazn]

Those things are just about toast. What type of lighting are they under?

 

[potatocouch]

I know ... let's zoom in ...

Put it this way, the light is currently off ... but then overall, yes, it's not happy chap.

You'll notice there's this obvious "dirt" covering 2 holes of acan in the middle ... it could be Brown Jelly Disease or it could just be normal dirt ....

If it's BJD, I sure take it out but just need 2nd opinion on this.

 

[hybridazn]

Kind of hard to tell by your pics, but I'm not 100% sure it's BJD. Acans can very finicky, I've had colonies melt on me out of the blue just because 1 parameter would swing the wrong way. But to be safe I would just pull the whole thing.

 

[Shep]

I know ... let's zoom in ...

Put it this way, the light is currently off ... but then overall, yes, it's not happy chap.

You'll notice there's this obvious "dirt" covering 2 holes of acan in the middle ... it could be Brown Jelly Disease or it could just be normal dirt ....

If it's BJD, I sure take it out but just need 2nd opinion on this.

Unfortunately that looks 99% dead :/

 

[potatocouch]

I disagree It's not 99% dead, although it might be in few days time if left as is.

The objective of this thread is to find out what can potentially be the issue, not judgment whether it's toast or dead.

 

[potatocouch]

It's bleaching for sure.

 

[hybridazn]

Acans don't bleach like acros. They are a fleshy coral that when they die off they lose all flesh and leave the white skeleton that you are seeing now.

And it's hard to tell what could have caused it by pictures alone. Again what kind of lighting is it kept under? Did you target feed anything? Your no3's are high, if it came from a system where it was kept lower and was target fed could be the problem.

 

[Oceansize]

Based on the information you've given us, high nitrates could be the issue. IME my corals/nems start looking unhappy if nitrates get near 20 ppm, and you're double that. I'm also under the assumption that acans prefer low light and low flow, and yours looks quite exposed.

 

[potatocouch]

Acans don't bleach like acros. They are a fleshy coral that when they die off they lose all flesh and leave the white skeleton that you are seeing now.
And it's hard to tell what could have caused it by pictures alone. Again what kind of lighting is it kept under? Did you target feed anything? Your no3's are high, if it came from a system where it was kept lower and was target fed could be the problem.

Right ... thanks for the information!

I have bought 2 acans in recent time and both don't look too happy in my tank .. although everything else hunky dory .. i.e. zoanthids multiplying, morphs opening big, rics happy ...

Hammers & Torch .. they're expanding but they could be bigger.

I've been dosing NoPox to reduce No3 at 6 ml rate daily for 55 gallon tank.

Alk kept at 8.1.
Mg kept at 1270.
Ca kept at 420.
Salinity 1.026.
Temp 26c.
No3 40 ppm.

Lighting is 1x Kessil A360WE mounted in the centre of the tank (approx. 15 - 20 cm away from water surface).

Lighting duration 9 hours (2 pm to 11 pm) with maximum intensity and color set to 50/50.

2x Jebao RWx8 wavemakers set at speed 3 (pulsating).

I don't target feed acans and my corals .. I feed my fish (broadcast) frozen brine shrimp 1 cube daily (split: half morning, half night).

They will benefit from target feeding but they survive without target feeding, right? or am I mistaken?

Based on the information you've given us, high nitrates could be the issue. IME my corals/nems start looking unhappy if nitrates get near 20 ppm, and you're double that. I'm also under the assumption that acans prefer low light and low flow, and yours looks quite exposed.

They are quite exposed, sitting on the aragonite sand, corner of the tank, but no matter where I put it (I moved it to 3 different spots), still the same issue.

I'm no expert at acan .. not sure if the skeletal is the white parts, or the meaty bits of the acan looks white ... I have a feeling the latter but again, I'm no expert at acan .. I believe what you guys said .. if it's skeletal, it's skeletal.

There's also been a discussion that this could be RTN .... regardless, this will go to the bin when I'm home tonight.

 

[Oceansize]

If they're still acclimating to the light, target feeding can help the process because they need more beneficial algae to grow in their tissue and broadcast feeding could take awhile. The lights hurt them if those algal populations are not sufficient yet. So target feeding can help them "bulk up" on what they need to survive under normal lighting.

With Kessil's you can't really set the color to an inappropriate setting, any range should be fine. However I would not put an acan under a Kessil at 100% intensity unless it's got some shade, even if it's already acclimated. That sounds like too much. (I'm using Kessil's exclusively, FWIW)

 

[Tommy's Reef]

Stop using nopox i lost about 800 bucks from it. Colonys melted

 

[Tommy's Reef]

How long have u been using it. Read the direction s it will tell u that it will strip the algae from the coral if not used properly and it isn't recommended with systems with that high of nitrate

 

[Tommy's Reef]

Its like chemo therapy but with corals

 

[Tommy's Reef]

First thing i lost was a giant favia colony. Within a weeks time gone completely then my candy canes then my acans and so on it was terrible