Help with dying Acan

bearman88 · Sep 14, 2022

Hello BRS - this red acan is usually one of the healthiest corals in my tank. But starting this last week it has been receding. My only thought is, the GSP is creeping up on the right side - could this be the culprit? This thing looks like it is dying fast...

My other two acan colonies are thriving and a 3rd near-dead acan is even making a come back.

Parameters:

Temp: 78.6
Salinity: 1.027 - high I know - bringing it back down to 1.025. I have had some salinity swings in the past two weeks
Alk: 10.5
Calc: 410
Nitrate: 5PPM
Phosphate: 0.03

Just started dosing ESV nitrate today to experiment with raising nitrate.

Lavey29 · Sep 14, 2022

Numbers aren't to bad. Nitrates should be 10. Have you dipped for pests? Fish nipping? Acans seem to like direct feeding too. LPS can get bacterial infection also. Are you able to frag off dying heads?

vetteguy53081 · Sep 14, 2022

bearman88 said:
Hello BRS - this red acan is usually one of the healthiest corals in my tank. But starting this last week it has been receding. My only thought is, the GSP is creeping up on the right side - could this be the culprit? This thing looks like it is dying fast...

My other two acan colonies are thriving and a 3rd near-dead acan is even making a come back.

Parameters:

Temp: 78.6
Salinity: 1.027 - high I know - bringing it back down to 1.025. I have had some salinity swings in the past two weeks
Alk: 10.5
Calc: 410
Nitrate: 5PPM
Phosphate: 0.03

Just started dosing ESV nitrate today to experiment with raising nitrate.

High salinity is likely your culprit as it was for me with my Acan colony. Moderate light and water flow and your nitrate is close to where mine is currently. Take a turkey baster and give surface VERY GENTLER blast and see if any mulm or sediment dislodges as it can irritate them

PerdidoKeyDoug · Sep 14, 2022

Try Taking cup of water out and add Rodi but slowly bring down the salinnity. I keep mine at 1.026. I agree with Vette GENTLY blow water to dislodge anything that may have gotten in them. Had The same problems with my Blastos and Lords. But i would also try to see if i could get the dead off in case of disease.

bearman88 · Sep 14, 2022

@PerdidoKeyDoug @vetteguy53081 @Lavey29

thank you guys - Just lightly hit them with turkey baster and am getting the salinity back down and nitrate up a bit.

Will post progress. Whatever it is - it's aggressive. Like at this rate this acan colony could be mostly dead in 3-4 days it seems.

Lavey29 · Sep 14, 2022

If a bacterial infection has started you can save the colony by cutting off the dying heads. You can try h202 dip and iodine dip too for infection but I prefer ciprofloaxin.