Need help figure out why acans won't be happy

Anthony kolodziej · May 1, 2016

So heres the story , My acans were dying a few months back . so I took them out of the display and put them in my frag tank in the basement and dipped them a few times . after a while down there they looked really good . so I waited a bit longer and brought them up again . The frag tank was running a single 250 watt bulb in a 40 breeder . and lots of flow as the frag tank is set up mainly for acros . I was also treating the acros for aefw ? Now with the acans back in the display all the way at the bottom in a 210 under 3 radium bulbs par recently measured at around 150 . parameters in check at 0 phos 2ppm nitrates , mag ? its been holding solid with my calcium reactor at around 1350 or so so I haven't checked it but will today . alk around 8.5-9 hard to say because I am being forced to use a crappy API test kit since elos alk kits are on hold right now at my LFS My suspects are , not enough flow maybe ? But there is a torch near by that moves pretty good in the current . Cyano possibly causing issues ? but there is none on the rock they are on everything else in the tank looks great torches , elegence , hammer duncans nem all look fine . all my acros are growing . I love acans and am desperate to figure out how to make them and my acros happy at the same time . please help !!!

shovelhead · May 1, 2016

Spot feed the acans if you don't already. That might keep them happy in a low nutrient tank.

Anthony kolodziej · May 1, 2016

I do but maybe not often enough ? how often should I feed them ? once a week? twice , 3 times ?

shovelhead · May 1, 2016

Try twice a week with pellets and see if they improve.

DeniseAndy · May 1, 2016

I was one of those people that no matter what, in my main system I could not keep acans. However, in my 40b they were fantastic. My discovery over time was that I had a fish issue and an issue with my leathers and gorgs. But initially (prior to gorgs) I still could not keep them. Still had the leathers, but nothing else that would have bothered them so I thought. I think it was a fish back then. Either way, something is not making them happy in the system.

If they begin to suffer again, move them back to the frag tank and try a different area of the tank next time. For instance: I could not keep any fleshy (open brain corals) lps near my neon green palua nepthea. Within 12" they would perish quickly. Something is bothering them.