Recommended Position for Acan Coral in Tank

[Nate92]

Hello,

I have an 80-gallon tank that currently has one powerhead and, as the tank is pre-drilled, a fairly powerful return flow into the display (apologies if I did not word that correctly!). I have an acan coral, and I'm wondering the best spot to position it in the tank. I have an 8-bulb T5 light fixture. I've read that acans like low light and low flow- is that correct? I've heard of people putting acans in sand, but when I moved mine there, it did not seem particularly happy and consistently got covered in sand. Any recommendations for positioning would be much appreciated. Thank you!

-Nate

 

[LesPoissons]

If you tried the bottom, put it mid tank, low/med flow. Leave it for a couple weeks and see. Corals are actually very adaptable to lighting- too low is much easier for them to adjust too rather than too high.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello,

I have an 80-gallon tank that currently has one powerhead and, as the tank is pre-drilled, a fairly powerful return flow into the display (apologies if I did not word that correctly!). I have an acan coral, and I'm wondering the best spot to position it in the tank. I have an 8-bulb T5 light fixture. I've read that acans like low light and low flow- is that correct? I've heard of people putting acans in sand, but when I moved mine there, it did not seem particularly happy and consistently got covered in sand. Any recommendations for positioning would be much appreciated. Thank you!

-Nate

I start at lower third to mid tank and in path of water flow

 

[Nate92]

I start at lower third to mid tank and in path of water flow

Thanks for the tip! I moved it to that type of position, and it's doing really well! My only concern is that the frag disc it's on has a long "stem," which means that the coral sits about a half an inch above my rock.... I'm just concerned that it won't be able to grow if it can't touch the rock! Thanks again!

 

[Nate92]

I start at lower third to mid tank and in path of water flow

(Unflattering) picture for reference!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks for the tip! I moved it to that type of position, and it's doing really well! My only concern is that the frag disc it's on has a long "stem," which means that the coral sits about a half an inch above my rock.... I'm just concerned that it won't be able to grow if it can't touch the rock! Thanks again!

Build the area up using reef putty. Will dry to a coral like finish, cures under water and will keep frag in place

 

[Nate92]

Build the area up using reef putty. Will dry to a coral like finish, cures under water and will keep frag in place

Great idea! Thank you!!

 

[saltyhog]

Agree with @vetteguy53081. If you don't want it raised that much above the rock though (looks unnatural to you) you can take a pair of bone cutters like we use for fragging and cut all or part of the post off. Then attach with reef putty.

Oceans Wonders Coral Stony Bone Cutter

Oceans Wonders Stony Bone Cutter feature a sharp cutting edge that minimizes crushing and damage to coral tissue. Made from surgical grade stainless steel 7/8" slightly curved jaw No wound spring to trap moisture and rust like similar cutters Great for precisely cutting hard and semi-hard...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[mikus]

Agree with @vetteguy53081. If you don't want it raised that much above the rock though (looks unnatural to you) you can take a pair of bone cutters like we use for fragging and cut all or part of the post off. Then attach with reef putty.

Oceans Wonders Coral Stony Bone Cutter

Oceans Wonders Stony Bone Cutter feature a sharp cutting edge that minimizes crushing and damage to coral tissue. Made from surgical grade stainless steel 7/8" slightly curved jaw No wound spring to trap moisture and rust like similar cutters Great for precisely cutting hard and semi-hard...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Is it advisable to cut the plug itself to lower surface area? or can the frag be removed completely from the plug and placed directly on the rock surface? Sorry, sounds like a stupid question to me, but I am new to the hobby and have had my first system up for approx. 6 months and have just added my first two acan frags a few days ago.

 

[Sump Crab]

Is it advisable to cut the plug itself to lower surface area? or can the frag be removed completely from the plug and placed directly on the rock surface? Sorry, sounds like a stupid question to me, but I am new to the hobby and have had my first system up for approx. 6 months and have just added my first two acan frags a few days ago.

Just cut the stem off of the plug and glue the disc down. Put pea sized glob of gel superglue on bottom of disc, then marble size glob of potable water epoxy stick on that, and then one more glob of super glue gel on the bottom of that. Press disc down on rock and your good.

 

[Hemmdog]

Is it advisable to cut the plug itself to lower surface area? or can the frag be removed completely from the plug and placed directly on the rock surface? Sorry, sounds like a stupid question to me, but I am new to the hobby and have had my first system up for approx. 6 months and have just added my first two acan frags a few days ago.

I pop mine off the plugs and put them directly on rocks. Just push sideways on the acan at night or early morning when it’s shrunk, it should pop right off.

 

[mikus]

Just cut the stem off of the plug and glue the disc down. Put pea sized glob of gel superglue on bottom of disc, then marble size glob of potable water epoxy stick on that, and then one more glob of super glue gel on the bottom of that. Press disc down on rock and your good.

Sorry...I meant to say "disk" originally, not plug. The acans i have are on a disk and there is a lot of extra disk space, but it seems like i may be able to get better placement on my rock if i can either cut away some of the disk, or remove the acan altogether and place it directly on the rock.

 

[saltyhog]

Either way is fine. Like @Hemmdog said if you can put lateral pressure on the frag without damaging any tissue it will usually pop off. I occasionally run in to one that is really solidly on there. I don't force it when that happens.

 

[mikus]

Thanks for the great advice...still feel sooo intimidated to try to remove the frag from the plug! do you use a tool of some sort to remove it laterally? and I guess the next question is when do you know its best to remove from plug and put directly on rock, when its been in the same placement/conditions and has been happy for x amount of time?

 

[Sump Crab]

Over time the coral will take over the plug and you wont even be able to tell it was ever there. In the meantime the plug will color up with coralline algae and blend into the rocks. If you decide to remove the frag be careful not to damage it. Good luck!

 

[Nate92]

Agree with @vetteguy53081. If you don't want it raised that much above the rock though (looks unnatural to you) you can take a pair of bone cutters like we use for fragging and cut all or part of the post off. Then attach with reef putty.

Oceans Wonders Coral Stony Bone Cutter

Oceans Wonders Stony Bone Cutter feature a sharp cutting edge that minimizes crushing and damage to coral tissue. Made from surgical grade stainless steel 7/8" slightly curved jaw No wound spring to trap moisture and rust like similar cutters Great for precisely cutting hard and semi-hard...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Great answer! Thank you!

 

[Katrina71]

Build the area up using reef putty. Will dry to a coral like finish, cures under water and will keep frag in place

Exactly what I would do too

 

[Nate92]

I pop mine off the plugs and put them directly on rocks. Just push sideways on the acan at night or early morning when it’s shrunk, it should pop right off.

Very interesting. Thank you!

 

[Katrina71]

Is it advisable to cut the plug itself to lower surface area? or can the frag be removed completely from the plug and placed directly on the rock surface? Sorry, sounds like a stupid question to me, but I am new to the hobby and have had my first system up for approx. 6 months and have just added my first two acan frags a few days ago.

Not a stupid question at all.

 

[DesertReefT4r]

Mid low low in the tank. I keep mine all over on one side lower in the tank with moderate flow and around 150 par of MH.