What causes acans to "melt"?
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Lilmatty5dimes
2500 Club Member
+1 what's around it? I still think its brown jelly disease. It happened to a few of my acans and I had a friend say the same thing. But it was also his hammers and frogspawn.
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RalphsReef
Well-Known Member
I feel your pain. I have lost so much $ in acans from them mysteriously melting (on several occasions), that I have basically sworn them off. And as they melt, nothing else is affected. We may never know why this is.
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Agreed, the white slime usually hits freshly cut or damaged polyps. I haven't seen white fungal/bacterial attacks in over 4 years and never on something established.
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thewackyreefer
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All I have in the tank is a cardinal, six line wrasse and banded coral shrimp. Nothing else near them that could be affecting them, unless they're all too close to each other?
At this point I've lost about 20 pieces and have about a dozen left...
It is hard to say exactly what is causing it without seeing it in person. I would make sure you are not having rapid swings in temp or salinity(also be careful that the salt is fully dissolved during water changes before adding the new water to the system). They are very sensitive to that and it will cause them to brown slime. Also if your temp is fluctuating a great deal that is not good. For example 80 during the day but only 72 at night. Also be sure the tank is not getting too hot at any point. Heat is much worse then cold for most coral. Hope this helps.
rossco
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I had a similar issue a year ago where otherwise healthy colonies would just recede until they were gone. The polyps would look healthy right up to the recession, even partial polyps would eat. The next day the half polyp that ate would have receded past the mouth. Out of desperation I took out two colonies and mixed up a dip of interceptor and put them in. As the pattern had been the same as yours, recession until they were gone, I left them in the dip overnight since there didn't seem much to lose. In the morning the colonies were opened wide polyps open and happy - in the dip cup! I put them back in the display and almost immediately they started growing back. Soon after I did 2 whole tank treatments with interceptor and the issue has not returned. All acans and scolys get a 2 to 3 hour interceptor dip before they enter the display now. Nothing scientific about it, but it worked for me.
-Logzor
2500 Club Member
I haven't kept a lot of acans but I have seen the melting occur, only once. During this same time period a large favia of mine receded. This is only speculation but I think it could have been due to the grandis palys nearby, they have a powerful toxin. Do you have any of these in your system? All of my SPS were fine.
Filipino Reefer
Active Member
Same here I'm starting or had started acans melting not sure why, after reading this article, I'm beginning to believe it's my light hitting too strong. Well I'm going to try the iodine lugol's solution dip and go from there.
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Filipino Reefer
Active Member
Following update I got 2 of my acan colonies dead. I did dip I did light nothing changes I got 3 colonies left and 1 that's currently melting away. I do feel that there's maybe possible work that eat them.... I don't know what else to do ... no other tanks in my house so I guess whatever ... do you guys think a black widow nem can kill them acans?
Sharkbait19
10K Club member
It seems like the melting is characteristic of brown jelly infection, which is a bacterial infection that can come from a coral being stressed, or sometimes occurs randomly. The best option is iodine dips and fragging off the healthy parts. The key is preventing it from spreading.
Filipino Reefer
Active Member
Noted. Will give it a try. Thanks
SlugSnorter
2500 Club Member
tank age? lighting? flow?
Filipino Reefer
Active Member
Yeah I have no way to frag my my acans and my remaining 3 acans are infected. I don't see the bjd it seems that it's being eaten from inside. I have been dipping it with coral rx and lugol's solution iodine and yet no luck. I don't see anything that floats.
Filipino Reefer
Active Member
All my acans died! Not sure what caused it but for now no more. Candy cane is alive so hope it thrives
