Why is my ACAN shrinking

Yates273 · Sep 22, 2018

The past 2 days I noticed my ACAN is shrinking. It no longer has the fluffy look and it’s feeder tentacles don’t come out. I put reef candy in its mouth and it doesn’t close up to eat it. I am currently running an HD Prime at all blues and UV at 80%. From 8-6 and the white is only at 4% for a few hours a day. I also have it on the sandbed under a ledge for shade. Is this coral dying or just stressed out. Please help he still has his colors just not fluffy anymore. TYIA.

Water temp 78.5
Salinity 1.024
Phosphates 0ppm
Nitrates 5ppm
Ammonia 0 ppm
Ph 8.2
Kh 11
Calcium 21 drops = 420 ppm

Bill_Moorman · Sep 22, 2018

Alk is a little high. Try dropping it to 9 and see what happens.

Also, I run Primes on my 40 and sometimes my acans looks great and sometimes they look like poop.

I think it’s an acan thing.

John3 · Sep 22, 2018

If you keep acans under very low light you need to feed them pretty regularly to stay healthy.

Yates273 · Sep 22, 2018

John3 said:
If you keep acans under very low light you need to feed them pretty regularly to stay healthy.

I feed them 2-3 times a week with Coral Candy. Only this time I squirted the Coral Candy on him he didn’t close up like he usually does.

Yates273 · Sep 23, 2018

Whew. I guess I should stop worrying but this is pretty new to me. ACAN nice and fluffy again and is eating. dang Acan got me freaking out for nothing. Just curious why he did that

Retro Reefer · Sep 23, 2018

Yeah they will do that at times and they also will recede in spots when sprouting new babies.

ItouchedThebutt · Sep 25, 2018

Jason Yahr said:
Whew. I guess I should stop worrying but this is pretty new to me. ACAN nice and fluffy again and is eating. dang Acan got me freaking out for nothing. Just curious why he did that

I used to have one that would spit its guts up anytime I picked it up or moved it. Be just fine next day. Now it's in my friends tank growing weird as ever.

hyprc · Sep 25, 2018

Bring your salinity up to 1.025/6. They don't like lower salinity from what I've read (never had an issue with my acans unless there was a pest bugging them, but I run 1.026). Babies also possible if it's been very happy and nothing has changed recently. I doubt you need to shade it. I have acans chillin next to montis (but also some in about half that PAR..).

hansy65 · Nov 9, 2018

I'm having the same problem, shortly after I raised the temp from 77F to 78F
While my acros are really happy with the temperature change, but not for acans. This is all I can think of. Maybe just a temporary shock factor? I hope so......
My water parameter as follow
Salinity - 1.026
Phosphates 0ppm
Nitrates 5ppm
Ammonia 0 ppm
Ph 8.4
dKh 7.2
Calcium 460 ppm

Yates273 · Nov 9, 2018

It should be fine. It took a couple days but it came back and is puffier than ever and looks good. It can be temperamental at times. They are very resilient.