New to Acans

[1fstlightning]

I just purchased some Acans from Reefs2U earlier and was wanting to know what is the best way to get them to grow fast,keep their color and do well in my tank. Ive been wanting to get some for a long time and fianally went for it, just want them to do well.

[Mr Cob]

Mine do very well at the bottom of my reef with enough flow to wobble the heads back and forth. If it's too much flow they won't open. Too little flow and they shrivel and die.

Feed them regularly and they will grow super fast. I do not spot feed mine because my tank is 29" deep, but they do catch food occasionally when I feed.

The tentacles stay out on mine ALL the time...when they are out you will have the best luck at spot feeding them.

[Europhyllia]

Mine have the tentacles out all the time as well but it's no comparison to what they look like at night. They almost turn themselves inside out at night to catch something.
I feed during the day but I also give the night feeders a snack at night. I feel like the Acans are definitely night feeders.
(I actually just finished feeding the night feeders. Good Night!)

[FireWater]

What they said ^^

I spot feed mine mysis and Rod's brand frozen foods. I have been experimenting with adding Brightwell Aquatics amino acids to the food I spot feed coral with - I feed half the coral with amino soaked food and the other half with normal. Still waiting to see results.
Lighting is important for keeping color - I do not know what lighting you run.
Slow and indirect flow is what mine prefer - like Rob said, enough to move the heads, but not push them around.

[lrg]

What they said ^^

I have been experimenting with adding Brightwell Aquatics amino acids to the food I spot feed coral with - I feed half the coral with amino soaked food and the other half with normal. Still waiting to see results.




Please keep us posted with the results.

Thanks,

[1fstlightning]

I have two 250 MH lights and two 48" T5 acintics. I came home and fed them some Rotifers, from the H20 Life frozen line. I started to dose my B Ionic again too.

[Europhyllia]

I have two 250 MH lights and two 48" T5 acintics. I came home and fed them some Rotifers, from the H20 Life frozen line. I started to dose my B Ionic again too.

Acans can grab food much bigger than rotifers like mysis and bloodworms, etc. Rotifers are great for small polyped things like gorgonians though. :)

[1fstlightning]

Acans can grab food much bigger than rotifers like mysis and bloodworms, etc. Rotifers are great for small polyped things like gorgonians though. :) I have those too, I use Mysis to feed my fish and I have what is called a Reef frozen food that has all kinds of stuff for the Reef and the fish. I had a litttle piece of squid that I had left over from feeding my Bamboo shark and stuck a piece inside one of the mouths and it gobbled it down, so I figured that they would eat larger pieces of food if you put it to them. Would I have to feed each individual mouth if I did it that way, or just a few of them?

[1fstlightning]

Acans can grab food much bigger than rotifers like mysis and bloodworms, etc. Rotifers are great for small polyped things like gorgonians though. :) I also have bloodworms too. I didnt know that I could use all that didnt variety of food for them. Appreciate all the info.

[allan]

Dude, like Karin, I feed mine at night around four am. Tentacles way out and ready to eat. I make my own food in a blender and was using the super fine to feed them, but recently (about two months ago) I started feeding them the larger chunks. I turn off the pumps and using a baster I gently squeeze a bit into each gaping maw. I may end up missing a mouth or two but generally speaking I don't think it's a big deal. I've had two mouths fighting over a single piece of scallop.... it's like a tug-a-war in slooooooow motion.

In about six months I went from six full heads to well over twenty. Really fast growers if you're willing to put in the work. Good luck.

[1fstlightning]

I haven't really seen the tenacles come out big yet, but I'm sure in time that they will

[1fstlightning]

The B Ionic should help them too though right?

[Europhyllia]

what is it for?

[1fstlightning]

I have been using the B Ionic to get my Coraline to grow in my tank. I have heard that product is good for them cause they love calcium.

[Europhyllia]

If it's a calcium supplement then perhaps just check what your calcium levels are? If there's not much in there to deplete it you may keep them high enough just with your salt mix, right? What are your levels?

[1fstlightning]

I dont really know my calcium level, I dont have a Reef test kit. I have been meaning to get one, just keeps sliping my ming mind everytime I go into the store and see all the goodies that they have each time I go.

[saabtech]

not judgeing you or anything, i have just been there and alot of times i slip into impatience.
TRY, try, try to take it slow. get the stuff you need before you get the stuff you want.
i was buying coral before i had a refractometer and i was using a hydrometer. what a mistake..... my hydrometer reads 1.026 and the CALIBRATED refractometer reads 1.021!!!!!

[allan]

^5 to saab,

Another piece of advice that may not apply to everything, but certainly does in this instance. Don't dose something you can't check and verify. The coraline will come on it's own and before you know it you'll be complaining about having to clean it off the glass. Without a sufficient source of calcium consumption adding more will only raise your calcium levels too high.

Buy, beg, or borrow a test kit. You absolutely need to keep one handy.

[allan]

I haven't really seen the tenacles come out big yet, but I'm sure in time that they will

The tentacles can be hard to see during the day, have you checked at night? Not sure how long after the lights go out that they really extend, but by midnight they are out and searching. What's your flow over the acans? Should be slow to moderate.

[1fstlightning]

The tentacles can be hard to see during the day, have you checked at night? Not sure how long after the lights go out that they really extend, but by midnight they are out and searching. What's your flow over the acans? Should be slow to moderate. I have them in a medium flow area. MY tank has alot of flow in it, so placing in a slow area may be pretty tough. So far they have seemed to be doing fine, but am barely able to see the tenacles. I am gonna go look into getting a reef kit tommorow. I bought a Magnisium test kit today already when I picked up some Magnisium.