Acan Frag Growth

[Merfin70]

I have a couple of Acan Lord "slices" for lack of a better description. Basically looks like a colony that was run through a band saw. I'm wondering if or how they will grow out. Typical for Acans, its a thick slice (1" or so). Will they grow down the 90 degree angle to the live rock they are mounted on? Will it look like an Acan box if they do?

[LPS_Blasto]

They will grow down the side over a few months time. Then they will attach to the rock or whatever they are sitting on top of. It takes time. The colony will appear to have a hump in the middle or it will appear the center polyps are taller than the surrounding polyps for some time.

They grow around the skeleton and down to the rock eventually. Just takes time. Can you wedge them down into a hole or crevice? That will kinda hide the bottom part of the skeleton and give them easy access to branch out and grab onto the surrounding rocks on the sides.

Mine grow slow too. I am starting to realize that acans aren't exactly fast growers.

Why, oh why......... do the pretty ones that bring big bucks at the frag swap take so long to GROOOOOWWW? :lol:

[1fishkeeper]

Thats funny I was just thinking about posting the same question. I have the same thing a acan cube and wanted to know. But it seems like mine are growing quite fast. It has been about a two weeks since I got them and there was a couple of them that were cut in half and now they are grown together not all the way full but atleast I can see them growing to a full one.

[Merfin70]

Thanks and tell me about it on the growth !!! So far some of the existing heads have "stretched" over to the other side but no new heads going down the wall as yet so I was curious. Of course, its my best rainbows and a beauty of a yellow/red acan that were fragged this way.

Wherever I could, I've wedged them in/down but for some of the prime real estate, it just doesn't work for me.

I was thinking for a bit of building a putty ramp for them but that would look real ugly so I decided not to.

Have you grown out any "slices" personally as I would love to see an "after" picture of what they might look like.

[Merfin70]

1fishkeeper - Same here. The heads have reformed/repaired but no new ones yet on the sides of my Acan cubes.

[1fishkeeper]

Yeah I done the puddy ramp alittle but oh well I guess I just have to hold off and see what happens to them. I have read on some places that they grow really fast and on others that they are really slow.

[Merfin70]

Based on how much they eat, I'm expecting some good growth !!! They are worse than my clowns. As soon as the powerheads go off, the feeders come out as they know what's coming. Even my wrasse can't wrestle a mysis away from them sometimes. Only my Duncan eats faster than the Acans.

[Dooly]

you feed yours during the day or lights out?

i feed my acans like 1am few times a week.. i have to be a zombie because they don't have their feeders out during the day.. :(

[Merfin70]

I feed mine during the day. I feed the fish a bit first as otherwise they steal. If the Acan feeders aren't out when I turn the powerheads off, they come out as soon as some food hits the water for the fish. It takes new ones a time or two before they get with the program but all of them feed during the day now.

Try squirting a little food around them with lights on and see if they react. You need you sleep too !!

[Animal Mother]

What kind of lights do you people have your acans under?

[Merfin70]

150w 14k MH + (2) 24 w T5s for me.

[maharkona]

FEED THEM......they will grow. mine are pigs. try Rods food.

[dan10342]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13323450#post13323450 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Merfin70
Thanks and tell me about it on the growth !!! So far some of the existing heads have "stretched" over to the other side but no new heads going down the wall as yet so I was curious. Of course, its my best rainbows and a beauty of a yellow/red acan that were fragged this way.

Wherever I could, I've wedged them in/down but for some of the prime real estate, it just doesn't work for me.

I was thinking for a bit of building a putty ramp for them but that would look real ugly so I decided not to.

Have you grown out any "slices" personally as I would love to see an "after" picture of what they might look like.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd250/jjjo10342/100_2070.jpg

i no longer have this acan. traded it off. but, it took a few months to get like that. the big head is original from the frag. the small heads were all new.

[Dooly]

^ very nice, that's what I'm looking for in my acans.. nothing even close to that though... what can i do to get mine to look like that?

[Merfin70]

Thanks for the pic Dan. I'm looking forward to seeing mine grow out that well.

[LPS_Blasto]

In the 5g frag tank my acans are under PC 13w actinic and PC 26w 10k. 39w total. They don't grow fast, but I usually see a new head every couple weeks on the frag plugs.

[dan10342]

i noticed that a week after i got it... the flesh started to grow over the "ledge" part of where it was cut. it then started budding, and the new heads formed. then flesh from the new heads started growing down the side where it was cut. a total of 5 new heads formed on the side that was cut... and you could no longer see the skeleton. (in the pic i posted).

i wish i hadnt traded that acan off... its got to be the second dumbest thing ive ever done reef wise.

[Merfin70]

OK, what was the 1st?

[dan10342]

i'd rather not say... it still angers me to even think about it. needless to say, the situation had been rectified and i now have an even bigger and better tyree pink watermelon chalice (hint hint... yes it had to do with a tyree chalice).

[dan10342]

angers me... because i know it was my fault

[1fishkeeper]

I wish I was on the other end of that deal for the chalice.