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giambi4343
02/19/2009, 01:59 PM
i have had them for about a month and they have not been fully expanding lately. they were in moderate light in the sand then i moved them into a shadded area to see if they would expand at all. still nothing. they are in moderate water flow and all other corals are perfect. water parameters are fine also. any suggestions about what i could do?

DEXNC
02/19/2009, 02:23 PM
when you say water parameters are fine, what are your alk, mag, cal levels

giambi4343
02/19/2009, 02:56 PM
my only level thats a little high is my calcium which is at 600. Alk 10 and i dont test Mag

giambi4343
02/19/2009, 09:00 PM
bump

schristi69
02/19/2009, 09:05 PM
Did you feed them? Just gave mine some fish last night and they are all plumped up and happy.

DIONE@AQUATICA
02/20/2009, 12:01 AM
I am recently new to the acan world and I am crazy about them. I am, by no means an expert, but what I have recently concluded about acans makes sense to me: I was at a fellow reefers house (FIREMEDIC) and he has an unbelievable setup. 300 gallon display, acrylic frag tank, fish room, controllers, kick *** and his system is very stable. I mean his water parameters are always on the money, he has sps colonies that will bring a tear to your eye. He had a few small acan frags and they seemed to be the only coral in his whole system that was not flourishing. My buddy ended up buying them from him, but that is neither here nor there. A few days later I was reading a post on another site and it was a guy talking about how he just was not having any success with his acans. The system sounded very similar to the one earlier and at the end of his post he said, "I guess my water is not dirty enough for acans." So the long and short of it is that it seems to me that there probably isn't anything wrong with your tank. From what I have seen it seems like they may not like really clean water. I just know your pain and I wish you the best with your acans.

69.nova.ss
02/20/2009, 02:12 AM
mag is the most important one you need to test for mag my friend has an sps tank when mag is low his corals wont be fully extended

NCNBilly
02/20/2009, 06:38 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14438611#post14438611 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 69.nova.ss
mag is the most important one you need to test for mag my friend has an sps tank when mag is low his corals wont be fully extended

I don't think you can list Mag as the most important. Each component of seawater is vital to the success, but there are ranges that work. I would consider salinity probably the most critical, and for all reefs it should be 35ppt of 1.0265 SG to get the other parms right (although even that is debatable).

If the other inhabitants in your tank are doing fine, it's likely they aren't being fed enough. I feed mine every 2 or 3 days - I make a blend of fish, shrimp, clams, squid, and cyclopeeze - turn off all the pumps and squirt a glob on each head. In about 10 minutes, they'll be good to go and about an hour later they'll be fat as can be.

This is a good practice for all LPS, but it can drive your nutrients up which is why it's hard to keep LPS and SPS thriving in the same tank (although not impossible).

faze07hd
02/20/2009, 06:44 AM
what kind of lighting do you have and what kind of flow are they getting?

Any pests eating at them?

69.nova.ss
02/20/2009, 02:44 PM
my friend never feeds his they dont have to be fed his are fine and this isnt about salinity

schristi69
02/20/2009, 02:57 PM
Well you and your friend are both wrong. You come here, ask for advice, we give it and you ignore us. All corals should be fed on a regular basis, even Acans, to maintain the best health. You and your friend might want to read a book on Marine Invertebrates. Try this http://www.amazon.com/PocketExpert-Guide-Marine-Invertebrates-Essential/dp/1890087661. Robert Shimek might know a little bit more than you and your friend.

snorvich
02/20/2009, 03:24 PM
Actually 69.nova.ss was not the original poster.

Mg is not the most critical water parameter, but it is critical in maintaining proper Ca level. Ca of 600 is too high and if correct is bad for your pumps and powerheads as they will require frequent cleaning. Salinity should be around 1.0264. Alkalinity should be around 8.5 to 9.5 (many people think 7 to 11). Feeding with "stuff" as described above is a good thing, especially for LPS.

giambi4343
02/20/2009, 09:02 PM
i feed them. they are under 350 watt MHs and they are located in a shadded area. they were in moderate lighting and high.

ROLLINS240Z
02/20/2009, 09:28 PM
Mine will close for a day or two here and there. Again no expert, but they are growing well on the sand of a 125g directly under 2 250w MH and a lot of flow. Just my .02