Acan Question? with pics!

[Guygettnby]

i have had this acan frag since it was 1 head. it has been growing well for me up till this point. it seems that it will not grow out anymore and instead it actually pinches heads off so new heads can grow? anybody ever ran into this problem?

not sure what kind of acan it is and have never asked. this was actually my first acan and is completely different then all my others as to how it grows and how open it is. any info would be great and here are some pics.

http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/oo25/guygettnby/Picture372.jpg

http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/oo25/guygettnby/Picture373.jpg

[Moto_fish]

Maybe put on somewhere it can spread? Like a rock or something...

[Guygettnby]

Maybe put on somewhere it can spread? Like a rock or something...

tried that and it still continued to pinch off heads. this acan believe it or not is about a year old. it has probably pinched off at least 5 or so heads already. my other acans grow more bunched together and never have a problem. but this one is always so opened up and fully extended.

[Guygettnby]

no more guesses as to why it is doing this?

[RokleM]

Explain "pinching" off a head, I think that's where the confusion is and why you aren't getting many answers.

It's typical for acans to grow new smaller heads "underneath" larger more developed heads. As long as they're receiving some light and nutrients, it works out well.

[Guygettnby]

as new heads grow in and get bigger the older heads start to pinch off and float away in the tank. almost as it were trying to relocate some place else in the tank. but of course the heads that float away never do anything and die after a few days.

thats the best way i can explain it i guess. almost like they are over crowding each other and need to make room.

[PCfishman]

I've got quite a few acans and I personally have never experience something like what you are describing. I have heard of polyp bailout, but that piece does not appear to be suffering from that.

Acans encrust so providing them a larger surface to grow may solve your problem. As for what type of acan it is looking at the color and polyp structure I would say it is an Aussie Acanthastrea Lordhowensis...

[fishieness]

It is a form of asexual reproduction. It can be because it is really stressed out, hence the "polyp bailout" that PCfishman referenced. But many corals also do this when they are healthy to spread themselves around. You see it on gonis a lot. Did you actually secure it to a rock or just place it on one? Try attaching it to a rock with some epoxy where it is lying close enough so it can encrust over it.

[RokleM]

As mentioned, what you're referencing is typically referred to as "poly bailout". It's when the soft flesh releases from the actual skeleton of a coral. A vast majority of the time it's a very bad sign of an irritated/stressed coral and unlikely recovery.

How is everything else doing in the tank? What are the parameters and are they stable? I see a pretty good amount of what appears to be cyano also on the sand. Kind of points to potential other issues.

The other factor could be the sand itself. Without seeing the polyps deflated, it's hard to tell how close the sand is to the flesh. If the new polyps are irritated by sand movement or stirring, that may also cause those lower polyps to be unhappy. Acan Echinata are a little more forgiving in my experience, but lords often more irritated.