Detached acan head
 

I have a green acan lord in a 34 gal cube. About 7 weeks ago I noticed one of the acan heads was flapping in the breeze. I read about polyp bailout and checked my levels. At the time the alkalinity was down at 6.5. Since that time I got the alk up to 7.5-8.2. Ca was 500-440(now) and mg was 1480-1320(now).

Up until yesterday (mass calcium precipitate due to bad advice) my tank has not looked better in the past several weeks. However the acan has now dropped another head and the two are stuck on the bigger colony but not to
Their skeleton.

My question is seeing as they likely won't reattach not live should I cut them off of what's left of the mother colony before they detach on their own and ninja attack another coral?

Other corals are a Duncan, zoos, chisiata(sp?), and an acan enchiata(sp?)

I have had the same problem in the past. I have a large acan collection and low alk almost took most of them out about a year ago. It was the same symptom, the heads just came off of the skeleton. I fixed the alk issue, the acans came back, but the heads that were blowing in the breeze never made it. All of m other corals never showed any sing of stress during the alk loss of 2012. I now keep the alk at about 9-11.

I have been trying to boost the alk over 8.0 but have had limited success. I have a thread in the chemistry forum trying to help me with that.

Do you think I should cut the flappers away from the rest of the colony?

I dont think it would hurt, I never did see the ejectors reattach or heal up. An iodine dip might also help heal up any wound after the surgery. Good luck, do you have any pics to see the extent?

It's an old thread, but just to add as it might help someone:
My Acans bailed in main display tank most likely because of Alk drop OR some red slime getting very close to the heads.
I moved them all to quarantine tank which had perfect water just made from a salt bucket and they immediately puffed up and seem happy.
Detached head I have put it on a clean rock and put netting over it to keep it there. It puffs up, tentacles are out through the netting and it has been like this for 5 weeks now.

Thanks for sharing that good news. Always nice to have solutions to issues available at RC. Hope he attaches and grows.