Acan question

[Saltysteele]

Here's a pic of my biggest acan lord frag (the other 2 are single-polyp frags). This one used to be more red, with green stripes with white bands. under actinics the colors show better (obviously), but are not as vibrant as they once were. Questions follow.

first, some info. i feed them every other day, while feeding my fish; mix of mysis soaked in selcon and rod's food. Two 60" vho's actinic whites driven by icecap 660; two 60" super actinics driven by icecap 430. I will be switching to T5HO's (may keep actinic vho's, though) when these vho's are done for. they're 3/4 of the way down the tank, in placement; tank is 24" high - lights are 2-3" from the top of the tank.

how can i get these guys to color up? i use reef crystals for salt. what would cause them to loose color and lighten up? is it too much in the way of nutrients that would cause the loss of the color producing pigments? not enough? too much/little light? all my acans eat like pigs, if some can get it, will even suck in 3 mysis or a large chunk of shrimp in the rod's food.

i've got one that was purple, green and white, now it's reddish/purple with white, just a hint of green. however, i have one that is red, and that one's color has remained stable.

 

[JuniorMC8704]

too much light, or too much alk.

whats your alk at? LPS likes it best around 8ish.

SPS on the other hand like it a lot higher.

Also, no need to feed that often. Its better to feed them more less often.

Ive found that if you give ANY rainbow type acans too much light, they will morph, usually to all red, or close to.

 

[Saltysteele]

No kiddin. Hmmm. I like feeding them, so I feed them a lot I will stop feeding them so much.

I'll have to check to get an up-to-date alk reading.

Maybe I'll grow a Kenya forest, so my acans have a canopy from my intense VHO's Seriously, though, I'm surprised they (my VHO's) are bright enough to do that)(not questioning it, just truly surprised)

thank you, oh acan master. i'd love to get mine as colorful as yours!

 

[JuniorMC8704]

acans are from 90 feet down, sps are all but on the surface.

in a tank they might be a foot apart, maybe two...puts light in perspective.

 

[Saltysteele]

makes sense!

 

[ofblong]

put it "under" an overhanging rock . I have the perfect spot for it in my tank mwuwhahaaha

 

[LAMPCOV]

Ive found that if you give ANY rainbow type acans too much light, they will morph, usually to all red, or close to.

Junior - How about a picture of your setup showing your lighting and then how you place the different types of acans to help keep their original colors? You are The Man when it comes to sweet rainbows....

 

[JuniorMC8704]

LOL. ive got a 1 halide right now in the center of a 12" deep tank.

Ive got my lords way outside of its range. Getting very very little at all. Likely the same as one would get at the bottom of a 30" deep tank, at the very bottom.

Mine get direct actinics, and are fed a couple times a week. They might get a little of the rods when i feed my fish.

They arent non-photosynthetic, but they might as well be if you ask me. I had a small colony in a nano with no lights for over a month, and spot fed them once a week and they not only survived, but grew.

 

[Burks]

I've noticed that since I switched from MH to NO T-8 over my vat (not by choice mind you...) my Acans have become more colorful. Even if I turn off the actinics and purple they are still brightly colored.

Mine get fed twice a week. Growth on one set has been awesome. The other has only been with me for about a month.

 

[Saltysteele]

GREAT info, thanks guys!! :haha:

hey, thanks for the offer, Ben! that'd work out great for us :haha: lol

i can't wait till it colors up again! you can see it's already getting ready to eat in this pic. i had turned the flow off to take this pic, and it thought "hmm, time to eat!"

maybe i'll have to stagger my feeding days for each of them, so i have something to feed. well, i guess my duncan is always willing :haha: