Acans browning

[rbraunberger]

Hello all,

My acans are browning up and losing their color. I have been reading about what can cause this, and the explanations are all over the place. What are your thoughts?! Thanks!

 

[Shep]

Need more info (parameters, lights, tank depth, acan position) and pics if possible, my immediate guess would be too much light.

 

[rbraunberger]

Tank is 18" deep with lights mounted 12" above. Have REEFER with the ET Radion 30 Pro lights on their mounting arm. The acans are on the sand bed, in the middle of the tank. Radion is set to 40%. Parameters are all inline, Nitrate/Phos/Nitrite all 0 ppm, Alk 10, cal and mg also good.

 

[MermaidTail]

Tank is 18" deep with lights mounted 12" above. Have REEFER with the ET Radion 30 Pro lights on their mounting arm. The acans are on the sand bed, in the middle of the tank. Radion is set to 40%. Parameters are all inline, Nitrate/Phos/Nitrite all 0 ppm, Alk 10, cal and mg also good.

Do you also have hair algae?

Try and move them out of the light and check your phosphate levels.

From what I've read, browning can be from too much light and too high of phosphate levels- brown Acans usually accompanied by hair algae could mean these levels are off.

 

[rbraunberger]

Zero algae....i have been running NOPO-X and have not had an algae problem in awhile....cleaning my glass about every 2/3 weeks

 

[rbraunberger]

just enough to keep the snails alive lol

 

[MermaidTail]

Zero algae....i have been running NOPO-X and have not had an algae problem in awhile....cleaning my glass about every 2/3 weeks

What's your lighting schedule?

 

[reeferfoxx]

From what I've read, browning can be from too much light and too high of phosphate levels- brown Acans usually accompanied by hair algae could mean these levels are off.

Too much light causes bleaching. Lack of light causes browning.

Your lights are at 40%? maybe up them to 50% or even 60% and see how the coral reaction is?

My lights are at high intensity for 9 hours a day. Whites at 30% and blues at 100%. My lights are 16 inches above water. My acans gets direct light. My orange acan loves bright lights.

 

[rbraunberger]

Here is my apex program

 

[MermaidTail]

Too much light causes bleaching. Lack of light causes browning.

Your lights are at 40%? maybe up them to 50% or even 60% and see how the coral reaction is?

My lights are at high intensity for 9 hours a day. Whites at 30% and blues at 100%. My lights are 16 inches above water. My acans gets direct light. My orange acan loves bright lights.

Interesting! Glad you chimed in, cause like the OP said, replies are all over the place when reading up on this stuff. I came across a ton of info saying high light can turn acans
brown because of the properties of zooxanthellae.

 

[reeferfoxx]

I run that schedule on week two of coral light acclimation :D

Bump it up to 7 hours of 50% and see if your Acan doesn't swell up for the light? I think it will :)

 

[rbraunberger]

Interesting! Glad you chimed it, cause like the OP said, replies are all over the place when reading up on this stuff. I came across a ton of info saying high light can turn acans
brown because of the properties of zooxanthellae.

Ya..i have seen that too...but in other corals they increase the zooxanthellae with low light, and that causes browning....cant be both ways...lol

 

[rbraunberger]

My acans are always really "plump"

 

[reeferfoxx]

Interesting! Glad you chimed in, cause like the OP said, replies are all over the place when reading up on this stuff. I came across a ton of info saying high light can turn acans
brown because of the properties of zooxanthellae.

Typically higher light can cause water temps to increase which can cause zooxanthellae to expel thus leaving the remaining tissue. Lack of light won't necessarily cause zooxanthellae to expel but to loose it's own color and remain a brown or black color. Best way to tell is if its happening fast or slow. Faster usually means bleaching. This is in reference to our reef tanks. Not the ocean.

You CAN say that lack of light can cause bleaching. That is a fact. However, there are different types of bleaching or different varients. Typically though, in our tanks, we don't experience that type of bleaching. Are waters aren't deep enough and we have a relative idea of some sort of light intensity for our corals.

However, I believe he isn't actually running those lights long enough. He is at 40% for 6 hours. Needs to be 8-10 hours. Ask the sun gods ;)

Reference : http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/2/coral <----good read on coral bleaching.

 

[rbraunberger]

Does this light schedule look better? I ordered a neptune PAR a few weeks ago for my new build...that should help for when setting up the new guy.

 

[reeferfoxx]

I think that intensity is a good. Or at least good for now. I still think you need the photoperiod longer. Looks like your at 5 hours. If anything reduce the intensity to 40% for 7 hours for starters. The length of time the lights are running are just as important as the amount. With LEDs you definitely have to find the sweet spot.

 

[reeferfoxx]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/5/aafeature<---article on photoperiods for reef tanks

 

[Persun87]

Try feeding them. Acan really seem to thrive when fed regularly. Increases their color and growth.

 

[Luke Schnabel]

My rainbow Acans started to lose a lot of color untill I found out that the places they come from are grown in practically all blue LEDs. So I tured my Blue up and my white down and the colors are looking great!

 

[ou12004]

Amino acids helped color my LPS up