Yesterday I moved around my acans and today they are looking real weird.. I know they will usually do this, but this time they are looking very bad... I don't think I've seen them this bad looking.. Hopefully im just over reacting.... But acans are pricey!! Especially rainbow ones.. So I'm trying to not lose them... All of my water parameters are good too.

Is there anything I should do?

Here is a pic of one that looks fine.



This acan not looking very good?


rainbow acan not looking good

Are you still cycling the rocks you acid washed in a container?

Where did you move them too? I know that most acans are really finicky with light and flow. I had a really nice 100+ polyp colony that was in the same tank for 3 years that RTN'd after just moving it 3 inches closer to my MH's after re-aquascaping. I was only able to save 10 heads, which was really disappointing. I moved that colony to my 95 gallon to recoup. My acans seem to do best in my sandbed with low to low-medium flow. I stopped trying to put them on the rocks and just leave them in the sand. I've even noticed that my green acans colored up more in the shade. Good luck...

Here are some pics of my acans. I only have a few though...

http://i684.photobucket.com/albums/vv202/n...16/IMG_1273.jpg
http://i684.photobucket.com/albums/vv202/n...16/IMG_1010.jpg
http://i684.photobucket.com/albums/vv202/n.../IMG_1267-1.jpg

Wow nice acans!

I actually did move them about 2 inches closer to the light... I'll have to move them back to the sand bed.


And yes I'm still cycling my rocks.

Should I try and spot feed them also? and try and get them in a little shade?

You are probably having a mini cycle from removing the rocks. Yes I would feed the acans and probably do a sm. water change.

I tested the water and all the parameters are normal.

Thanks, I love acans but they take so much room when they expand it fills up my sandbed. I really like them though and you could get some killer color combos. The one thing I don't like is how finicky they could be. They're known to bleach out and could die if they get too pissed off with the lighting situation.

I'd just do some small water changes, just in case there maybe a mini cycle going on. They also benefit from a little Iodine, strontium, and magnesium supplements. However, be very careful if you start dosing anything because it's really easy to OD. I also dose Brightwells Coral Amino's and the acans have colored up nicely and are nice and plump. Since I started dosing the BCA's I also revived a completely bleached out Rainbow Echinata Acan that I got free from another reefer.

I target feed my acans, micros, and blastos, a few days a week with PE mysis mostly. I do also feed them krill and silversides as well to give them a little variety.

Good luck with your acans... I'm looking forward to seeing them grow for you...

How much should I spot feed with Iodine, strontium, and magnesium?

I wouldn't directly squirt any of the supplements onto the corals. I usually dose about 5 drops of Iodine daily of the Kent marine product. The magnesium I dose according to what my tank consumes, usually about 10 drops per day along with the Strontium. The downside is that there aren't any accurate test kits for iodine and strontium, so most people don't like to dose. I usually could tell what works in my tank by observing the reactions of my corals.

I use sailfert test kits and try to keep my Mag around 1350. It all depends on the coral load you have in your tank on how much you want to dose. If your thinking about dosing I would start off with half of the what the instructions say. Stay away from Lugols Iodine as a supplement because it's really strong stuff and is really easy to overdose. I just put the drops of the supplements in the morning into the water column. I always have 15-30 gallons of saltwater mixing, just in case of emergencies. I haven't had to use it, but it's always nice to have a safety net especially when we spend soo much time and money on our tanks.

Are you testing for iodine and strontium? I haven't heard much information in favor of supplementing them versus relying on water changes.

I don't test for iodine or strontium. However, I've noticed a difference when I dose and I don't dose, especially with my LPS. I also do daily 1 gallon water changes and a 5 gallon water change once a week on my 24 gallon, but even then it seems that the corals consume most of the trace elements. I always go very conservative on dosing the supplements I can't test for. I could usually tell by looking at my corals. My acans will perk up, when I dose a little. I am aware that blind dosing isn't recommended and that's why I mentioned it in my last post. I wish they'd come out with some test kits for iodine and strontium, but until then I just do what works for me. From what I've read both are essential elements with SPS, LPS, and even softee corals for their tissue development and skeletal growth.

I've been fortunate that I've only lost 1 frag of cateye zoas to zoa pox in my 24 gallon over the last year. My heater malfunctioned and brought my temp from 78 to 88 degrees in a few hours. The temp swing stressed out my zoas, but I was able to stablize everything except that one frag. Local reefers have given me some really bleached out acans, chalices, and browned out sps, and all of them have recovered in my tank and colored up. It's pretty cool and a challenge for me to bring back a coral from almost certain death and watch them thrive again.

I agree that water changes are essential to replacing trace elements, but depending on coral and bioload the consumption of the elements needs to be replaced. Even though I do small daily water changes I still need to dose calcium and magnesium daily. I figured the consumption of iodine and strontium is the same, but since I can't test for them. I dose according to what I observe with my corals. I always have 15-30 gallons of mixed saltwater, just in case I do something stupid. It's also nice to have around because I have a 95 gallon softee and LPS tank as well. I only do water changes every other week and dose twice a week because the coral load isn't as high. Calcium and Magnesium is dosed daily.

I've only been reefing for two years and have come to realize that it's all about balance. If your Ca, Mg, Alk, etc. is off, it usually means that there's a problem with the balance. Iodine and strontium are also essential for our corals to thrive. I believe in reading and testing things out for myself to see what works best in my systems. I figured that the reputable companies like Kent marine etc. who sell these products have too much to lose, if they sell us useless supplements. I know most reefers don't recommend dosing these trace elements since there really aren't any test kits available yet. I would recommend that beginning reefers just do water changes and dose Calcium and Magnesium to be safe. Learn more about your tank and it's needs and adjust accordingly. After a while you could tell by looking at your corals and they'll tell you when somethings off. I only test once a month besides my Alk. As long as my Alk stays at 9 I could test my Calcium and Magnesium and they're both within excellent guidelines. Ca 430-450 and Mg 1300-1350..

reefer916:

If you're not testing, how can you prove that what you're dosing is making any significant difference compared to your frequent water changes?
How do you know how much to dose in the first place?
Did you ever check to see if overdosing would cause problems?
IMO, it's not good to have a wait-and-see approach when dosing supplements. There are tests for iodine and strontium by more than one manufacturer.

You can't really say your tank is "all about balance" when you don't even know if your dosing is creating a balanced concentration of iodine and strontium. Kent marine is not very reputable, IMO, because of all the snake oil supplements (there are many) that they're constantly churning out.

If you want to more accurately know why and what should be supplemented, read this:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php

Two important quotes:

They don't look too bad, but there is def something wrong.


Bruce

The rainbow acan is looking very good today. As for the other one (green and purple acan) it's not looking very promising. Most of the skeleton is exposed but I can still see some parts are still alive. I'm going to try and spot feed this acan every day. Spot fed it yesterday with zooplankton mixed with coral tissue restore. And today spot fed it with just coral tissue restore.

IS there any other special things I can do?

Thanks for the link...It was a very interesting article and you are correct that I can't prove that I have a perfect balance of iodine/iodide and strontium.

I believe the frequent water changes is the main reason why my tank is doing so well. I've also been told that weekly 50% total water volume changes are crazy:) People are worried about pulling out all of the beneficial bacteria out of the water column, but new studies have shown that the majority of the bacteria stays in our sand and live rock. Again it works for me and it may not work for others, but I'm ok with that. I believe people have the right to make their own decisions and adjust to what they want. I don't say that they need to prove to me that 10% weekly water changes are better because it may work best for them.

I didn't know what to dose when I first started. I started by dosing half of the recommended dose and pretty much have kept it that way. I have only seen positive effects through dosing.

I did check into overdosing problems and iodine or iodide could cause major problems. Strontium really is similar to calcium as your article pointed out. I have noticed that there are less calcium fluctuations since dosing strontium, but again scientific evidence is uncertain.

You are correct that there are some test kits out there, but from what I've heard they aren't very accurate yet. Either that or send them to a lab, which isn't in my budget.

All I know is that my water has very little swings in any of the important categories. My water tests are consistently as follows.

Ph:8.3
SG:1.025
Amm: 0
Phos:0
Nitrate:0
Nitrite:0
Magnesium: 1350 +/-
Alk: stays at 9
Calcium:420-450 (the drops usually happen after adding new corals)

I did stop dosing both iodine and strontium several months ago to see what happens to my corals for a week. Kept all of my other maintenance and dosing the same. My acans and trumpet corals began to deflate after 4 days, until I did my 5 gallon water change. So the water changes definitely help. I started dosing again and haven't stopped since. There are some days where I do a little larger water change and don't dose, but it works for me.

I just really enjoy this hobby and try to help others getting into the hobby. I'm happy with my results and when people ask me what I do to maintain my systems I tell them. As you know the evolution of reefing has been insane over the last few decades and absorbing what's recommended and scientific proof could be overwhelming. What's recommended today could be completely different tomorrow. All I know is that reefing has given me a greater respect for our oceans and the delicate balance nature provides. We are very fortunate to be able to have a piece of the reef in our living rooms and to enjoy to watch them thrive in our little ecosystems. Both of my boys love the tanks and my 3 year old helps me do my water changes, dose, feed, and he sits next to me when I frag. Of course with goggles because there is "scientific proof" that zoas could cause blindness. I don't want to test that theory...haha (Just being a smart ***)

I appreciate the article and I'll read it again later this afternoon because I'm a constant student in everything I do. I respect your opinions, but I'm one of those guys that likes testing things for himself. You'll be the first to know if I'm mistaken and my tank crashes.

Thanks,
Chris

I did try dosing a little iodine and my corals did look better. It could have been the 2 water changes I did in 2 days also. I have been dosing the iodine for 3 days now and the LPS seem to love it... Except my green and purple acans. I don't think they will make it.

Glad the iodine's working for you. Just watch your corals and have some mixed saltwater on hand, just in case there's a potential OD. However, as long as your not dumping a bunch of it in there it'll help. After the other guy kept badgering me about dosing I stopped dosing the Iodine and strontium for a few days to see. My acans and candycanes didn't look as full and I dosed last night. They're back to normal and full and happy. Then I looked at his thread and he just had a tank crash because he forgot to feed his tank and do regular maintainence. I'm sorry, but not someone I would really take advice from since he doesn't even follow his own. It's really interesting how someone who can't even keep his own tank healthy is giving me a hard time. Any of us could read a couple of articles, but I believe in recommending things that I've personally done rather than pretending that I know what I'm talking about because I read something.

Anyways, sorry I needed to vent a little. I would put your stressed out acan in a nice little shaded area with a little light exposure then leave him alone. He may come back, but from my experience it's tough. Not impossible though. I would definitely try some Brightwell Coral Aminos. I noticed that my Green and Purple acan colored and opened up after being stressed out. I also have a really nice Rainbow Enchinata Acan that was completely bleached out when I got it. I bought some stuff from a local reefer who was taking down his tank and he gave it to me free. It was so bleached that you could see his skeleton. I just placed him in the front and shaded him. Left him there expecting for him to die and next thing I know he's all colored up. Now he's eating and fatter than ever. Amino acids work in corals the same way they work for us. It helps our tissue heal and to absorb proteins more efficiently. It's almost like steroids:)

Good luck and keep us updated on the acans

Wow beautiful acans may i ask where you bought them

I am glad your acans are doing better. I think the water changes helped more than anything.

I just want to make sure that other reading this thread know that if you are adding iodine to your system, then you should test for it. Routine water changes should provide enough iodine to the system without having to dose it. It is very easy to over dose on iodine and have a system crash.

A system made up of mushrooms and zoanthids may require more iodine, but for the most part adding a product like Coral Vite is much safer than adding iodine.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2003/chem.htm

I agree that dosing Iodine's effect's are really unknown. There seems to be a divide to reefers who dose and who don't dose. Either way as long as our critters are growing and happy. It's interesting because the authors of all of the articles reference scientific data from 10-50 years ago. Some as far back as 1917... Very few references from the 21st century..

I also dose Coral Vite, Essential Trace, Coral Aminos, Ca, Mg, in addition to strontium and iodine. I've been doing it for over two years. I'll cross my fingers and hope I don't have a tank crash, so far I haven't had one yet. No matter what you dose.. Water changes are the best for our tanks health. Happy reefing and good luck Ando on your acans.