Acan and Goniopora Not Opening

[DominicDuffy]

If had two acan frags, a Goniopora frag and a few different zoanthid frags in my tank for a few months now and I'm unable to be the Goniopora or acans to open. The zoanthid have no problem but iv tried many things such as feeding reef roids, constantly testing the water quality, placing the coral in different spots but still no luck. They both sometimes start to open but close after a few hours. From testing my water if seen that each day my parameters change a lot and have been doing ati nano assential to try keep my parameters in check but it seems to be very hard to do so. The tank is a aqua one and is only 35l. Also when I dose reef roids my nitrate spike so I tend to not feed this. Another issue isbthat I'm suffering from dinoflagellates could this be the issue ? My acans is now showing a lot of it skeleton aswell.

[Euphylin me]

if you are suffering from dino then they could be consuming your nutrients, making you think that your parameters are in check. what kind of flow do you have these guys in? and gonioporas can be temperamental. i know all over the web that you see moderate flow for acans, however, try putting them in a lower flow area and near the sand bed 

[DominicDuffy]

If just got one jebao sw4 peacemaker pointing towards the surface of the water. If tried everywhere in the tank but the coral seems to be getting worse.

[Aurortpa]

Does the acan eat?  They may be unhappy because of dinos. Also, find the most ideal spot and try to stick to it... constant moving may force the coral to readapt to lighting, flow, etc...potentially stressing it out. 

[FISHnChix]

My Lps have to have a stable alkanity.  What is your alk level? Have you tested multiple days in a row to see if its swinging? What's your water change schedule been like since you started having problems with your goni?

[Euphylin me]

i agree, find a good spot and just leave it there....maybe try dimming the lights when you move it around and let it adjust to new flow for a couple hours before turning on the lights again. And after a day or two of letting it feel out its new spot, feed it. And yes, check your levels and graph them for a few days to make sure nothing is swinging

[A Little Blue]

Goniopora is one of the more challenging corals. Some are hardy and others are almost impossible to keep alive. They might do OK for few months and then die in a matter of days. IDK about feeding Goniopora benefits. Some say it helps but I see no evidence of that. 

They are very sensitive to changes or handling. Stable tank would help. 

As far as light and flow..... many opinions  floating around. Generally around 100par (low-ish to med light). They are more flexible with flow but keeping it between low-moderate usually works. 

Good luck. 

[DominicDuffy]

My tank consumes a lot of calcium, magnesium and alkalinity making it almost impossible to keep stable also when I use ati nano assentials is seems to be making my dino issue worse. I thinks it something to do with the trace elements in it. Iv currently got all my corals on frags plugs on a frag rack as if only got my dino issue on the sand bed and to try remove it I use a turkey blaster daily to let my filter floss capture it. Also my goni and acan are not opening up at all now but I think this is because I have stopped water changes causing my nitrate to go up to 40ppm as a way of getting rid of the dinos. I'm going to do a water change today to lower it because most if my dinos have gone since dosing hydrogen peroxide, doing a 5 day blackout and blowing the dinos of the sand.

[Clown79]

Dino's are toxic and once they start covering corals they become an issue for the corals.

 

Hydrogen peroxide dosing is a known treatment for dino's.

Do a Google search for the exact procedure.

I believe its 1ml per gallon of 3%.

 

Dosing daily with a good 2 part like esv bionic will replenish your alk and ca. This is a separate issue all together.

 

To dose properly you need to test every day from waterchange to the day of the next waterchange. A full week to determine how much ca and alk drops and to properly dose.

 

Dose daily according to that.

 

[4Swanson2Reefer0N00b]

I feel like I've been successfully keeping a goniopora and here's some things I've noticed-

 

very sensitive to touch and vibration.  Do you have a shrimp or crab or anything with feelers that could touch the Goni?  If so they could be pestering it to stay closed.  Also with a smaller tank there could certainly be vibrations from the floor that are bothering it.  My four year old boy jumps on the floor in my 1952 ranch house and I'll see the Goni flinch.   

 

Ive also read they like lots of light but I've found that you can certainly put them too close to your lighting source.  10+ inches down I would say minimum but I also run a stock light on a fluval 13.5.  

 

I also feed feed mine reef roids-occasionally I'll just mix up a half or quarter dose with some water and dump it in the tank with the pump on.  Once a week however I turn off pump and and spot feed the full dose of reef roids and basically make a small cloud around my frag which sits on the sand in pretty direct flow bounced off the glass from my power heads. All of the extended polyps then partially retract which I'm assuming means full tummy. 

 

Anyways.  That's been my experience so far I hope some of this is helpful.  

[4Swanson2Reefer0N00b]

If anyone has a good suggestion about the bryopsis on that puppy I'm all ears!   I just started putting a mL of 3% hydrogen peroxide every couple days but haven't noticed much yet.  Have also spotted it with a syringe in specific areas and am still observing that. 

[DominicDuffy]

Thanks for the advise iv started dosing 1ml of 3% peroxide daily reduced my lighting schedule and light intensity and iv noticed all of my dinos have gone now. Iv bought the ati nano assential and I am just calculating how much of my parameters my tank is using at the moment before starting to dose. The ati nano assential is a two part so presume it is something similar to what you where talking about. The only issue I'm currently having atm is due to me stopping water changes and removing my refugium my nitrates are between 30-40 and I don't want to do a big water change because I believe that's what causes my dinos in the first place removing nutrients too fast. I'm going mix some saltwater up tomorrow and start carrying out some small water changes.