acan placement for fastest growth

[rwb500]

Whats the best place for an acan mini colony to maximize growth? A flat surface? Or maybe should i glue it on top of a rock so that the new growth can slope downwards?

forgive me if this sounds dumb. anyone with experience growing out acans just tell me the best way. thanks :spin1:

 

[FragBuddy]

Acans can be placed anywhere in the tank. Liverock or even epoxy will help facilitate growth and spot feeding acans every other day will help develop new heads. I have acans on the bottom but they should be placed higher so colors pop out more.

 

[bangai64]

They love to eat.

 

[alan.reef]

yes they love to eat. but all my hermit crab anD tonga nassarius all jump on top of the acan to steal all the food..LOL

 

[rwb500]

anyone? will they grow quickly across a flat surface, or do they do better growing along a convex rock?

i know all about feeding, light requirements, etc...

 

[rwb500]

i did some searching and it seems like acans will grow across a flat surface pretty well. and the growth that way is supposedly much faster than if they grow in a ball.

question answered.

 

[cracker642]

Cut the bottom off a 2liter and put it over colony then feed thru top and it should keep crabs out

 

[silver17jo]

Depending on the acan. +1 spot feeding shows fastest results

 

[floridascape]

my acan's like the bottom the most; SB and flat rock's both work fine , i don't spot feed anything, just broadcast twice a day.

 

[Moort82]

I think it depends on the size of the frags. If they are small then a flat piece of rock would work fine as you just trying to maximise the amount of light and nutrients they get. If the colony is larger than a flat rock doesn't worl as well as some of the polyps will be squashed below the other whereas on a sloped rock they would be able to expand more and get more food and light.

 

[pars]

Does anyone think/know whether proximity to other acans or corals in general has an impact on growth rate?

 

[Timber77]

flat or round doesnt seem to matter much in my tank, i tend to grow them then get out the hammer and chisel to break the rock and restart the growth.

 

[popebosephus]

I have an enchinata colony that if it touches anything else it kills it in a matter of hours. It has it's own special spot where I'm sure nothing will fall or get knocked onto it.

 

[bryanracing95]

I have used white aquarium putty and stuck my acans on a flat piece of live rock above the sand bed. This has worked great and the heads have spread onto the rock, especially with my rainbow acan

 

[organism]

They'll grow better on a flatter surface due to the decreased surface area they'll have to cover to grow. In general they'll do better in the bottom third of the tank, and if you want them to grow quickly then feed them pellet food.

 

[oceanarium]

i did some searching and it seems like acans will grow across a flat surface pretty well. and the growth that way is supposedly much faster than if they grow in a ball.

question answered.

You pretty much got the best answer your self

On the flat surface they will encrust along the surface spreading to a visually larger colony much faster.

Acans growth rates have been recorded at 5-9mm per annum, but this is in height alone.

If you allow them to run across a flat surface the flesh may only be 1-2mm thick but you can cover over a much larger surface area in the same time frame.

Its important when cutting your frags to make them thin so they can get down onto the surface to encrust quickly. If you cut them too thick they may take months to get some flesh down onto the new surface again before they can encrust along. :thumbsup:

 

[HereFishy1]

Should you take them off of the frag and connect them to the rock or just set the whole thing on top of the rock?