Do I have enough LED light for Acans?? Can NOT keep them

[chuckdallas]

Situation: 120 gallon DT. 22 inches from top of water to top of sand. Peninsula tank. "Mountain" of rocks in center with 2-3 inch "alley ways" down the front and back longer sides.

Lighting: 2 X OCReef 60 watt pendants that have 3 watt Cree XP-E LEDs, 10 blue/10 white and each LED aperture (20 round holes on the bottom of the pendant) has 60 degree optics. Also on the back side, 1 x 37 Watt, 48 inch, all-white Reef Brite strip. These are about 12 inches above the water line. This creates a "BRIGHT" side (living room side) and a "LOWER" light side (den side) of the aquarium.

NOW the PROBLEM. I can not keep Acans. Tried 4 times. Pix of the current set are attached. Open brain is good. Mushrooms, dendro, zoas, nems, maxima clam, all doing fine. I think the Acans are Australian or so I was told that to justify the price tag. I had them on the sand on the side where the BRIGHT side. Wrote to the local reef club and was told to put on the LOWER light side (side with the single 37 watt Reef Brite strip) or in/near the shadowed parts.

I think I will have to take them back to the LFS where I bought them ASAP until I figure out what is going wrong. This will be ANOTHER $100 for Acans down the drain if I can't figure this out. Water params are all good. I do 10% water changes every week or two. Run GFO in a reactor, run the skimmer, add 0.4 ml/day of vodka for the 120 gallon DT and 30 gallon sump/refugium. Tank is 1.5 years old.

Please help!!!

 

[rtparty]

Are you feeding them? Acans are voracious eaters and really need to be fed for long term success.

Also, do you have any fish that nip at them?

 

[chuckdallas]

I have been using a cut off 1 and 2 liter bottle. I surround the individual rocks (3 of them) with the cut off bottles. I made some Acan and nem food by blending some oysters, clams, squid and shrimp and froze them into ice cubes. I defrost one a week and add Selcon and dried cyclopeeze. I squirt about 0.1-0.2 ml into the one liter bottle and cap it with a frag plug for 30 minutes. I usualy feed 2 of the Acan groups a day and alternate the food, by alternating my seafood cocktail with Reef Nutrition's Oyster Feast.

I don't know if the Flame Angel or the Coral Beauty have been nipping at them, but I haven't seen that. I don't think the Two Spot Clown Coris Wrasse eats coral but I KNOW he loves the Astrea snails I buy for the clean up crew.

 

[hinch068]

I have been using a cut off 1 and 2 liter bottle. I surround the individual rocks (3 of them) with the cut off bottles. I made some Acan and nem food by blending some oysters, clams, squid and shrimp and froze them into ice cubes. I defrost one a week and add Selcon and dried cyclopeeze. I squirt about 0.1-0.2 ml into the one liter bottle and cap it with a frag plug for 30 minutes. I usualy feed 2 of the Acan groups a day and alternate the food, by alternating my seafood cocktail with Reef Nutrition's Oyster Feast.

I don't know if the Flame Angel or the Coral Beauty have been nipping at them, but I haven't seen that. I don't think the Two Spot Clown Coris Wrasse eats coral but I KNOW he loves the Astrea snails I buy for the clean up crew.

I had a bi-color angel and never seen it bothering my corals, a little nip here or there but nothing crazy. My LPS's were not opening and I could not figure out why. Got rid of the bi color and they all took off. It's a coin toss whether the Flame or Coral would agitate them but I would guess it has to one of them. Take them out for a week or so and see how everything reacts.

 

[advancebc29]

Are you feeding them? Acans are voracious eaters and really need to be fed for long term success.

QUOTE]

+1 for feeding. I spot feed all of mine formula 1 and 2 pellets 3 to 4 times a week. If I don't they stop growing and start to retract tissue.

If their feeding tentacles are out they are hungry and or they learn feeding times.

Since doing this my grow like weeds.

 

[NucMed]

Is there a lot of water flow on them? I know mine didn't like having too much water flow and had to find a place where it was a little more subtle. Then I fed mysis every other day and 1 week later, there was a new head growing!