please help! Aussie acan receding

[Txcowboy22]

I got this about 3 weeks ago and now its looking stressed out and receding. The thing is that everything else is doing good. SPS, LPS, Yuma, Rics, except this. I tested my water and everything is great. I tried moving him to different spots of flow and light with no luck.

Nitrates 0
Amonnia 0
Calcium 420
ph 8
Alk. 10
phosphates 0


I just don't get it and this is my nicest piece!

a week after I got it

now

 

[Maximus]

Can you move it in the shade?

 

[zeppelin]

Yep, try shading it a bit like Maximus said. It may have just not been given a chance to heal properly before it was shipped. If someone got it in, cut it up, and re-shipped it to you without letting it settle for a couple weeks or so first, the coral may just not be handling it very well. I think we are seeing the most frequent reason acan lord frags are being lost, up to a few weeks after receipt, is that the coral was not treated properly by whoever got it in. Corals are stressed enough in the initial shipping process. If they are not given ample time to settle in before being stressed out again by fragging, and then not given time to heal before being stressed yet again by shipping the frag, their chances of survival are greatly diminished. We see in these threads repeatedly about acans being 'bulletproof'. I agree they are pretty hardy, but we still have to take basic care steps when we are fragging and shipping to ensure the coral is as healthy as can be when it is received.

Good luck with the frag.

 

[Txcowboy22]

no one else? I have tried both of these things without much luck.
I moved it once and it started to look better, now its the same. Do you think I need to target feed them or something? Damn, this really sucks.

 

[Txcowboy22]

maybe its not getting enough light? I read some where that aussies need more light, is this true?

 

[Txcowboy22]

No one can help? Please I don't want to those this, it kinda looks like another one is receding too, I did a 20% water change yesterday, amonnia 0 nitrates 0 calcium 420 alk 11 ph 8.2 what else can I do? Maybe I should dip with iodine or something? I have some amino acids, should I dip it that? any suggestions?

 

[Bio-nut]

I had the same thing happent to one of my Aussie acan frags, the first thing you need to do is stop stressing it out more and more by changing its environment, (dipping and dosing). Just move it to a place of equal light and lower flow. Also watch you fish I had a flame angle that would nip at it just enough to cause it to stay retracted all day. if you are going to spot feed use a smaller food source like cyclopys and prawn eggs. Lets see if this helps you too!

 

[spinoleo]

have you feed them any mysis?

 

[Bio-nut]

If for some reason you loose this spcimen I have about thirty heads of the exact one, I will frag off a few heads for you. So stop stressing out everything will work out!

 

[Txcowboy22]

well, I tried mysis before but its very hard because the shrimp get it before they eat it all. I moved him to a shady spot without a lot of light. I will try spot feeding some other smaller foods. eveything else is doing good except a couple of my acans. I have yuma, rics, zoo, acros, millis, birdnest, and everything else is doing good (I also have a few acans that are doing great too). Now my head hurts, I hate stressing.

 

[Txcowboy22]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11898015#post11898015 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bio-nut
If for some reason you loose this spcimen I have about thirty heads of the exact one, I will frag off a few heads for you. So stop stressing out everything will work out!

Thats very nice of you, but now my strawberry acan is acting the same way, urge! I just want to make sure I am dooing things right.

 

[Txcowboy22]

You know, I do have a potters angel that I have never seen nip, maybe he is causing it? But why wouldn't he go after the others?
I have watched him and he does nip at the coral, just goes for algae near them

 

[ianiwane]

I agree move it to lower light. Have you tried dipping in TMPCC? That has always helped my aussie acans.

 

[chillman]

your angel may definitely be nipping. I have a flame that picked at several of my micros and acans. they are hit or miss.

 

[AustinVines]

I would feed it. I had a nice acan that began receding and was worried. I could see skeleton under where one of the polyps was and even the polyps with flesh were much smaller. After light's out, I covered the frag with the top of a plastic water bottle I had cut down and used a turkey baster to fill it with food. I did this to keep other critters off it while it fed. I know that will be hard for you considering its size but try and get it some love without competition.

Within two days, the flesh was coming back on my acan. I had only had it about 10 days when I noticed to rescission too and everything else in my tank was fine.

 

[livingcorals]

Whats your salt lev at??
Might be to high?

 

[Txcowboy22]

salt is good, I think I might have found the reason.

 

[livingcorals]

HAHA.... that sucks. I did have that problem before.
Sorry

 

[SuperR*]

I have a blue tang in my tank aswell that does the same thing! he picks on all my acans

 

[Zatko]

This is exactly why I chose my acans over an angel.

I've had luck with an African flameback angel about a year and a half ago before in a reef setup I had loaded with LPS (no acans though).

Luck of the draw, I guess. Feed the angel more often if he continues to pick, esepcially things like shellfish that they can pick and work at - angels love this. I've yet to see a healthy angel pass up a freshly cracked open clam/oyster.

I'd also suggest even grouping the acans and shielding them with some sort of transparent plastic with holes cut in for circulation (the bottom half of a 2L soda bottle with 1/2" holes should suffice).

Other than that, you're options are limited. Besides getting rid of the culprit, of course.