Problem with my Acans throwing up food. Please help

[Vorteil]

I'm having problems with my Acan Lords & micros. I have a few small frags & colonies. They vary from a few from Indo to some exotic ones from Japan. I fed them today around noon some frozen Mysis & Squid. I was able to feed each head individually which takes around an hour. All went well till around 5 hours later. I would estimate that half of the acans & micros started to slowly throw up the squid & mysis. It came back out the same way it went in. This is the first that i've seen this. My tank that they are housed in is at work & i usually feed them befor I leave. I've never had the chance to feed at night. tenticles do extend when I feed. All the water parameters are fine. This is a coral only tank mainly consisting of Acan lords, micros w/ some mushrooms, zoos, snails, hermits & clove polyps. I do weekly water changes, feed 2x a week & I have noticed growth & overall they look better then they did at the LFS.
I have read that many people feed theirs the same diet as I am. The day after I've fed I've never noticed any uneaten food. Almost all the acans I have are considered exotic & non indo species. I want to be able to give the best care possible. Does anyone have any idea of why this is?

 

[ALTI]

sometimes if the food is too big they will throw it up.

 

[Vorteil]

I'm just feeding the reg size mysis one at a time & the squid is finely chopped. I did feed the day befor but from what research I did on some old posts some have fed on a daily basis. This is just not some of the acans & micros but at least half of them did. I didnt see if they all did it since I had to leave for home. Anyone else? Should I consider an alternative food source for them?

 

[xdusty6920]

i stopped feeding my micros and acans squid. it takes alot of energy and time for them to break it down. ever tried it youself? its very much like the consistancy of a rubber band. after removing it from thier regular diet i noticed faster digestion, and slightly better growth. i can only assume that they were burning alot of thier energy on breaking it down and that was inhibiting growth. however ive never seen lords have a mass purging party like that. id consider checking out the source of the food and try buying from somewhere else. anyways heres my recipe:
brine,mysis, mussel, cyclo, soaked in selcon. finely diced all together and then put into a needless syringe to make target feeding easier. you'll know if your pieces arent diced enough because they will clog the tip up if they are too big. hope that helps some.

 

[Vorteil]

diet

diet

Hey xdusty6920

I didnt realize that they would expend alot of energy trying to digest the squid. I'ill leave this out of their diet. Your info is very helpful. I'll try a new diet & make sure the food is more finely chopped. Thanks

 

[RandyO]

I've had massive regurgitation with my Acans before. I think they all do it for the most part. It usually happens 4-5 hours later so if your not watching then, you would not see it. I've noticed it happens more with larger feedings, or larger prey foods.

These corals only have one opening, so food and waste go in and come out the same hole. Brine and Mysis probably gets broken down a little better. I'd agree with xdusty that they are working really hard to try and digest squid.

 

[Vorteil]

Digestion

Digestion

Hey RandyO

Thanks for the insight. I have read some of your older posts throught the archives. I usually never get to see the acans 4-5 hours later. I have fed them today & used a smaller size mysis. Instead of feeding alot I did about 1 shrimp each. I did try the cyclopeeze but it was a freeze dried version & didnt care for it too much. It tended to float too much. Maybe i'll try the frozen version. My concerns are that I want to make sure that everyone is feeding & doing well. From the growth they have it looks like they are. Thanks

 

[xdusty6920]

the freeze dried cyclo is better for fish imo. the frozen is the way to go for corals. you dont need much and it will go along ways. i tape a razor to the package. that way when im mixing up food in a small dish, i can simply cut a quarter inch sliver off and toss it in with the mix.

 

[Vorteil]

Feeding

Feeding

Looks like everything is working out fine. I've used a smaller type of frozen mysis & have cut down on the amount I feed. I fed today & I did notice that some of the Acans did dispell some of the mysis shells about 5-6 hours later.