Where to keep acans

[borderreef]

Is it best to mount acans to a flat rock or leave them on the bottom. I have a shallow sand bed (3-4").

 

[Reef Frog]

If you have acan frags, mounting them on a nice flat rock will allow them to grow out into a nice colony. They grow out pretty fast in good conditions. They tend to do best in the middle to lower levels of the tank depending on your lights. I like to test them for several weeks in the exact location I intend to mount them on before committing permanently. Keep enough clear space around them as some corals like favias and bubbles can kill them over night.

 

[scubakid3]

Agreed. Also, make sure the flow is not overwhelming them. They enjoy moderate to low flow. I have also heard they do quite well in lightly shaded areas, but that is your call. I keep mine on rocks near the bottom.

 

[borderreef]

Thanks. That's just what I'm doing. I had some on the sandbed, but my pincushion tended to take them on little trips across the tank.

 

[footballdude2k3]

While I agree with the placement part of these statements, acans never grow fast, it is a slow growing coral with great color on the rainbows.

 

[faceman]

Agreed. Also, make sure the flow is not overwhelming them. They enjoy moderate to low flow. I have also heard they do quite well in lightly shaded areas, but that is your call. I keep mine on rocks near the bottom.

Agreed. I get great color in lightly shaded areas

 

[Reef Frog]

footballdude2k3 While I agree with the placement part of these statements, acans never grow fast, it is a slow growing coral with great color on the rainbows.

In my tank the large Indonesian acans do well but haven't added polyps in the two years I've had them. For the Australians, 7 of my 8 colonies grow. About half grow "fast" in my view. That's a subjective term but these colonies can add new polyps on a continuous basis and are noticeably larger every 4 to 6 months or so. That's fast for me but slower than open brains, scolys, some favias, favites etc.

I feed them regularly, keep 400 Ca ~7 dKh Alk. Most are 14" to 18" down from 6 T5s. Nothing special. In my limited experience growth picks up once they're settled in a spot they like & are mounted as opposed to being moved around the tank frequently. Occasionally I will brush the LR around the colony with a toothbrush if I happen to see a sprig of filament algae or the occasional bubble, also removing some mulm build up. I'm not totally sure but it appears this makes expansion easier.

I've also noticed that they tend to grow fastest on those really large 3" to 4" ceramic frag plugs.

Anyway I guess the old adage "every tank is different" is surely true.

 

[borderreef]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone.

 

[falconut]

Mine do well on the sand mounted to a piece of LR. Mine are under 250W MH's.

 

[lusenut2]

I have mine in all differnt places. Some up high in a shaded area, 1 up high under direct light and other on the sandbed in direct light and shaded a little bit. They all seem to grow about the same amount