Aussie Acan Growth Rates

Shawnts106 · #1 12/05/2007, 12:23 PM

FIRST let me say, I am SICK OF SPS! And all the bugs associated with them!... Pests are becoming more and more prevelant lately and Im tired of dealing with it!... So

Ive resorted to looking more into LPS... which, are equally as beautiful!

I own 3 different color morphs of the Aussie Acan LORD...
A Purple and Green Center one, a Red, Purple and Orange multi color one and a Red and Green Variety...

And I am shocked at how quickly these things grow! Esspecially when you feed them!!!
I feed mine on occations about once or twice a week some Mysis Shrimp or Plankton either by PE or San-Fran.
They seem to be getting a good bit of nutrition out of it and growing very nicely!

How many other people out there are as shocked as I am on the growth rates of these guys?
Im putting out 2-3 new heads per month or so... I wasnt expecting that.

Just curious to see if you guys are having the same results I am, or better.

All Delight · #2 12/05/2007, 01:18 PM

Yah mine grow fast as well.

Jefe12234 · #3 12/05/2007, 01:44 PM

Has anyone found lords to grow faster than other species like echinata. People talk about how quickly these grow, but my echinata seems to be a fairly slow grower even when fed once or twice a week. I think I'm going to have to try a lord pretty soon.

JenDub · #4 12/06/2007, 12:26 PM

So where are the growth sequence shots???

Jefe12234-echinatas need a nice surface to encrust while lords are pretty adaptive to what they encrust on

Shawnts106 · #5 12/06/2007, 09:42 PM

I have no growth sequence shots.. but I can try and get a decent picture with my razor... we will see.

burks · #6 12/07/2007, 12:41 AM

Sounds about right to me. Growth depends on more than just light, as you've learned.

yellowslayer13 · #7 12/07/2007, 01:18 AM

i have about 20 different lords they grow 3 to 4 full adault size polyps per month

monkeydude · #8 12/07/2007, 09:03 AM

My Aussies are definitely growing faster than other lords. My frags are actually growing faster than my colonys and they love pellet food.

Mr.First · #9 12/07/2007, 11:52 AM

When Aussies grow new heads will they at the same time grow new hard skeleton underneath ?
Also, I have one with dead skeleton around the healthy tissue. Should I be doing anything to the dead part ?
Cut it away ? Someone told me to Epoxy over it.

fullsail12 · #10 12/07/2007, 07:37 PM

They sort of reproduce small polyps of flesh and tissue but underneath that they have really begun to creat a skeleton, but they often appear initially as if they are small polpys popping off of the larger adult ones.

JenDub · #11 12/08/2007, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mr.First
When Aussies grow new heads will they at the same time grow new hard skeleton underneath ?
Also, I have one with dead skeleton around the healthy tissue. Should I be doing anything to the dead part ?
Cut it away ? Someone told me to Epoxy over it.

You can epoxy over the skeleton to give a smoother surface for the polyps to encrust, they will eventually form a skeleton =)

Mr.First · #12 12/09/2007, 05:01 PM

Is it really better to epoxy over , or leave it alone in your opinion ?

Shawnts106 · #13 12/09/2007, 05:51 PM

... I dont see how epoxying the dead part of the coral is going to increase growth....

I see no reason to do it.
Corals grow on rough liverock in the ocean, not smooth man-made surfaces.
??? If someone has research showing Aussie Acans, or Acans in general grow quicker on a smooth surface I would greatly appreciate seeing this...

Very interesting.

Animal Mother · #14 12/09/2007, 09:22 PM

I believe all this talk of fast growing acans has me itching to buy some. Just recently got interested in them but I wasn't quite sold on them.

Shawnts106 · #15 12/09/2007, 11:07 PM

If its pretty, if its hardy, if its "keep-able" in aquariums... I buy it.

kenske01 · #16 12/13/2007, 06:23 PM

I have about 15 different aussi acans and i also have very good growth rate.

Many times i would get a mini colony or a frag with some exposed skeletons. If there is any type of hair/bubble algae on it, then i would remove as much algae as i could and either superglue or epoxy over the problem area. This is to insure that im not giving those nuisance algae a chance to survive and spread in my tank.

Underwaterparadise · #17 12/13/2007, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Shawnts106
... I dont see how epoxying the dead part of the coral is going to increase growth....

I see no reason to do it.
Corals grow on rough liverock in the ocean, not smooth man-made surfaces.
??? If someone has research showing Aussie Acans, or Acans in general grow quicker on a smooth surface I would greatly appreciate seeing this...

Very interesting.

In the Ocean and In our tanks are 2 different monsters. As Jen Said they can lay down there skeleton faster on a smooth surface. I have some Acans,micro, and Chalice corals that will not grow where there is dead skeleton.

Sometimes first had expierence is the best research you can get. And IMO someone with Jen's knowledge of these corals I would tend to believe even if I didn't have first hand expierence myself.

Try it out sometime what could it hurt?????

Shawnts106 · #18 12/13/2007, 08:01 PM

Good Point.

its fry · #19 12/14/2007, 01:55 AM

Go LPS!

Hogfish77 · #20 12/14/2007, 02:47 AM

Some people say they get good growth. Sure ain't happening with mines. Plus they sure aren't hardy corals at all. Quite vulnerable to sudden rtn.

Shawnts106 · #21 12/14/2007, 09:36 PM

If you are having RTN troubles with yours, something is SERIOUSLY wrong in your aquarium... or your buying severly damaged specimens.

Id Check into that.

Hogfish77 · #22 12/18/2007, 03:32 AM

^ So you're saying that whatever's wrong in my aquarium is only affecting my acans yet my other corals are fine.....that baffles me. And no mines are not purchased in bad conditions at all.

Shawnts106 · #23 12/18/2007, 10:09 PM

Well.. Uh, I think its safe to assume that SOMETHING is wrong concidering there are VERY few reports of people having problems with their ACANS and RTN..

I would look at Current distribution over the coral.. Too much current on them will cause necrosis as well as bleaching as I have seen FIRST HAND...

Do you pour TOP OFF water into the aquarium directly or drip it in, If you pour, would it be possible that the fluctuation of salinity has caused this.. as I have also seen this happen.

Are you having Brown Jelly form over the coral.. or are the tissues just receeding and floating off of the skeleton?

All Delight · #24 12/18/2007, 10:28 PM

I've been keeping micros and acans for over 2 years now and from my experience it "seems" like they grow quicker over a smooth surface. I have one that will grow over dead skelton but slowly.

But the Aussies seem to grow much quicker then the indo and non-indo.

Shawnts106 · #25 12/19/2007, 05:46 PM

Yeah I have noticed that about the Aussies too!...

I have also been monitoring the ones I had culturing on Flat Surfaces and on Bumpy surfaces.. And you guys are right, they do grow quicker on the flat surfaces!

cool...

Its also a good thing they grow quicker than the Indo's too because well.. NUMBER ONE they are nicer! and more colorful!

Second, that means, if Austrailia ever shuts down collection, we will still have our Acans here to be able to culture, and culture much quicker at that.. which will in time decrease wild collection if someone can start culturing them now.