acans

mr.clownfish

mr.clownfish

Active Member
why do they cost sooo much? i was gonna buy a nice piece with about 15-20 heads, thinking it would be around 50 bucks, but it turned out to be 250... there where three different kinds, one was gold with tan wavy stripes (which was amazing), the other was red with orange stripes and the other was green and purple.
 
speg

speg

Active Member
as to why... they seem to be somewhat new to the hobby.. and they're from the waters around Australia.. so it's quite a trip to bring them back here. They're really desired so they know you'll pay good money for them. Like Nike said.. they grow fast if you feed them.
 
mrdc

mrdc

Active Member
Originally Posted by nikeSB
http:///forum/post/3267003
thats why i purchase frags, they grow relatively fast for me.
What's your secret? Does the frag grow or do you need to put them next to a rock? What do you feed yours? And is it best to lay them horizontally or vertically? Right now mine is at the bottom leaning on a rock. I would like to grow these bad boys.
 
nikesb

nikesb

Active Member
Originally Posted by mrdc
http:///forum/post/3267243
What's your secret? Does the frag grow or do you need to put them next to a rock? What do you feed yours? And is it best to lay them horizontally or vertically? Right now mine is at the bottom leaning on a rock. I would like to grow these bad boys.
i keep mine in indirect light and low flow. i feed pellets 2-3 times a week. i suggest looking for fauna marin's lps food.
 
mrdc

mrdc

Active Member
That is basically how I have them sitting right now. I will have to lay it down more if I am going to feed it pellets.
I like the details on fauna marin but can't see where to buy it.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Like other said, their cost is due to how much people want them and partly where they come from. Colors have a lot to do with it, grade B acans are not going to run you the same as the very colorful rainbow ones. I have quite a few frags and they definitely grow quickly if given the right conditions. I feed mine 2x a week with PE Mysis and squid and I get about one head every month. They're a little picky about water quality and flow.
 
mell

mell

Member
What exactly is mysis? Do you feed it with a syringe? I've got some frozen food...same thing? I have a hard time reaching my acans because they're at the bottom of my 125 and I have to stand on a chair.
 
mrdc

mrdc

Active Member
Originally Posted by Mell
http:///forum/post/3268464
What exactly is mysis? Do you feed it with a syringe? I've got some frozen food...same thing? I have a hard time reaching my acans because they're at the bottom of my 125 and I have to stand on a chair.
Mysis is shrimp and some are bigger than others. PE (a brand) mysis is pretty big.
 
mell

mell

Member
Cool, tanks! My fish always try to steal the acan's food too...selfish little fishies. Any tips?
 
ibanez

ibanez

Member
my nassarius steal from mine, They do grow fast, I got one a little over 2 months ago with 5 heads, and it already has at least 12 other new heads coming in at the same time.
 
mrdc

mrdc

Active Member
Originally Posted by Mell
http:///forum/post/3268495
Cool, tanks! My fish always try to steal the acan's food too...selfish little fishies. Any tips?
Try to feed when the lights are out. Bout all you can do without having to covering the coral while it eats. Unless you want to stay by the tank and swat the fish away while it eats. Might be there awhile!
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
I've found that feeding my fish on the opposite side of the tank at the same time will help, although it involves running back and forth in front of the tank. Over time the fish learn that our hand in the tank means feeding time and they'll stop trying to steal from the corals as much.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Originally Posted by Mell
http:///forum/post/3268464
Do you feed it with a syringe? .... I have a hard time reaching my acans because they're at the bottom of my 125 and I have to stand on a chair.
Try using a turkey baster, you'll get some extra reach and they don't have as forceful a stream as syringes can, which is helpful for feeding corals. I know how difficult reaching can be, I have a 155g non-bow front tank, it is DEEP! And to make things worse, I'm 5'2" and the tank is on a 40" stand, LOL.
 
mell

mell

Member
Yeah, I tried the whole sitting there and swatting the fish away thing, and boy....those acans are some slow eaters!!!
 
mell

mell

Member
Originally Posted by BTLDreef
http:///forum/post/3268640
Try using a turkey baster, you'll get some extra reach and they don't have as forceful a stream as syringes can, which is helpful for feeding corals. I know how difficult reaching can be, I have a 155g non-bow front tank, it is DEEP! And to make things worse, I'm 5'2" and the tank is on a 40" stand, LOL.
You poor thing! That's gotta suck! I know how hard it is for me, I can tip toe on a chair and barely reach the very bottom and I'm 5'6"!
 
nikesb

nikesb

Active Member
thats why i use pellets and straw. directly into their mouth and the straw can easily keep away the crabs and snails
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Originally Posted by nikeSB
http:///forum/post/3268897
thats why i use pellets and straw. directly into their mouth and the straw can easily keep away the crabs and snails
I gave up on Pellets and flake and now only use live/fresh/frozen products. My fish won't eat pellets or frozen (except for my clowns who'll eat anything) and I found that pellets and flakes raised my phosphate and nitrate levels (mostly from uneaten food). If I had fish that ate pellets, I'd probably try that.
Fish can be trained to stay away while feeding corals, it just takes a little work. Even my cleaner shrimps, which were the worst culprits for me, stay back if I keep them fed while working in the tank.
 
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