Who Gives A Fish Forums

I just picked up a nice Acan Frag at a good price and thought I'd give it a shot. Had some issues with it toppling over initially, as I was experimenting with different placement. It's been a week now and, unfortunately, it's pretty much disintegrated - just a skeletal remains with a few bits left. It was sitting on the sand bed, by the way.

Tank specs: 65g, 4-bulb T5 (98 watts), SG 1.025, ammonia and nitrite at 0, nitrates between 10-20, and alk at 9.1.

I'm thinking it's probably too late for this one (there's still some orange in the deeper parts of the skeleton), but I'd love to try again with a bit more confidence. I've got a thriving Frogspawn and a couple of happy birdsnests, plus some assorted zoas that are all doing well.

Just a quick update. I'd be happy to share more details if you need them. I'm wondering if Acan Frags are especially finicky about phosphates - mine are a bit on the higher side, around 0.19.

When keeping stony corals, alk, calcium and magnesium levels are crucial. You might consider investigating your ca and mag - they're just as important as alk for stony coral health.

I should have provided more details. I only test calcium and magnesium levels on a monthly basis, give or take a few days. I use alkalinity as my baseline, as fluctuations in calcium or magnesium are likely to affect alkalinity levels, if I'm correct.

My previous test results, which were three weeks ago and two weeks prior to introducing the acan, showed calcium at 410 and magnesium at 1300. These values seem standard, and given that my alkalinity reading at the time was 9, I'm assuming my calcium and magnesium levels are consistent with that reading.

Any thoughts or wild guesses are welcome at this point. I've started addressing the phosphate issue and done a partial water change. Feedback would be great. Also, is it safe to leave the skeleton in the tank for now or should I remove it?

I've had my fair share of struggles with LPS corals too. Those larger mouths and fleshier bodies need a lot of food, but it's easy to overdo it and end up with nutrient issues. I used to be all about SPS, but I've since learned that smaller-mouthed LPS corals work way better in my system - high light, high flow, low nutrients.

Gonipora, Acan echinata, chalice coral, favia... they can be a real challenge. I've lost count of how many I've lost over the years. Not much help, I know, but I feel your pain. Good luck with your next attempt.

I've witnessed tissue retraction on Acan Lord H varieties, likely due to similar circumstances.

If only a few specks of tissue remain, recovery chances are slim. However, if some polyp cavities still have tissue covering them, even retracted, you might have a decent shot – provided all other factors are in check. Try relocating it to an area with indirect light, give it some time, and see what happens. Nothing to lose, really. I had one recover from this exact issue, and it's thriving to this day.