Acanthophyllia care and troubleshooting

[petalux9]

I've had my acanthophyllia in the tank for around 4-5 months, and lately, it's not extending like it used to and the color's fading. It's still eating fine, I've been feeding it as much as it can handle. Tonight, I turned off the pumps and all that, fed it, and kept an eye on it. After it finished eating, it pushed the leftover food to the side, into the sand, and then its tentacles came out of its mouth. I'm not really sure what to make of this. Does anyone with experience with these corals have any idea what's going on? I've been trying to find info online but haven't had much luck.

[brixo]

Can you tell me what your water parameters are, what kind of lighting it's under, and what's the flow like in its area?

[petalux9]

My parameters are currently pH 8.2, nitrates, nitrites, and phosphate are all 0, calcium's around 410, magnesium's 1300, and specific gravity is 1.026. I'm not sure what else is relevant to mention. I've been using Aqua Illumination LEDs and the flow's been pretty low to medium. The color loss started even when I had power compacts, so I'm not sure if that's related or not.

[brixo]

Your parameters all seem fine, but I'm thinking maybe they're a bit too perfect - 0 nitrates and phosphates might be starving the zooxanthellae. Could be why you're seeing that colour loss. How are your other corals faring, and are you using GAC?

[jolt9]

Params look good to me, I'd still test your alk just to be safe. Don't think your params are 'too good', that's a pretty rare issue in our tanks. I mean, it's possible, but it's a stretch. Lighting is what I'd focus on - what type are you using? Your flow seems fine, but it's worth taking a closer look at the patterns and areas of the tank. Depending on your light, you might need to adjust the intensity. I think the color loss is just from switching to pc lighting, give it some time to recover. As for the food thing, maybe you just overfed it and the tentacles were a response to that.

[petalux9]

The zero readings are due to my chaeto, it's doing its job. Other corals, including acans right next to it, are thriving. I've got some alk testing to do, that's on my list. Flow's probably the main reason it's retracted, but color loss still has me stumped. Not sure what to make of the tiny tentacles expelling from the mouth either. At least it's still eating, that's a plus. Last night's frozen food with Brightwell's Restor seemed to help, it was expanding a bit more than usual. I'll check on it when I get home. No GAC in my setup.

[brixo]

If your chaeto's thriving, I'd say you can rule out nitrates and phosphates being too low. Since your other corals are doing great, it's probably not a water quality issue. Try relocating the acanthophyllia to a spot with lower flow and see how it responds.

[petalux9]

The issue now is finding space for this coral in my tank, as there's only one spot that can accommodate its full size of around 10 inches. I'll have to experiment with adjusting the flow direction or covering it to reduce the flow and see if that makes a difference.

[brixo]

I've had my acanthophyllia in the tank for around 4-5 months, and lately, it's not extending like it used to and the color's fading. It's still eating fine, I've been feeding it as much as it can handle. Tonight, I turned off the pumps and all that, fed it, and kept an eye on it. After it finished eating, it pushed the leftover food to the side, into the sand, and then its tentacles came out of its mouth. I'm not really sure what to make of this. Does anyone with experience with these corals have any idea what's going on? I've been trying to find info online but haven't had much luck.

Who wouldn't want a bigger tank, right. I think it's worth stopping the feeding for a bit to see if over-feeding is the issue. Since we can't pinpoint the cause of stress, trying one thing at a time is the best way to figure it out and prevent it from happening again in the future.