can you guys tell me about acanthastrea???

[fishheads]

i think that is what it is called...it looks alot like favia....i picked up a huge bleached piece at the LFS hoping to turn it around.....from what i hear it is a very expensive coral,ranging from 30 dollars to 120 per polyp for the kind i have(red & pink)..like i said it is very,very bleached with just a little pink showing....i got it for 20 bux so i figure the live rock its on is worth almost that,so what the hay....i can't find anything about it in my books,foster & smith etc...nuttin.....so i turn to my friends for help....what are its needs,flow,light,food,& how to turn it around from bieng bleached....i know the bleached part is a stretch,but i am hopeful....help me

[lgerold]

Definitely worth a shot! I'm excited for you. I don't find them too difficult to keep. They do like to eat mysis shrimp or brine shrimp, or other very finely chopped food. Feed them when their little tentacles are out, and they will eagerly grab the food offered.

Why did the coral bleach? Was it because it didn't have enough light? Did it fall and land upside down? Too much light? How much light to give it at first will depend on those answers.

I have both of mine toward the bottom of the tank, but they do get bright indirect light. Mine get medium current, and are very happy, and growing well.

My tank is 210 gallons, with 500 watt MH for 4 hrs out of 10 lit hours a day, 400 watts actinic 10 hrs per day, and another 400 watts daylight for 6 hrs of the 10.

Good Luck! Pictures?

[BrothaWolf]

I have 2 nice ones. They are in medium current. Bottom of the tank under PC's They dont require that much light and are pretty easy to keep like Lucy said they do love mysis!

[lgerold]

BTW, I am now turning 2 bleached brain type corals around. One was stuck on the underside of a coral that I purchased online. It's some sort of favia or similar coral. It started out snow white and slimy, and now, after about 6 weeks, it's golden/red. It will be interesting to see it's final color.

The other I had purchased as a frag about 3 months ago and it disappeared. I can't remember what it was. It must have been knocked behing the liverock, to be discovered during the upgrade almost 2 weeks ago. It was vanilla colored, and down to about a third of it's original size. It's now coloring up nicely, and has already doubled in size.

It can be done!

[fishheads]

in the lfs it was in a show tank...sitting on the bottom...the tank looked like it had enough light to keep it alive...there were about 8 rose anemones in with it each about a foot across...none were touching him though..he had enough room...

[saltwaterfarm]

Good luck with it!!!

[kenziro]

hello...maybe you should check at...http://acanthastrea.com/

[fishheads]

this is it

[fishheads]

a better pic....maybe

[lgerold]

I'd give it some gentle current across it to keep any decaying tissue off. Give it a bit more light, and feed it if it will extend it's tentacles. Perhaps feed the fish or stir the top 1/4 gto 1/2 inch sand about 15 minutes ahead of attempting to feed it, to encourage it to extend the tentacles.

LFS may have had very poor water parameters. Often, they run low salinity.

[cheeks69]

I have seen alot of these corals bleach or lose their bright coloration due to intense light, if using MH I would either shade them or acclimate them very slowly. They are a relatively hardy coral and should recover in time if it's not in real bad shape.

[fishheads]

you know,i changed about 13 gals of water & i just got him yesterday...was that 2 soon....i had just a little bit of ammonia and freaked out...i hope i didnt stress him out to much,cause he started sliming pretty good...i have a 110 reef with 25 gal sump....i have a frag box with a little die off in it(some knawed on mushrooms from something)

[lgerold]

How much light you got?

[fishheads]

i have 3 MH 175WATT...2 VHO ACTINIC 160W

[fishheads]

crap!!! i just checked my ammonia & it is still 0.25....i don't wanna do another water change,cause i think i might do him in for good.....what do you guys suggest.....go ahead & do a 25% change or what.....he will never get acclimated at this rate....stressin' don't wanna kill the poor guy........let him live!!!!corals have hearts too,somewhere....