Why is my acan sliming?

That's weird, and I'm definitely no expert but it sounds like maybe it was some sort of chemical reaction. Like when you move them or something they get pissed off..

 

He's been in the same space for several months, but as a loner. This week alone I added the pearl bubble close and the acan up front. I had adjusted the flow direction slightly too and cleaned the pumps so I think the flow was a little stronger.

This and the favia were my very first corals...so I sure hope he's alright.

 

I also have a sudden spurt of cyano aim the sandbed nd golden brown something in this area.

 

It may be some sort of infection then? Cyano is actually a bacteria rather than an algae.

 

It looks a lot like the brown growth from my first cycle.

 

a diatom bloom maybe? Even though my rock was cycled and only out of a heated, circulated tank for about 5 hours (still in water though), I removed the sand and added a LOT of new water so I am still having a bit of a cycle as far as the algae goes. Yea! Thankfully I haven't had any ammonia or nitrites but I had the diatoms and I just noticed today that there is a bit of green algae now where the diatoms had been. Ugh.

 

I was thinking feeding too but the slime made me think some sort of reaction. But now that you say feeding and I'm thinking about it, I know if I squirt them with food sometimes they will have a string of slime later with food particles attached to it.

I wonder what could be making them do this. Have you noticed it around feeding the tank at all?

 

No. This appears to be a new behavior. When I feed the coral, these guys always extend their little catching tentacles and pull the food back toward the mouths. Occasionally I get strings when they grab a pellet... But this reaction is a lot more noticeable than their normal feeding. And I've never seen their mouths just hanging open before. They seemed unhappy.

As far as the slime, it usually gets caught in the halimeda or red bubble algae. I was surprised by the feeding reaction of the lobo on the back wall when the slime stuff made it to him. He puffed up and pulled all his tentacles out.

While the acan seemed unhappy, it also appears to be brief...the others look good and their feeding habits are normal.

One other change this week...I replaced the rock of dense star polyps with a dry rock pukani piece and shelf rock that only had a very short soak. That may have created enough phosphate to push the tank into diatom and cyano bloom cycle again. I took the water to the LFS th day after the change to check water against my tests and everything looked normal.

 

I think that's why I love them. They look like alien garbage compacters!

 

Wow Doc! That's crazy!

Is this a Lobo?

 

Yep...diatom bloom again on the new rock. I wonder if that means I'll go through another full blown algae round too?

 

Let's hope not! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for my tank too! Nitrates were closer to 15 this time but I also didn't change my Filter Socks mid week as usual and for some reason my Skimmer stopped foaming up high enough. Phosphates are 0.01. I know I got a HUGE algae explosion in my smaller tank because the phosphates were totally out of hand. Then there was really no coming back! So I'm really hoping to avoid it this go around!

 

Note to self...one change at a time so I can monitor it. Hahaha.