Acan Question + Need ID

[ellebelle]

I purchased these as Purple and Orange Acan Jap Lords. I thought that Acans were pretty slow growers, but these are growing quite quickly. I started with 3 heads three months ago, and I noticed today that I am up to five heads, and it looks like there might be a sixth one forming. I haven't been feeding them. Is this normal? Also, can anyone give me a little more information about this particular morph? I know what Acan Lords are, of course, and I assume that the "jap" indicates that these are endemic to Japan. But I haven't seen this morph ever anywhere else.

Also, I need an ID on the little orange ruffle-y guys next to this zoanthid rock. Came as hitchhikers. I originally thought they were little zoanthids, but they aren't polyps. They grow as a mat, and when I touch them, they shrink down almost like blastos, and then puff back up again. The closest thing I could find were blastos, but they look like no blasto I've ever seen before.

Thanks!

 

[tosiek]

I have similar (the mini blasto thingies) that i've been tyring to ID to no avail.

Nice color, once they grow out lemme know. i'll trade ya a piece of mine, purple/brown with white/blue centers.

 

[ming]

They look like small zoo's to me.
Do you see a skeleton when they shrink up? I've noticed blasto's will shrink into their skeleton when I move it around, where zoo's will simply close the top with their skirts

 

[Deanos]

I've never heard that a. lordhowensis were slow growers. I'd say your growth rate is normal.

 

[ellebelle]

Ming, they are definitely not zoanthids. Zoanthids have polyps - when this thing is shrunken, it looks like something from the Faviidae family.

Thanks Dean - I don't remember who said that Acans were slow growers. Don't suppose you know anything about this particular variant? (And yes, I just read the reefkeeping.org article )

 

[kdrayo]

Lissa, i spot feed my acan lord twice a week and it went from 1 head to 7 heads in a year.

 

[noodleman]

maybe a Leptastrea sp.?

 

[ellebelle]

Does Leptastrea expand to have flesh that moves? I thought that all of the Favids had hard skeletons with sweeper tentacles, as opposed to fleshy, softer tissue.

 

[noodleman]

the LE gold leptastrea form reeffarmers does, and it looks kinda similar http://reeffarmers.com/limitedgoldleptastrea.htm

 

[ellebelle]

Wow, I think that might be it!! it even has that kind of stripe-y pattern the the larger heads of mine does. Great hitchhiker!

 

[reefman]

nice! i wouldn't mind that hitchhiking over to my tank :biggrin:

 

[noodleman]

that is a great looking hitchhiker...the only hitchhiker i ever got was a brown paly :tongue1:

 

[ellebelle]

that is a great looking hitchhiker...the only hitchhiker i ever got was a brown paly :tongue1:

I got some of those too.