Duncan not opening

[Ariel110G]

So I got a Duncan a more than a week ago, and still not opening, I have moved it once to a different location to see it he will open and he is still closed. This is my second time trying a Duncan, my 1st one opened fully the next morning but after 2 weeks he started dying, I think from a lack of calcium. Now my calcium is good.
It does not look like he is dying but just not opening. All my other corals are doing just grate.
75G tank with 6 ATI T5 bulbs.

 

[QueensRob]

Duncans are very aggressive eaters so u need to put chunks of food next to him and see what happens. It is also common for a coral to take a while to open and be happy. I use coral frenzy to stimulate the corals before I feed them and when adding new corals to tanks. As an example of feeding, my duncans, frogs, and torches eat when ever I feed the fishes. Small amounts but they take it in and use it up. Be careful with nitrates and phospates doing that though.

 

[Nandez13]

It took me a while to find a place my Duncan liked as well. If it wasn't opening for a week in its original spot then it's good that you moved it. I found that mine just wanted more flow.

If it hasn't opened up in its new spot, I wouldn't move it just yet. My LPS don't like to be moved around too much and may just take a little longer to get used to its new spot.

 

[Reefinny]

I agree - I have a few frags that opened right up - and I have a 30 head branch one that didn't open for a while and still doesn't open all the way - I do notice when I feed and feed it directly I do get some stimulation. I had mine in a high spot and put it lower in the tank with good flow and it took about a week to start opening up.

 

[bkstang]

Duncans are very easely bothered by crabs and shrimps. If you have shrimps this may be an issue. This is one of the reasons I got rid of my peppermint shrimps that were picking on the duncan all the time.

 

[Ariel110G]

no shrimp in my tank, I do feed my sun coral every other night, to ill try to feed the Duncan. thanks for the help guys,

 

[ssminnow81]

I've noticed mine likes low light and very low flow

 

[Carrillowilliam]

I have noticed that my duncans tend to open up wider under higher light. And tend to open up smaller under lower light. Good luck

 

[Fasthackem]

If they are making new heads this will happen also. Mine is going through this metamorphosis right now. Just starting to recover after 2 weeks. Check around the bottom of the existing heads and see if anything new is sprouting. If you do regular WCanges (weekly) this will happen often. As Lomb as your water parameters are in check.

 

[Ariel110G]

Well, by me he is still not opening, but the polyps / heads are not dying, just not opening.
don?t know what to do??..

 

[Francesco.mancini]

Duncan's are a hit or miss my current colony likes high light but low flow...I wud say every 5 days or so try a new spot

 

[bkstang]

Can you post a video that will show what is the placement and the flow?

 

[Ariel110G]

Duncan still not opening 3 weeks already, I have moves him 3 times. everything else in my tank is going good, one thing I do know is that phosphate probably is on the high side, I need to change my carbon and GFO which I?ll do this weekend, but is that the problem???

 

[bkstang]

I don't think it's the phosphate. I had a duncan colony for about 2 years and I didn't have GFO reactor at all and my phosphate was all over the place but the tentacles were huge, 1,5 - 2" long. I had to finally sell it because it started to sting corals close by. The duncan was closed only when my peppermint shrimps or other inverts were bothering it.
Do you see any change if you turn off all the power heads for some time, like 30 min -1 hr ?
The colony doesn't look dead. How about the zoas just right behind the duncan? They are closed as well. Is there anything that is bothering them?

 

[Ariel110G]

I don't think it's the phosphate. I had a duncan colony for about 2 years and I didn't have GFO reactor at all and my phosphate was all over the place but the tentacles were huge, 1,5 - 2" long. I had to finally sell it because it started to sting corals close by. The duncan was closed only when my peppermint shrimps or other inverts were bothering it.
Do you see any change if you turn off all the power heads for some time, like 30 min -1 hr ?
The colony doesn't look dead. How about the zoas just right behind the duncan? They are closed as well. Is there anything that is bothering them?

I did turn off my MP10 for until about 12 noon today, and my wife told me that it was still closed, so I told her to turn the MP10 back on. I did a water change last week, I want to do another water change this week and change my carbon and GFO that are in my reactor. this is my second time trying a Duncan, my 1st one opened up the next morning and was open for about a week and then started dying, this one is just not opening, don?t know what to do??

 

[Ariel110G]

that's it, Duncan is dying!!! all my other corals are going just fine.

 

[LongIslandAndy]

If it looks like it is really dying, I would give it a dip in R/O water that contains some peroxide. Probably a bacterial infection

 

[bkstang]

You can also try CoralRX or a different product for coral dipping.

 

[Ariel110G]

Ok I do have a coral dip product, I'll give it a try, but for how long to have it in the dip for??

 

[Ariel110G]

And to mix rodi water with the coral dip solution?