BB Tank: SPS grow fast, but have lost their color?

[Travis Savant]

Sam, all the params are perfect.

I havn't had any coral additions for about a month, and only one fisha addition in the past week or two.

 

[Ti]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7225414#post7225414 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis Savant
From another thread...

Should I try that first before I do anything?

shipping is free?

 

[Travis Savant]

I am considering the XDE 20k. Oppinions?

 

[fishypets]

Are you wanting growth or color?

 

[Travis Savant]

Both

 

[fishypets]

Is there any way you could supplement with either T5'S or VHO?

 

[Travis Savant]

I have a custom built pendant that only houses a single 250w DE bulb inside of it. I may be able to get another to accomodate two 24" T5s. Should I get whites or blues?

 

[Ti]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7226077#post7226077 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis Savant
I am considering the XDE 20k. Oppinions?

I loved the XM 20K.
Wish I had it right now.

 

[CamBarr]

if you want the best of both worlds why not try 14k

 

[cwegescheide]

SG is 1.024, and I don't mix salt with my top off water, it's just strate RO/DI.

Are you SURE you salinity is correct? Randy has a recipie for salt in a two liter bottle (to make sure your salinity is on the money)

Reason I say is I had a little problem a while back and rackin my brain and for graspin at straws I checked my refractometer.. I thought my salinity was 1.025 and it was actually 1.018!!!!

I agree I'd feed your tank a little bit too. Also maybe get higher kelvin halide bulb

 

[Travis Savant]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7229106#post7229106 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cwegescheide
Are you SURE you salinity is correct? Randy has a recipie for salt in a two liter bottle (to make sure your salinity is on the money)...

...I agree I'd feed your tank a little bit too. Also maybe get higher kelvin halide bulb

Got a link to the recipie?

I feed four times today, two times with Mysis and two with Omega One Flakes. The fish where extremely happy today lol.

I will probly be ordering a Phoenix 14k or EVC 20k some time soon.

 

[samsfishnchips]

Travis Savant,

I wouldn't chase color with bulb colors, you have a good quality bulb there, but needs some actinics, blue, supplementation to please the user, not really to produce colors...

what I have notice bluer bulbs can wash out colors, BB seems to make the need to stronger-longer lighting period not required and shorter period is better (how long is your photoperiod?)

have you check for different parasites, red bugs, acro flat worms, ect.

and sorry to ask again, but what are your water parameters, mag, calc, alk, salinity, phosphates ( are you using the same amount of phosphate remover?)

on my BB more fish and good feedings have help with colors, also supplementation such as amino acids, ect.

sam

 

[njfish77]

I am having the same problem. My sps all do fine with great polyp exstension but the colors sometimes arent there. So i ordered the 14k pheonix DE and i love it. I also starting feeding oyster eggs. My phosphates are 0 my Cal. is 425 my Mag. 1200 and my alk is 8. Im testing all with Salifert so i hope there as good as their said to be. Good luck with everything.

P.S nice tank

 

[Travis Savant]

Ok, it's only been 3 days since I started to "dirty" the tank by feeding more often etcetera and I am already noticing a difference in my Tort and that Cap. Even the Bonsai is getting a small amount of purple back to it. It's not very noicable, but I can notice the difference. I'm gonna keep up with the dirtyness and see what happens. I still may end up switching to a 14k Bulb.

 

[MiddletonMark]

What are you feeding?

Got something other than flake or mysis?

 

[kirstenk]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7238689#post7238689 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MiddletonMark
What are you feeding?

Got something other than flake or mysis?

hmmmm.............Mark, I need to know where your going with this.

 

[Travis Savant]

Well, I am just feeding Flake and Mysis right now, but usually I would defrost the mysis in tank water, then run it through a strainer so the juices wouldn't get back in the tank, now I am not doing that and it seems to make a difference.

 

[fishypets]

Try rotifers and oyster eggs. I also have a buddy that makes a yummy mixture of all kinds of stuff meaty and I feed this to the fish and the coral. I wouldn't change to the 14K I would add some T5 420 actinic supplementation. You should notice a drastic change in color in about three weeks once you start feeding and getting your nutrients up a little. My tank now vs. 1 month ago is night and day.

 

[MiddletonMark]

Yup, I guess I was thinking that [IMO] flake is an imperfect coral food + that mysis is likely a little large for Acropora.

To add, I tend to think variety is good for any animal's diet - and when less than perfect health is noticed, I try to vary the diet and consider what I'm not doing [here, no small meaty pieces, little variation, little that `smells good' to the coral].

I'm not sure I'd go crazy with oyster eggs, or a particulate food, or a liquid suppliment ... but IMO there's little for the coral to eat beyond fish poop. And given it's a small tank, limited fish [which is good] ... IMO perhaps something more [or somethings more] might help.

With a small tank, perhaps there's not the same amount of particulate or detritus in the water [that likely feeds coral] and that with a moderate fishload [good idea IMO] it can leave the corals with nothing more than temporary `booms' of nutrient/food in the water column - followed by long stretches of little.

Just throwing out ideas ...

 

[Travis Savant]

Nice observation Mark.

I am going to be picking up some DTs Oyster Eggs and see what happens. Eric Bornman suggested DT's Oyster Eggs for SPS while he was down here giving a speach about coral propagation. He said that SPS definantly eat and need and that DT's Oyster Eggs where a perfect sized food that they would be able to consum.