Best way to increse SPS color

[Mock]

Other than lighting and clean water what is the tried and true method of getting rich colors.

Zeovit, Potassium, Vinegar, Vodka,

What could I do to get a more vibrant color our of my SPS?

 

[dvanacker]

Silver bullets.....in a media reactor.

Sorry....couldnt help myself. Forget most supplements IMO...they are not needed and only for enhancement if you want to try them.

IMO....the basics. Light, flow, stable water parameters, and the right amount of feeding (nutrients). The last one is the one I think is the hardest to achieve because it's a balance of many factors...ie. skimmers. water change routine. feedings/bioload.

I will say that I use bio-pellets and a small amount of GFO/carbon but I feel that this just allows me to feed more and keep a higher fish load with out worrying about PO4 and NO3.

 

[t4zalews]

My corals have always looked their best when I feed the tank heavily. Grant it you need proper filtration to filter out the uneaten to not ruin water quality.

 

[Mock]

I just want to see one of these Bright pastel colored tanks and know how they get these colors..... Is it just picking the right corals or is there something there to vodka dosing and zeovit that will strip these tanks down so far that you can starve a coral into the colors that some of these people get.

Grant it mine are all good color and I even get brown corals just to watch them turn from time to time and they do in weeks most of the time. But, I still get the norms, Purples greens and blues, with a few pinks and reds.

How do these guys get these corals to go neon though?

 

[dvanacker]

Well if you have healthy colourful corals.....but want mind blowing colors. Chances are you have the wrong corals.....it's all about coral genetics.

That or you can go full zeo....but standard corals will be standard corals...just a little more pastel....IMO.

Do you have an example pic of what you are looking for?

 

[Allmost]

if you mean the fluorescence colors, then nutrition/foods. the lower the nutrition the more your corals will glow .... and when they are low(the nutrition), you can feed them (corals) foods that will promote the florescence ... you could try some Zeovit additives, like Xtra for making the florescence color darker, B-balance to make coral lighter, and Zeospure for lightening colors [reducing zoox algae within corals]

[side effects may be bad ! so research before usage]

 

[Mock]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1215102

I have this thing glued to my tool bar... I am in love with this guys frags... These are the colors I want to achieve...

 

[Allmost]

as Darryl said, good lighting and flow, control of nutrition

if you read the same thread you linked that's what he does too

he also doses coral vitalizer and amino acids from KZ. but you can get prety close to same colors without.

 

[Mock]

So just to set my mind at ease and anyone else out there thinking there is some magic trick to getting awesome color corals.. There isnt... ?


Just as long as you have the right color and the right intensity bulbs, right flow, clean water and enough fish poo... you can have eye popping colors.

 

[Allmost]

just my opinion but yap .... most importantly "controlled and balanced nutrition import and export."

which seems to be the hardest part for us ...

 

[dvanacker]

So just to set my mind at ease and anyone else out there thinking there is some magic trick to getting awesome color corals.. There isnt... ?

Right.....only in fairy tales.

Just as long as you have the right color and the right intensity bulbs, right flow, clean water and enough fish poo... you can have eye popping colors.

Add stabilty..... and yes I would say so.

 

[allsps40]

For me colors came with stability and just leaving alone. I stopped all extra dosing but kalk top off. Feeding well helped as well.
Nice tank ^^

 

[Mock]

I have just moved and converted to an SPS mainly tank. I have about 30 frags, levels are set and all I do is dose two part and feed the fish....

I just wanted to make sure there was no reason so do anything else. It appears I have the bases covered.

 

[29reef]

Just leave it on autopilot for about 6 months, if your not heading in the right direction during that time then you need to change up your routines and possibly additives.

As said several times there is no magic in a bottle. It's time, patience, and a stable aquarium that produce the results your looking for.

 

[toothman]

<a href="http://s382.photobucket.com/albums/oo268/eralff/?action=view&current=DSC_0471.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo268/eralff/DSC_0471.jpg" border="0" alt="Acro. Tenuis?"></a>


In the zeovit tanks the additive zeo spur 2, will lighten corals a lot by reducing zoos. It works especially well on millis, tenuis the yellow tenuis above is really almost brown/green with out zeo spur.

 

[pusanpa]

If you want pastel tone color, you will need to have very low nutrients in your water.
My tank has oversized skimmer , rdsb, gfo, siporax chamber with filtersock and biofuel and microbacter 7.
In result my corals are pale and grow very slowly. I started feeding a lot now and corals looking better everyday.

 

[Arkayology]

clean water, good lighting with proper coral placement, and time.

 

[250G]

If you still have the 250G and the lighting noted in your signature, I would consider your tank at the very bare minimum for SPS color IMO.

Otherwise, assuming you have strong lighting, good water quality, and good (random) water movement...consistent levels of calcium, alkalinity and magnesium are required. The rest is up to the coral...

 

[allsps40]

Oh yeah wow only 2 250w MH you need at least 4 250s on that if not 400w mh.

 

[Mock]

Thats what sucks about haveing so many people with input on here... One min you have great lighting the next they tell you it sux....

Lighting is yes... two 250watt MH 14k lights, with an additional 270 watts of T5.... Thats 770 watts of light over a 250...

Lumen bright reflectors Ushio bulbs... I have been told that if I swapped to 400's I would do more harm than good for my top layer of corals...

Edit: keep in mind this tank is 5 foot long, 3 foot wide with the deepest coral being only 20 inches deep...