Best ways to color up Acros

[thompson2224]

I just got some high end acros. I have had no problem keeping basic acros in the past.

For instance I just got a walt Disney acro and want to keep the colors on it looking great and get it to color up more.

Is lighting most important? And what lighting is best for the colors actinic or whites?

Are there color supplements I should add? I currently dose calcium, alk, and maintain mg and add iodine occasionally.

I also recently had a high alk spike and it is sitting at 16 right now. Will that be a problem? Any advice is great.

I have low phosphates and nitrates as well so no problems there

 

[vhuang168]

Low nitrate n phosphate is good, 0 is not.

Lighting n flow are important for health. Red Sea has a coral color program you can look into.

Alk at 16dkh is going to be a problem. What is your ca M mg level? Keep an eye out for precipitation.


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[vhuang168]

Best ways to color up Acros

Came from a 500w MH tank with ultra low nutrients. Added to my tank 7/14.

Photo taken 8/4. My tank runs a Kessil AP700 with NO3 @ 2 n PO4 @ 0.03.

I also dose with the Red Sea Coral colors program and use the associated test kits. Also dose Acropower.

It's colored up even more now.


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[thompson2224]

my calcium is 480 and magnesium is 1350 but dkh is 16. I have led lights should I use more actinic or more white lighting? How much red sea coral colors do you dose?

 

[vhuang168]

Dosing depends on what is being used up. I use the coral colors test kit to determine how much to dose.

The general consensus is actinic for color, whites for growth.

I use Kessil AP700s which always have actinics even in white.


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[codydemmel4]

your alk is way too high. most successful SPS tanks run in the 7-8.5 range. just check out all the very nice tanks on here and who has successful corals that you like and run your system like them. it is what I have done and have had very good success so far.

I run my alk at 7.5-8.5 and calc between 420-450
phosphates 0.00-0.05

how does the walt Disney look now? can you post some pictures. I once had my alk spike up to 11 on a water change with a bad batch (should've tested the water before using it) and my corals took a pretty big hit, can only imagine 16

 

[thompson2224]

Thecorals all look good actually and it's been a week. How do I get all down? I've shut my doser off and done 4 20% water changes in the past week and it's still at 16 on a Red Sea oh test

 

[trialanderror]

Thecorals all look good actually and it's been a week. How do I get all down? I've shut my doser off and done 4 20% water changes in the past week and it's still at 16 on a Red Sea oh test

Check with another test kit. I use API as a quick double check. 16 dKH is not possible with high Mg.

 

[thompson2224]

It is for sure a dkh of 16. I'm also sure calcium is 480 and mg is 1350. I've checked multiple times and have had my lfs as well

 

[Usernam Invalid]

16 Dkh? Red Sea test kits don't even go that high. When using the Red Sea test kit how much reagent are you using to get the color change? If Alk is that high think you would be seeing a lot of calcium carbonate precipitation.
What's ur salinity at?
What's the alk of the new SW you are doing water changes with?

To have healthy and colorful acros first thing you want to have is stable water parameters. From there good lighting and nice random flow.

 

[thompson2224]

I guess it's more like 14. It turns red after 1 ml. The salinity is at 1.025 same with the new salt water and that usually comes in at 13dkh and I am using Red Sea coral pro salt. No calcium carbonate precipitation. What can I do to bring dkh to 7.5-8

 

[Usernam Invalid]

Water changes are the best way but need to be done with a lower alk salt. You can use muriatic acid in you mixing bin of fresh SW to lower the alk think its around .1ml per gal to lower alk 1dkh.

DO NOT PUT MURIATIC ACID IN YOUR TANK. Only in you mixing container.

 

[thompson2224]

Where would I get muriatic acid? Won't it drop PH as well? In which case you'd have to buffer for which would increase alk again?

How long will it take for the alkalinity to drop naturally?

 

[Deahttub]

16 Dkh? Red Sea test kits don't even go that high. When using the Red Sea test kit how much reagent are you using to get the color change? If Alk is that high think you would be seeing a lot of calcium carbonate precipitation.
What's ur salinity at?
What's the alk of the new SW you are doing water changes with?

To have healthy and colorful acros first thing you want to have is stable water parameters. From there good lighting and nice random flow.

+1 on salinity...my guess is for 15-16 DKH your salinity is higher than you think. Have you calibrated your refractometer lately?

 

[Grant W]

That alk is really way too high. 7-8 in ulns for sure

 

[codydemmel4]

can you post a picture of your corals. i want to see them in this high alk...

 

[WLachnit]

Where would I get muriatic acid? Won't it drop PH as well? In which case you'd have to buffer for which would increase alk again?

How long will it take for the alkalinity to drop naturally?

You can get muriatic acid at any place that sells pool chemicals.

 

[thompson2224]

Will muriatic acid drop PH too?

 

[Geeray]

Will muriatic acid drop PH too?

It will temporarily lower ph you have to let the water mix for 24h or so after adding the muratic acid.

 

[thompson2224]

I put some muriatic acid in. Dissolved it in water change water first. Doesn't seem to have lowered alkalinity of whole tank but when I tested the water change water it was around 9 dkh. Overall PH seemed to drop a tad bit