Bottle brush help

[allsps40]

My ORA blue bottle brush that I got a few weeks ago is getting poor PE and is loosing color and browning a bit. Flow is heavy and random, lighting is 250w HQI with 20k, just switched from Phoenix 14k. I just like 20k better for this set up. The color problems started soon after I got it. It has been placed on the bottom of the tank in a non shaded area. Where are you placing this coral in your tank, how much light and flow?? This is not a pest issue or a PO4 or NO3. Water quality is great, alk 8, ca 420 ph 8.0-8.1.

 

[BuckeyeTodd]

My bottlebrush has never had pe, and the mother colony was in WWC show tank and I never saw any pe there either

edit...this is not the ORA though, just a turquoise bottlebrush

 

[buy_baff]

Mine has always had great PE.

 

[Arkayology]

It might take awhile for it to color up and get good PE. Not only have you not had it for a long time, but you switched bulbs. Assuming your tank params are good, i would just give it time and see what happens. Maybe move it around to see where it likes sit in the tank.

 

[bmiller1234]

My ora blue tip is high in tank under t5s gets great PE and has that creamy body with bright blue tips. I have it indirect steady flow and about 8 inches under t5, 4 inches under water line.

 

[allsps40]

It might take awhile for it to color up and get good PE. Not only have you not had it for a long time, but you switched bulbs. Assuming your tank params are good, i would just give it time and see what happens. Maybe move it around to see where it likes sit in the tank.

Happened before I switched bulbs, it was time to change the bulb out. It was 9 months old. All the other ORA sps I got at the same time look great and are going well.

 

[bmiller1234]

Its a sensitive coral and needs good placement and parameters. From my experince its hardy as most ora corals are but needs good care to get the color and growth out of it. Mine sat for a good two months looking bad and no color but once it got happy its growth and color came quickly.

 

[Frick]

Are your using a Ca reactor? Do you ever have issues with alk? Maybe the light or flow isn't the issue. Test your alk daily for a week and see how much it fluctuates.

Alk swings are the biggest problem in my tank when comes to color loss. My Hawkins is one of the first to show signs.

 

[Jeffie]

Mines in very heavy flow, midway up the tank under T5's. Good PE and has never lost any color.

 

[allsps40]

Are your using a Ca reactor? Do you ever have issues with alk? Maybe the light or flow isn't the issue. Test your alk daily for a week and see how much it fluctuates.

Alk swings are the biggest problem in my tank when comes to color loss. My Hawkins is one of the first to show signs.

My tank is smaller so I dose kalk in my ATO. Keeps alk right at 8 and ca 400-440. I am changing salts cause IO and RC is having issues with quality. Got 2 buckets of RC and 1 of IO all mixed brown. So I may need to tweak my kalk concentration a little. My hawkins is looking great so far.
Think I should move the bottle brush up a bit?? I have a frag rack that I can move to acclimate corals.

 

[Jeffie]

Do you have a picture of it now in its current location?

 

[allsps40]

I moved it to the frag rack. I will get a pic as soon as I get time.

 

[allsps40]

Ok so finally here is a pic of the bottle brush.
before

now

 

[Jeffie]

Is the before what it looked like when you first got it. Wish you had a better camera :hmm2:

Here is mine. Took this pic last week. Mine is under T5's though. You'll have to excuse the glue on the branch. Broke it off and just decided to glue it back on. The flesh is almost completely covering thr glue now which I am happy about.

Still relatively new in my system but seems to be doing well.

 

[allsps40]

Yeah I wish I had a better camera also. It is weird it will take really good pics sometimes. Thanks for the info I will give it time. On a side note I got a Red Planet!