Can neon-green trumpets regain their color?

[hray]

I had a minor crash in my 16 gallon about a month ago. I have mostly soft corals (Xenia, Anthelia, Kenya Tree, mushrooms, GSP, zoas) but the showpiece was a screaming neon green trumpet bought from a fellow reefer, with >12 heads on it. It was growing new mouths, puffed up huge every day, etc.

Suddenly (nothing good ever happens fast, right?) everything closed up for several days; two snails died, and the trumpet shriveled up. Parameters were good except for somewhat low Ca, low KH, and low Mg. Dosing with those over the last few weeks may have helped, or maybe it was just a new tank thing (the tank is now about 4 months old.) Anyway, I was very happy to see that the trumpet seems to be recovering--not as big as it was, but puffs up normally now during the day.

However, the neon green color is now just a few spots and streaks. Can that come back over time? Or will it stay the brownish color that it's showing instead?

Thanks,
Hallie

 

[kurt_n]

It all depends.

If it changed because of whatever closed everything up, more than likely it will return to its previous color. I'd be a bit concerned why things closed up and snails died, but that's probably a different thread.

If it changed because it's just acclimating itself to your tank's lighting, then it may or may not get its old color back. It could be too much light, or too little... either one can cause color shifts. In my experience (your mileage may vary), corals I've purchased have never stayed the same exact color once they acclimate to my tank. They always shift a bit. But it takes months for them to do that, and if your tank is only 4 months old, any coral that's in there is still adjusting to its new environment. It might just be shifting to its new coloration.

 

[eg8r210]

I had a problem in my tank in December and my kryptonite trumpet lost all the bright color and was just ugly and barely living (as best I could tell). It took a salt change and 4 months of good parameters and the coral is thriving all over again. In December it was not even puffing up but now you can see them flowing back and forth when all puffed up. At night when I am only running my blues the trumpets can be seen across the room.

 

[hray]

Thanks for the info; things are slowly getting back to normal, and the trumpet has started to puff up again. And best of all, the color is slowly returning!

All I've done is continue normal water changes, and started Reef Complete, Reef Carbonate, and Reef Plus; don't know whether that helped or ??? But things are getting better.