Coloring Up SPS

[usingthejohn]

Subbed for reading at work

 

[Av8bluewater]

Subbed for reading at work

Lol....now thats funny!

 

[PaleHorse]

looks awesome. what guide did you go with for using the treatment?

 

[stikhead]

I went through the same thing with my tank. Every one is going to argue but I believe that your sudden increase in color comes directly from the die off of the pods and the immediate but controlled nutrient spike and the massive water change that follows . Try and measure your nutrient level now and try to maintain. My levels of nutrient slowly fell back to ulns and colors are now not as vibrant

 

[StevieK]

Interesting read. Lots of Baeyer use these days.

 

[diciple]

MO,betta! lets see more of this tank please

 

[Outdrsyguy1]

it's interesting, but in my tank I had some similar looking corals and very low nutrients. Then when some catastrophe would hit things would color up. I had several clams die from pinched mantle disease and I pulled them quick but had a big color increase after. Also if a medium+ fish dies/disapears I had a color bloom.

 

[jimrawr]

Willing to bet nitrates are too low. I recently set out on a campaign to get my nitrates off of the zero mark.
1. If you don't already have a nitrate kit that reads in the low range get one. Not absolutely necessary but good to see where you are. I use the red sea. Best colors are in the .25ppm range.
2. Various things I've done to get nitrate up. Stopped adding prodibio. Slowed my biopellet reactor way down to a drip. Didn't want to turn it off as that would then need a full recycle. I unplugged skimmer for days initially. (Will probably take your PH down some.) I got some sodium nitrate but ended up not needing it as my nitrates came up after a month or so of this.
I feed 3 times a day so didn't really change any thing there.
I may turn skimmer off here and there as one coral is getting a little white again . .

Depending on how hardcore serious you are, a potassium and iodine kit may help with appropriate dosing.
I got an iodine kit and found my idodine to be pretty much zero. Yet to be determined if that really makes a difference.

According to Red Sea best colors are at .25ppm NO3 and .02 PO4. Your Big 3 params look about right.
Basically I've been trying to dirty up the water and things have gotten a lot better.

how do you raise these levels without also getting algae problems? as soon as i start to feed more i get diatoms and cyano.

 

[markalot]

how do you raise these levels without also getting algae problems? as soon as i start to feed more i get diatoms and cyano.

In my experience you just maintain the new feeding levels and slowly the tank will manage and the cyano and diatoms will fade away. It might take months, but the coral colors make it worth it, for me anyway. I see cyano as an indication I'm feeding well, and I only have a few pesky patches out of direct flow at the moment. I added pumps to the back of my tank to deal with some low flow areas in the back, I may have to do the same to a few areas in front.

IMO of course, in no way an expert in this or any manner of growing SPS, just relating what has worked so far.

 

[Av8bluewater]

how do you raise these levels without also getting algae problems? as soon as i start to feed more i get diatoms and cyano.

There are many different ways to skin that cat.
Some people control it with various forms of carbon dosing.
Some do whatever they need to get to zero then feed corals.
You will have to pick your favorite method and adjust to your tank.
In my tank I have a recirculating biopellet reactor.
If I want zero nitrate I will let the effluent come out of the reactor full blast or whatever is needed. (full blast is usually too much in most tanks)
But I try to balance it with just the right drip rate. In a similar process with something like vodka/vinegar you would have to find the sweet spot for your tank and adjust the amount to where you would want it.
I also use GFO for PO4 and I don't really do much with that except replace about a cup a month.
Note.. just using carbon dosing as an example. Many ways to do the same thing. The point is whatever method there is a sweet spot.

Edit.. just re read your post. The levels I mention I just wanted to make clear are .25 ppm as in decimal 25 not 25ppm. That is very very close to zero but I like to have just the slightest amount showing. You will need a test kit capable of reading on a low scale. I use the red sea. At .25ppm nitrate/.02PO4 you won't get algae. Also don't chase numbers too much I'm just using this as an example that the slightest amount of NO3 is good for color.

 

[gdemos]

Av8: how long did it take for your biopellet to bring your levels down? What were your pre-BIOPELLET no3 and oo4 readings?

 

[Av8bluewater]

Av8: how long did it take for your biopellet to bring your levels down? What were your pre-BIOPELLET no3 and oo4 readings?

I was using prodibio before the reactor so it was already low nutrient tank.