Decent growth and good PE but light colors

[kybreos]

My acros have good PE and decent growth, but the colors seemed washed out, mostly the green colored acros, my blue acros look good but would probably look better if they were darker. My params are:
trites- 0
trates-0
phosphate-0
havent tested my calc and alk lately but they were in the acceptable ranges last month, and the light colors on my acros have been like this for over a year and a half, They are not bleached because the corals arent white just light in color, no red bugs because a year ago I treated them which helped the PE and growth. My temp is stable 78, chiller. My lights which are listed below are 6inches above the water. most of my acros are high up under the 250mh in the middle. plus my light cycle is 11am on 2pm off, then back on at 3pm till 11pm so thats 11hours of mh, I used to have them on for 12 but i thought that was too much. Any suggestions?
Thanks..

 

[mcintosh]

I am definitely NOT an expert on color (or anything, really) but usually light colors indicate too much or too little light or not enough nutrients. Sounds like the light is not a problem. May want to work with nutrients. Maybe specifically Iron and Manganese. But, I would get more opinions as I am NOT an expert.

 

[PUGroyale]

My first thought with overall lightening is my ALK has dipped... beyong that I agree with mcintosh, my colors got much deeper when I added more fish and hopped off the low low nutrient train. HTH

 

[kybreos]

I was thinking about the nutrient thing, the only problem with that is that i think my tank has reached its equilibrium point pertaining to fish, I have a 6inch sailfin tang not including when his fins are open, a blue hippo tang, lrg female clown, a royal gramma, 4 blue chromis, and 2 mandarin gobys all fish have been in the tank from 2 to 3 years. Any time I try and add another fish something seems to happen to them. So I figured my tank reach its natural population point. Oh btw I get this from when I had freshwater fish tanks, there is a certain population point where any new fish or babies being born something else has to go to reach the balance, atleast from my experience. Maybe I can try a couple more small fish. Anyhow I'll try and feed more.

 

[kybreos]

the alk I'll test tonight and see what it says to see if i can rule that out. Any other ideas?
TIA

 

[kybreos]

ooh maybe an Anthia if my alk turns out to be ok

 

[kybreos]

Anyone else with corals that are lightened up have any suggestions, like what you did to darken them up?

 

[Horace]

Your the first person I have ever read that turns their lights on and off throughout the day. I would pick a photoperiod of MH and stick with it. 11 hrs / day is too long for most halides to be on. I would try shortening your photo period to 8 hrs on the halides and have that all in one shot. It seems very unnatural to me to be turning the halides on for two different times a day....

 

[fishypets]

Do you feed your sps? I had the same problem with a super low nutrient tank and after I started feeding the color came back quickly.

 

[pwilk20]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7622746#post7622746 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fishypets
Do you feed your sps? I had the same problem with a super low nutrient tank and after I started feeding the color came back quickly.

What did you feed your SPS? How often? Thanks.

Paul.

 

[Philwd]

My colors really perked up after I started dosing amino acids.

 

[JAANDGC]

Horace
I guess I make the secound. For the last six years I have had at least a 30 min M/H off period in the middle of the light cycle. I agree about 11 hours being to long, but I would think the clouds in the sky would have the same effect.

 

[clkwrk]

I like tropic marin coral elements a and k elements. It took them lots of time to develop elements which are known to make up a majority of the elements found in coral skeletons.

As for feeding sps IMO don't feed your fish more if you want to feed anything . Also you can back your halides down an hour if you want but sometimes its borderline on which way a coral is going. Very hard to tell if a coral is bleaching because of too much light or bleaching because of 2 little .

BTw my first halide comes on @ 1pm and last halide goes off @ 2 am I have very nice colors in my 180 . But I also have 2 skimmers which each is rated for my tank , 14 fish and feed very heavy . All params are perfect IMO except I have a recent nitrate trend since swaping over to the 180 from my crammed 120. However my trates don't go up and maintain . Ever since my colors have gotten better IMO. But that could be the tropic marin elements also .

 

[fishypets]

I feed oyster eggs twice a week. I also dose amino acids.

 

[DarkXerox]

Are you running a barebottom tank? Also how often do you feed?

Your fishload should be enough for nutrients though, that's whats confusing.

 

[kybreos]

I did the break in the middle for one to cut down a little on the photo period and 2 to give the corals a break, like someone mentioned there are cloudy skies and storms, and to be honest the corals were light in color before. Oh I have a shallow sand bed 1-2 inches, I am very good on my husbandry to my tank though, weekly to every two weeks water changes, my tank does run as far as I can tell nutrient poor. I will reduce the photo period one hour a week till I get to 8 hrs and see if that helps.

 

[justinzimm]

I think my corals brightened up when I removed the carbon/phosban from my aquarium. I also increased the amount off food. IMO I was starving the corals of trace elements and important organics.

Justin

 

[kybreos]

hmm, thats a thought (carbon), I always keep fresh carbon in my phosban reactor. before I change my lighting schedule I'm going to remove the carbon out for 3 weeks and see what happens.