Faded LPS / SPS Colors

[mickeyfish]

In my Biocube 32 with stock lighting I have decided to try some LPS and SPS corals. These include a Pavona, blastomussa merletti, montiopora, and a war coral.

The issue seems to be that each frag, after about a week begins to fade in color and is less iridescent under the actinics. My first suspicion is that lighting may not be sufficient. I run the actinics from about 6am until midnight and full lighting is on from 11:30-6:30.

I am not ready to spend $400 on Steve's LED it just yet, so I will be supplementing with 3 ReefBars ordered on eBay this week. They claim that 3 of these add 90 PAR at the bottom of 18 inches. Link below:
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/300957014834

Other than lighting, what could cause the color fading? Parameters below. Note that I cannot get phosphates down even though I have added an extra DI to my RODI and run a GFO reactor. My water tests around a 4 before RODI. Despite this, I don't have a lot of nuisance algae and coralline is growing.

Calcium: ~420
Alk: 10.5
PH: 8.1
Phosphates: .15-.2
Nitrates: 0

Any help is appreciated. Note that all soft corals are thriving.

Blasto picture below. Doesn't look bad in the picture but this one has faded the most despite sprouting 2-3 new heads in the past month.

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[mcgyvr]

Stock lighting is likely your main issue

 

[mickeyfish]

Stock lighting is likely your main issue

Well, hopefully the bars supplement enough.


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[nereefpat]

Could also be the zero nitrates

 

[mickeyfish]

I also read that about the Nitrates. I guess I can try feeding slightly more and see if they color up.

 

[hersheyb]

most likely it's your stock lighting... you don't have to spend $400.. a lot of options below that price... you can search for used equpiment.. and just removing the hood all in general.. better aeriation, more light options... for about $150-175 kessil 160, ai prim hd... they all work for your tank. Also nitrates are 0 that might also be another factor, your ok to have a bit of nitrate..

 

[thegrun]

While I agree the lighting is the main suspect, your phosphates at 0.15-0.2 could also be an issue if the corals came from a tank with very low phosphates and as posted above the 0 nitrates will also cause corals to fade. Your alkalinity may also be an issue if the corals are coming from a tank with the alkalinity in the 7.5 to 8.0 range. A 10.5 alkalinity level in of itself is not bad, but a rise in alkalinity of 2.0 or more can initially cause bleaching. The corals will eventually adapt, but there is an initial shock from the jump in alkalinity. I keep my alkalinity at 8.0 for coloration purposes. You get faster growth with a higher alkalinity level but usually at the cost of some color.

 

[Antonee]

You may also try doing a lugols/iodine dip to kinda help with any infections. Whenever I have issues with any of my lps frags a quick dip (5 min) usually resets them and they bounce back


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[mickeyfish]

most likely it's your stock lighting... you don't have to spend $400.. a lot of options below that price... you can search for used equpiment.. and just removing the hood all in general.. better aeriation, more light options... for about $150-175 kessil 160, ai prim hd... they all work for your tank. Also nitrates are 0 that might also be another factor, your ok to have a bit of nitrate..

The AI Prime looks great and I was thinking of that. However, I need to leave the canopy on. I have a cat. Hence the only real powerful lights I saw were the replacements that fit the hood, or supplementation with lighting strips.


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[mickeyfish]

The AI Prime looks great and I was thinking of that. However, I need to leave the canopy on. I have a cat. Hence the only real powerful lights I saw were the replacements that fit the hood, or supplementation with lighting strips.


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I'm now thinking of mounting the prime on top of the canopy like in this video. Thoughts?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jcKC8eA2DTs


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[mickeyfish]

So i went in a more (economical) direction. I am supplementing with 3 of these ReefBars. Anyone have any experience with these? I may even move up to 5 of them. The manufacturer claims that 3 bars provide 90 PAR at 18 inches underwater.

https://www.21ledusa.com/aquarium_led_reefbar_2_1_white_blue_p/rb573021wp.htm

 

[mickeyfish]

Next question around the lighting on the tank. Turns out these new reef bars make my temperature swing from 79 (stable before) to 81 during the day. Every night it then cools back down to 79.

Is this swing of 2 degrees or so harmful? Any advice how to make it more stable?

 

[thegrun]

No problem at all with a two to three degree swing in daily temperatures. I do recommend trying to keep the maximum temperature below 83 degrees. Oxygen levels tend to fall rapidly at 84 degrees.

 

[Ghost25]

For me pale colors was almost always a result of too low phosphates or nitrates. When I started feeding more and removed/reduced GFO colors got better.