Getting purple to pop

[blackthunda77]

Does anyone know of a way to get purple in SPS to color up? I seem to have some drab purple in my tank. In my tank right now, my idaho grape monti and my garf purple bonsai seem to keep a brownish hue. Most if not all other sps in my tank are colored up fine. I have the idaho grape in 2 parts of my tank, one piece up higher on the overflow wall and one lower in the tank near the sand bed. Is a 16" tall shallow tank running 250watt metal halides about 18"2- inches off the water.

 

[ridetheducati]

Shoot for this:

PO4 = 0 -.02
Nitrates = zero
K+ = 380ppm - 400ppm

 

[Bigcefa]

Ime the montis color up better with mag around 1400 as well. Just throwing that out there

 

[waterman78]

20k.....

 

[Ostentum]

It's possible your skimmer is pulling too much iodine out of the water. Diet And flow are much more important to coloration in my opinion then the lighting. If your parameters are solid and your other corals are colored correctly then it could be a lack of iodine. My system had the same thing going on and once I started adding 3 drops per hundred gallons daily they ended up coloring up. One note though is that I am running a 1300g rated skimmer on a 300g system 20k halides and uv supplements such as super actinics will get your corals to pop more. Just wanted to toss the iodine thought into the equation

 

[waterman78]

John,

Instead of focusing the attention on lighting.... Let's take a look into the compartment of coral placement: too close to the light could be an issue, lack iodine in the water column to help with the ultraviolet rays from your MH bulbs, is there enough water movement to free any debris on the corals and is the coral's body (surface area) receiving enough of the light to help with photosynthesis......

Please keep us all posted in any updates.

Larry

 

[blackthunda77]

Ok so, i have been adding lugols to the tank for a couple months, but not regularly since i dont test for iodine. I am dealing with a bit of a nitrate issue. Somewhere around 20 and i know sps sometimes brown out with higher nitrates. I guess the purples are more sensitive. My lighting is 2 250 watt MH 20k bulbs. The tank is a 16" shallow tank and the lights are about 20" off the surface of the water. Flow if from a MP40wES on reefcrest mode most of the time.

 

[blackthunda77]

Also, im running a SWC 160 cone skimmer on this system which is about 110 or so gallons total. 80 gal display and 55 gal sump. I also have a 36" strip of blue reefbrites for blue supplementation.

 

[kyle1284]

i have a 1.5 foot wide idaho cap that is PURPLE!! i dont test for Phos or any of the other items. I just test Mg and ALK. Seems to be the deepest and most beautiful purple at 8-8.3 DKH and 1300-1350 MG

in lighting i have 3x400W radiums,2 super actinic VHO and a strip of 24 Rebel luexon Royal Blue leds with no optics at 800mA

Firm believer of the more blue light the better

infact the purple cap in my avatar is the cap when it was in my 40 breeder. its HUGE now and more purple that that

 

[ridetheducati]

Purple is the hardest color to acquire and maintain. Ensure water CLARITY is top notch.

 

[DogueDeBordeaux]

i have my bonsai down low (27" tall tank) under 250w radium, and getting deep purple/nice green polyps.
If other corals are showing correct colors it may just be receiving too much light.