Green Stars
- Thread starter troynel
- Start date
kzooreefer
New member
Tagging along on this as mine turned brown too about 2 years ago and haven't been able to get them to turn green again.
Water params: NO3 = 0.07, PO4 = 0, Alk = 9 dKH, Ca = 420 pH = 8.0, Temp = 79.9, sal. = 1.026
T5HO: 4X24 watt; 2 ATI blue+, 1 ATI Aquablue Special, 1 UVL Actinic white @ 12 hours dusk/dawn and 5 hours daylight (AquaticLife default timer settings and bulbs are new and changed out every 12 months).
Doesn't matter where they are placed in the aquarium, changing the water flow doesn't effect them nor does feeding. I've just resigned myself to having brown star polyps. Though there is some green left in some spots.
Water params: NO3 = 0.07, PO4 = 0, Alk = 9 dKH, Ca = 420 pH = 8.0, Temp = 79.9, sal. = 1.026
T5HO: 4X24 watt; 2 ATI blue+, 1 ATI Aquablue Special, 1 UVL Actinic white @ 12 hours dusk/dawn and 5 hours daylight (AquaticLife default timer settings and bulbs are new and changed out every 12 months).
Doesn't matter where they are placed in the aquarium, changing the water flow doesn't effect them nor does feeding. I've just resigned myself to having brown star polyps. Though there is some green left in some spots.
Last edited:
kzooreefer
New member
I haven't been able to test for it in along time. It used to be close to 1300 ppm but I was dosing it using Randy's recipe then. I'll have to order a kit now that I think about it as I am going to start adding magnesium again as part of my dosing regimine. Switching back to the 2 part recipe and ordered it from BRS. Just ordered a Mg kit from aquacave and it should be here by Thursday.
kzooreefer
New member
Damn Aquacave sent my Mg test kit USPS instead of UPS, it says 1-3 days for delivery, don't you just love USPS tracking. It's only coming 80 miles so I'm hoping to have it by Friday. In the time being I'm trying to get my Alk back up around 10 and my pH to around 8.4 using the 2 part I got from BRS today. Don't want to start dosing the Mg till I know what I'm starting from.
I've been struggling to keep the pH at 8 as it is and not sure if that alone would cause the gsp to lose their color or not. It hasn't kept them from growing thats for sure. I have read somewhere that there are brown variations of star polyps and maybe the green color when I bought them was a fluke. I've talked to every lfs, and not so local, about them and no one has a clue.
They lost their color when I switched from a 15 gallon nano to my current 29 gallon system and upgraded my lights from PC to T5. Not right away but over a few months. They were in the 15 gallon for 2 years with no loss of color, nice neon green. They are all over the tank and it doesn't matter how far from the lights they are located as they all look dull and brown with just a hint of green. So I don't think its the lights.
I had a diatom problem for a long time but have finally nipped that in the bud using the NP reducing pellets, GFO and a better cleanup crew. Thought that might be irritating them but the matt has always been a nice deep purple with no diatoms so kind of rules that out. Theres absolutely not one speck of algae in this tank and never has except coraline so its also not that.
I've even tried feeding them phytoplankton at the suggestion of a lfs but gave up on that after 2 months and no improvement. So that leaves pH and Mg I guess abd well see what fixing those does. After that I give up.
I've been struggling to keep the pH at 8 as it is and not sure if that alone would cause the gsp to lose their color or not. It hasn't kept them from growing thats for sure. I have read somewhere that there are brown variations of star polyps and maybe the green color when I bought them was a fluke. I've talked to every lfs, and not so local, about them and no one has a clue.
They lost their color when I switched from a 15 gallon nano to my current 29 gallon system and upgraded my lights from PC to T5. Not right away but over a few months. They were in the 15 gallon for 2 years with no loss of color, nice neon green. They are all over the tank and it doesn't matter how far from the lights they are located as they all look dull and brown with just a hint of green. So I don't think its the lights.
I had a diatom problem for a long time but have finally nipped that in the bud using the NP reducing pellets, GFO and a better cleanup crew. Thought that might be irritating them but the matt has always been a nice deep purple with no diatoms so kind of rules that out. Theres absolutely not one speck of algae in this tank and never has except coraline so its also not that.
I've even tried feeding them phytoplankton at the suggestion of a lfs but gave up on that after 2 months and no improvement. So that leaves pH and Mg I guess abd well see what fixing those does. After that I give up.
kzooreefer
New member
Well magnesium is not the problem it tested at 1350 ppm.
kzooreefer
New member
Decided to rip my GSP all out. Replaced it with frogspawn and a new type of GSP from Australia. So far the new GSP is neon green like it supoposed to be. I do have some of the old GSP still hanging around in very small spots as I couldn't get all of the matt off the rock. I'm hoping the frogspawn and new GSP will grow over it but I can live with it coming back for now.
Curious if either of you saw any improvements since these posts? I added one to my tank about 2 weeks ago. It was bright and green at the LFS, but now, 2 weeks in it's turned to a ruddy brown color in my tank. My water tests show nothing out of the norm: Am=0, Ni=0, Na<5,Phospates=0, Calcium=400,ph=8.2, SG=1.023. Everything else in the tank looks happy.
Hoping one of your figured out the trick to fixing this!
Hoping one of your figured out the trick to fixing this!
BrantheFishMan
New member
mine was once a nice green but then the next day it was brown instead of green so i asked someone about it and they said that for every five inches down into the tank you are losing about 20% of you light im not sure if that is right but it seem right to me so i bought some live rock and put the green star polyp on top so it was closer to the light. And it worked! BUT ALWAYS REMEMBER TO HAVE ALL THE POLYPS HAVE TO SOME HAVE FLOW, doesnt have to be strong just have to have flow I made that mistake and the carpet, rug whatever the purple stuff is called got covered in brownish red stuff and I couldnt save after that. But if you do notice that it is getting covered try to get that stuff of with a turkey baster. I tried it to late and it wouldnt go away so pay attention.
Hope this helped!
Good luck!
Hope this helped!
Good luck!
coolfishy101
Member
I have similar lighting in a 20 long tank. (4-24w t5s). My gsp were brown till I pounded them with more lighting. LEDs in the 454nm range. I'm thinking about getting rid of the t5's as I'm not impressed at all by them and adding more led.
I just purchased some GSP for my tank yesterday. How long does it take normally take for it to color out nicely? Right now it's green but not florescent. My tank conditions are perfect and the placement is good with the right amount of flow. I have medium PC lighting. Any ideas or input would be appreciated.
gh0st
New member
Loss of color can often be a sign of inadequate light.
Either try move them up higher in the tank, or in a more central tank location if using flourescent tubes. Many people forget flourescent lights are brightest at the center of the tube, and taper off slightly out at the ends of the bulbs.
If that doesn't work, higher power lights may be needed.
Either try move them up higher in the tank, or in a more central tank location if using flourescent tubes. Many people forget flourescent lights are brightest at the center of the tube, and taper off slightly out at the ends of the bulbs.
If that doesn't work, higher power lights may be needed.
Thisseemsfishy
Just another Reefer
I will agree with anyone that said they need light. I have both colonies of mine in high light high flow area and they are doing fine, I had them both for over a year. They will spread quickly with high flow so stay on top of them. And to answer Matsu49 question....Yes there are variations of GSP. I went to a very reputable FS in Nashville and they had different types listed. I would say if the conditions were right they should reach their color potential in a couple of months, JMO. I have two types, on is very neon yellow, the other is a bright neon green.
This is a pic of the green one, the 2nd one is under 2 blue+ 54w t5ho.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f362/jsho27/Reefcentral-GreenStarPolyp-GSP.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f362/jsho27/Reefcentral-GreenStarPolyp-GSP-Actinic.jpg
This is a pic of the green one, the 2nd one is under 2 blue+ 54w t5ho.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f362/jsho27/Reefcentral-GreenStarPolyp-GSP.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f362/jsho27/Reefcentral-GreenStarPolyp-GSP-Actinic.jpg
