Help with SPS color

[sweet ride]

wow very informative post! I've subscribed!

It's seems like this is one of those common problem for any SPS system. Personally some of my corals are suffering though the same issues. and some are just fine, funny enough i have some SPS that is partially shaded that have better colours than the one with direct light. I also have corals that the lower level/base that doesn't get as much light that looks better than the top of the colony. I do the carbon dosing as well as GFO/GAC. I've also just changed my lighting schedule so I will monitor the post and see what kind of result you guys get when removing carbon dosing/GFO/GAC then I will follow suit.

Happy Holidays everyone!

 

[deepseadan]

Very good information here.
I am having same issue about colors on my sps.
My tank is almost a cube (48x40x22).
I have a tek t5 lamp with 8 bulbs ( 6 blue plus, 1 coral plus and 1 purpleplus).
About filtration, I have an octopus extreme 300 skimmer, one vertex uf-20 reactor with gfo and vertex uf-20 reactor full of vertex biopellets. I have a Rx1 aquac calcium reactor.
For circulation I have 5 koralias 1400 and one vortech mp40.
My parameters are:
Ca:450
Kh: 9
Mg:1300-1350
No3: 0
Po4: 0
Salinity: 35

13 fishes

I am planning to add more fishes, maybe 5 more anthias, and 10 more chromis viridis.
After read, I think the problem can be the biopellets as they maintain at zero the no3 and po4.
After installing them, my chaeto stopped to grow.

Corals are still growing, but they are very pale.
What do you think?

Any news updates on your tank?

Joe, I really love your tank.

Thanks!! Great post!!


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Remember that if a sps coral grows that "usually" means your reef has the elements / minerals it needs for the calcification process to take place. Just because a coral grows, that doesn't mean it's in the optimum environment though. Sps as everyone knows have algae and that's the reason for the color. Algae needs food / nutrients as well light. In simple terms I view nitrates like fertilizer, just like the fertilizer you throw on your grass which has nitrates as well. How can you expect the algae on your sps to grow when other algae such as chaeto won't even grow ( of course lack of iron can cause chaeto issues as well). Also, everyone first blames light as the problem. In all my experience light generally isn't, especially nowadays with all the high par t5, mh and even LED. Good water chemistry gives you color to work with and light either makes it better or worse.

 

[kissman]

Remember that if a sps coral grows that "usually" means your reef has the elements / minerals it needs for the calcification process to take place. Just because a coral grows, that doesn't mean it's in the optimum environment though. Sps as everyone knows have algae and that's the reason for the color. Algae needs food / nutrients as well light. In simple terms I view nitrates like fertilizer, just like the fertilizer you throw on your grass which has nitrates as well. How can you expect the algae on your sps to grow when other algae such as chaeto won't even grow ( of course lack of iron can cause chaeto issues as well). Also, everyone first blames light as the problem. In all my experience light generally isn't, especially nowadays with all the high par t5, mh and even LED. Good water chemistry gives you color to work with and light either makes it better or worse.

Macro's are growing in sump. I have cut off vinegar, GAC, and GFO will see what happens.

 

[kissman]

Well just to give an update. Got a call from my roommate this morning that my Mag Drive pump was not pumping so I had to come home a day early Had a spare Impellar put it in an cranked it up. Tank dropped from 79-74 degrees but everything looks as it did when I left Sat so i assume the corals are ok. I did go ahead and take the GFO offline.

 

[deepseadan]

Well just to give an update. Got a call from my roommate this morning that my Mag Drive pump was not pumping so I had to come home a day early Had a spare Impellar put it in an cranked it up. Tank dropped from 79-74 degrees but everything looks as it did when I left Sat so i assume the corals are ok. I did go ahead and take the GFO offline.

I wouldn't take the gfo offline. Nitrates are what you want to slightly raise not po4. I can almost guarantee your po4 are not zero. Po4 is constantly added to your system every time you feed and is being consumed by your macro algae in your sump. That's why it's growing. I'm sure your sps are getting the tiny bit they need even with gfo. Just my thoughts.

 

[kissman]

I have been doing a lot of reading on lighting over various different 55g and 75g tanks. Its amazing some of the colors with only a 4x54w bulb T5. Yet I can't do it with a 6x54w. I still wonder if its part of the problem? My Greenbirds nest looks better where it gets less light. The top of the branches looks worse and don't have the polyp extension that underneath has. I am still thinking of running 2 bulbs 10am-12pm, 4 bulbs from 12-7-pm and 2 bulbs from 7-9pm.

 

[kissman]

sorry double post

 

[deepseadan]

I have been doing a lot of reading on lighting over various different 55g and 75g tanks. Its amazing some of the colors with only a 4x54w bulb T5. Yet I can't do it with a 6x54w. I still wonder if its part of the problem? My Greenbirds nest looks better where it gets less light. The top of the branches looks worse and don't have the polyp extension that underneath has. I am still thinking of running 2 bulbs 10am-12pm, 4 bulbs from 12-7-pm and 2 bulbs from 7-9pm.

Different sps need different amounts of light. Birds nests do need a lot less light than other sps. My old pink birds nest was very happy under pc's. With your lights, I would put a birds nest as low as you can go. Same for some monti's. My green, blue, and sunset monti's all prefer lower par and my orange, and digitata prefer more. All my acros but one prefer more light. Your light will probably grow any sps you want if you place your corals correctly. Also, you can lower your par in certain areas a bit by switching bulbs around. Throw in an ati actinic to replace a blue, coral plus for a aquablue special. Or just put higher par bulbs in the front of your tank or where you have more depth and put lower bulbs above he rock where you have more shallow depth. Also you may less par on the sides of you tank depending on bulbs. Also a 12 hour photo period is to long in my experience. I run my mh 8 hours with no supplements. My two brothers both have 4 bulb t5 fixtures and run a photo period of 6 hours and their sps look great. I just want more time to view my tank.

 

[kissman]

Different sps need different amounts of light. Birds nests do need a lot less light than other sps. My old pink birds nest was very happy under pc's. With your lights, I would put a birds nest as low as you can go. Same for some monti's. My green, blue, and sunset monti's all prefer lower par and my orange, and digitata prefer more. All my acros but one prefer more light. Your light will probably grow any sps you want if you place your corals correctly. Also, you can lower your par in certain areas a bit by switching bulbs around. Throw in an ati actinic to replace a blue, coral plus for a aquablue special. Or just put higher par bulbs in the front of your tank or where you have more depth and put lower bulbs above he rock where you have more shallow depth. Also you may less par on the sides of you tank depending on bulbs. Also a 12 hour photo period is to long in my experience. I run my mh 8 hours with no supplements. My two brothers both have 4 bulb t5 fixtures and run a photo period of 6 hours and their sps look great. I just want more time to view my tank.

what size tank do they have the 4 T5's on?

 

[deepseadan]

60"L x 18"W x 24"Deep & 48"L x 18"W x 24" Deep. 110 gallon and 90 gallon

 

[kissman]

If he is running 4 T5's on tanks that size then 6 over a 55 could be to much

 

[deepseadan]

If he is running 4 T5's on tanks that size then 6 over a 55 could be to much

I don't think you have to much light. I have three 250 watt mh with high par reflectors on my 6ft 24" deep tank and I know I have higher par / more light than you do. I have 3 times the par of my brothers tank when we tested par on the Sandbeds. At the top of the tank I have 5 times the par. My birds nest does fine near my Sandbed, and so do my montis.

 

[kissman]

I wish i could get my hands on a PAR meter. Nobody in this area has one that i know of

 

[potterjon]

I am tagging along on this one. I don't think you have too much light but I would cut it back. I recently cut back on my daylight photo period to 4.5 hours and have better color than i did before. I started at 8hrs daylight several years ago and then cut back to six or so and now I am at 4.5.
Actinics are 11 hours. I say actinics but I mean bluer bulbs.
I also sort of gave up and walked away from my tank for like 6 months. Just didn't have the time or money honestly to deal with it. I did very little maintenance, and my corals have never looked better.
Two bulbs are out on the left side of the tank and I swear that side has more color. I have identical corals on left and right. Same corals from the same frag. The right side may have the same color but the light is brighter so I may just perceive it differently.
Lower photo period and dirty it up a bit. See what happens. If you have the patience I guess you would do one at a time. But that takes waaaaaay too long.

 

[kissman]

a few yearsb ago this tank had nitrates at 160ppm+ I have all the patients in the world when it comes to my tank, lol

 

[kissman]

Nitrates are still zero on Red Sea Pro test kit, color is blue. I have cut water changes down to once a week 5-7g. Feeding 1 cube a day and every 3rd day adding a cube of Rotifers or a spoon of Reef Chili. No change in corals yet, maybe a little more polyp extension but not enough to be sure.

 

[Confuse]

Following this thread! I've been having a similar problem on my 50g cube while running GFO and dosing vinegar. My corals are pale and not growing. I'm considering cutting the vinegar and keeping the GFO online. I get 0's across the board as well.

 

[lokii_37]

Great thread!! I have a similar issue. I am running a 6 bulb t5 on my 75. I have been dosing carbon but I don't run GFO or GAC. I have good growth but very pale corals. My frogspawn is even translucent like the one in your picture.
I did have a huge HA issue bit I took down my tank to move it to another stand. I took out my 3" sand bed and a month later no HA but the corals are still very pale. I have noticed my corals have better PE after I feed oyster feast.

 

[kissman]

Following this thread! I've been having a similar problem on my 50g cube while running GFO and dosing vinegar. My corals are pale and not growing. I'm considering cutting the vinegar and keeping the GFO online. I get 0's across the board as well.

Great thread!! I have a similar issue. I am running a 6 bulb t5 on my 75. I have been dosing carbon but I don't run GFO or GAC. I have good growth but very pale corals. My frogspawn is even translucent like the one in your picture.
I did have a huge HA issue bit I took down my tank to move it to another stand. I took out my 3" sand bed and a month later no HA but the corals are still very pale. I have noticed my corals have better PE after I feed oyster feast.

Please do follow along, and join in and post what you have tried, going to try, results anything that could help anybody that is following this thread. The more people we have trying to solve the mystery the better! Placed my order for my new ATI Bulbs a few minutes ago should have next week! :celeb2:

I am wondering how many people add Phytoplankton to there tanks? If so should it be live or how is the ESV Freeze Dried Phyto I do feed Reef Chili and Frozen Rotifers is this enough or should I use live Phyto and if so where is a good place to get it?

 

[mtaswt]

I am just starting to experience some of what y'all are talking about. I tested my Po4 and it was at 0 per the Hanna Checker. I have always had at least some Po4 so now I'm going to try and raise that up to see if the colors improve.....I hope so because I'm getting worried it may be something else, but everything else is spot on as it usually is.

Good luck to everyone in your quest to improve things!