How do you 'read' your corals for nutrient levels.

[reefmutt]

I have often heard people say that they can tell the nutrient levels in their tanks based on the look of many or sometimes one specific coral in their tank..
I know this is as anecdotal and unscientific as it gets, but I'd be very interested to hear how some of you 'coral whisper'

I cannot really add much insight to this topic but I'm hoping Allmost will start things off.. :bounce1:

This isn't a joke or trying to be smarmy... I am honestly very curious..

 

[trueblackpercula]

Yes your statement is correct. Pyolp extension and good cold are clear indications Sps are being kept under good nutrient conditions. But also testing your water will guide you in the correct direction as well.

 

[Acronic]

Just look for the white text bubble above them that says "0.05ppm"

 

[rovster]

I use my bonsai as an example. It usually has a pretty nice dark blue base so,its great as a baseline because its so obvious. I notice that the base starts to brown or pale as nutrients go up and down. I have also noticed my zoas start to shrivel when salinity is high. I'm sure others will have more to add. It's funny you bring this up, because lately I've been paying close attention to certain things like algae on glass, and algae on plugs and I'm starting to pick up changes in parameters just by looking around. My hammer also shrivels with high salinity and high Alk.

 

[tinkerman]

I look for red/orange caps or rose bubble tips, the hotter pink the lower the nutrients.

 

[bdsage]

luv it...isn't this how they did it in the ''ol days''?

 

[Peter Eichler]

If my starburst cap starts to get pale/dule my nitrates are too low

 

[spieszak]

I have a couple of hitchhiker sponges, some yellow, one blue and of course pineapple. When they are growing nutrients are high, shrinking low, and when they aren't changing, that is when my tank is happiest.

 

[Allmost]

every tank and system is different. so the 'cause' can also be different in each case ...

best way to practice this, is to look at the tank, make notes, then test water.

for example ... I go home and notice the color of the tip growth on acros fading ... for my system that means start of alk burn ... I take a guess that alk would read at 8 [instead of the usual 7, and on its way up] I then test the water for all parameters, to prove or disprove myself ... then learn from it.

other symptoms would be base on the acros loosing tissue ...
color fading in red/oranges.
pocilopora looking less hairy ...
hystrix not showing PE.
clam mantle not opening fully.
bubble under the tissue.
darkening of colors or on other side paling out.

and so much more ...

depending on the method used to keep the reef tank, different changes might be needed to correct some ISsues ...

this is why I dont understand Thales thread ... cause change in N and P does change how my corals and tank looks[ okay I spend too much time looking at them with Macro lens] . yet he reports he sees no change what so ever with different N and P levels ! for good or bad.

 

[jda]

Bonsai for me too. I have real GARF from back in the late 1990s. When everything is going well, the purple is so intense that it is nearly black (kinda... hard to describe)... anything short of this is a sign of an issue.

I also look for PE on my ORA Red Planet. No PE means a picking fish or possibly pests. Green on my Red Planet is a sign of higher nutrients in my tank.

 

[reefmutt]

Thanks, guys..
I actually have one acro down at the bottom of my tank.. A plating acro that is quite yellow, green when happy.. When my no3 went to 0 for a while, I noticed this particular coral fade out quite a bit.. Here's pic.

You can see the lighter centre part. When n was 0 the whole coral was like that.. Now that my n is closer to 1, it has more colour..
I haven't tested my p in a while, though and it is probably above .1 and was even when n was 0..

 

[Dukester]

when my p04 creeps up this SSC goes pale brown, when i change my GFO within a week or so its goes back to this. i dont test po4 but when i did it held pretty steady at .03, so if this coral goes pale brown.. i need to change my gfo. pretty good indicator if you ask me ;-)

 

[AugustWest]

A lot of people state they also gauge their PO4 levels by checking the algae growth on the glass. I have read this alot but I never really know exactly what they mean.

Could somebody give me an example of what you are looking for and how you come to a conclusion that the PO4 is getting too high.

 

[chopper320]

Just the algae film that you get in your glass. I have to run my mag float across the glass every 3-4 days. If the glass starts getting a film on it every couple of days, I know my phosphates are creeping up and it's time to change the gfo

 

[likefish]

If my starburst cap starts to get pale/dule my nitrates are too low

+1 this is also my indicator coral along with a blue rim green cap. When nutirent levels are good my colors are fantastic! when nutrients start to get too low they pale.

Currently struggling with turf algae issues and balancing algae removal with good colors is a challange.

 

[Bo0sted_Rafi]

I just see how many days the glass gets dirty! When my nutrients go over my parameter, the glass gets green in 1-2 days. When they are "on parameters" the glass tooks 4 days to gets dirty

 

[LoJack]

Just the algae film that you get in your glass. I have to run my mag float across the glass every 3-4 days. If the glass starts getting a film on it every couple of days, I know my phosphates are creeping up and it's time to change the gfo

Yup, frequecy of film removal on front glass is my P04 indicator as well.

I also have a Pocillipora that usually has an inch of polyp extension ... if its less than that, or no PE at all, I know I need to run some tests, usually salinity is the culprit.

 

[brad_G]

When the hair algae get so thick my hermits can't move I know I have a tab much nitrate/phosphate. When my fish float belly up I usually have an ammonia problem and when my sand is almost dry I know my salinity is usually a bit high so I add top off water!

Really though its amazing how corals can shift color by the slightest change in condition. I am still not good at reading them but if my purple rain gets washed out I know something is off. The tips change from purple to pastel almost blue.

 

[Renta]

:thumbsup:

 

[Ucantwin]

I figured I would bump this tread because I love these type of questions.