How to Keep Mushroom Color

[chris melb]

Ive read most posts here on keeping mushroom colorful, from what i have read, i understand that if they are turning brown, or browning, they are in low light conditions, or have too much nutrients in the tank, which sparks increase in zooanxthelle, the appropriate spectrum would be 20,000K for colour, as flourscent pigments are produced to help block the UV is this correct?

I have some Mush Discomsa, in my tank under NO 10,000k, + actinic, and they spread out alot and looks brown, however the same mushroom though when it shrinks visually looks more colourful, but the more it expands the browner its get. Would an increase in light say to T5HO help keep the color?

 

[chrisstie]

If you have the capability to try this I would, but would try to find a way to acclimate them to the new lighting condition. The lights you have now are PC or? i think each kind of lighting you can find bulbs in different spectrums but i'd assume since you want to be brighter that is the case.

 

[chris melb]

NO fluroscent lighting, im just wanting to maintain the best colors, Mushrooms have some really nice colours. Just wondering what lighting people are using to keep good colored mushrooms

 

[cowboyswife]

I have t5s and my shrooms all keep beautiful colors.

 

[chrisstie]

Me too -just T5s in fact.. I have some under just PC lighting in my aquapod nano and they are okay but t5\ bluer lighting brings it out better

 

[Navyblue]

A question, do they look better under bluer lighting because it induces them to produce more fluorescing pigments? or just that the light cause the pigments to fluoresce without any changes in the pigment concentration?

 

[chris melb]

Interesting question, from my readings, i think it may be that the bluer light has more UV? and this may cause the corals to produce more fluroscent pigments to block UV, - i could see how this could make sense, but it could also be much simpler as u mentioned that the blue light actually cause the pigments to fluoresce without any changes in the pigment concentration.

But i have always wondered why corals have such fluroscent colours to begin with, they obviously must serve some purpose.

I am in the process of getting some T5 HO, id like to see what happens to colours. Ill post pics of changes - before and after, ill wait a couple of weeks for acclimation to T5 HO also

 

[Navyblue]

I have a yellow leather coral. It was very bright yellow when I got it.

At first I put it under about 150W of PC and T5, it gets browner and browner to a point that it looks just like another brown leather that I had.

Then I upgraded to a 150W DE MH which comes with a BLV 10000K bulb, it lightens up considerably.

Then I swapped the bulb to a BLV 20000K bulb, it darkens again, but still better looking then it was under PC.

Thus it makes me wonder if intensity or colour temperature is more important in developing coral's pigmentation, and if bluer light is just to make them look better without any change in pigmentation.

 

[chrisstie]

You might try asking in the lighting\filtration\equip forum? I can only begin to guess at an answer

 

[itz frank]

The reason most blue is better is because colors of the spectrum begin losing color and intensity at certain depths.

 

[Navyblue]

You have a point, in the nature most corals (except very shallow reef coral) receive mostly blue part of the spectrum. If this is the case, then the bulb that has the best PAR wouldn't necessarily gives the best coloration.

Since most mushrooms are considered "low light" corals, I guess either they grow in shades of shallower reef or deeper part of the reef, which support the idea of them liking bluer light.

But to complicate the issue, I think there are studies somewhere (don't ask me where) that says corals are actually highly adaptive in the spectrum that they can utilise.

Though there are still many questions unanswered, I think I'm pretty close to swapping my bulb to Phoenix 14000K bulb.