How to keep rainbow colors on SPS?

[saltywet]

I have this coral sitting at about 500 PAR LED lighting (Kessil AP700) for 2 months initally (It has turned all purplish blue instead of the rainbow colors shown originally.)
Now I keep it at 300 PAR under LED lighting. It is still purplish blue.
I run a deeper blue, but not a royal blue on my LED along with red and green channel) to try and get a 14Kish look.

Can you share your experience on what PAR or Kelvin or wavelength of light (i.e. blue vs royal blue vs actinic blue) helped kept your rainbow colored SPS from turning into one color?


For simplicity sake, let's not worry about NO3, P04, ALK, and CA+ because we all strive for ideal water chemistry. However, could lighting be likely a greater variable for rainbow colors? Since we all use different lighting system and kelvin colors.

I think everyone loves to try to have a rainbow colored SPS, but I haven't found much info about what may help bring out these colors. Maybe this thread can help everyone out?

If you think it is not about lighting, but something else. Please share your insight as well.

Thanks in advance

 

[bif24701]

Following


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[itz frank]

If the photo that you're sharing is from the seller and you can't duplicate it. I'm sorry to say you won't ever achieve it. Those colors are photoshopped. Now, if that is an actual photo of the coral in your tank prior to all blue, than maybe you need to let it settle for awhile before you see it again.

My money is on the first.


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[saltywet]

Yes the photo is from distributor to my local reef store.
However, it did have blue, green, and hints of pink after shipment to our local reef store prior to buying it. Colors did dull out. So your probably right itz frank.

However, what about those other rainbow frags out there. I want to know how they are keeping their color.

 

[codydemmel4]

I'm im interested in this too. I have rainbow colors on some of my milles but not throughout the whole coral. It's just different colors on the grow upwards and on my base

 

[reefmutt]

If the photo that you're sharing is from the seller and you can't duplicate it. I'm sorry to say you won't ever achieve it. Those colors are photoshopped. Now, if that is an actual photo of the coral in your tank prior to all blue, than maybe you need to let it settle for awhile before you see it again.

My money is on the first.


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+1 on the ultra saturation of the vendor photo. It's not really possible to maintain or duplicate those colours..
I have had so many corals completely change colours on me after purchase and also over the years that, to me, trying to discuss colour change and not talk about nutrients, alk, trace elements along with par and spectrum is near impossible.
Once you've achieved the parameters you want and they are stable, you have light intensity, spectrum and duration do play with as well as the dosing of various trace elements..
That coral looks like a light loving coral..
Have you considered fragging it and putting it in two or three places in your reef at the same time?

 

[Piper27]

I agree with reefmutt.

I got a piece very similar to this one which was very different in the original picture. Taken with heavy blue leds and a filter and lrobably a good amount of Photoshop. None the less a beautiful coral but it's not really rainbow colors unless your looking at it through all blue lights, a gel filter, and a Photoshop program
I guess you could grow it under all blue leds and keep two colors on it but I have found that if you do that and put it in a different tank, the colors are not really there. Just what the blue light made it look like.
The piece was probably fairly new and transitioning from ocean water to an aquarium, plus stressed some from shipping. It had hints of green in the base some good pinks but no purplish blueish colors like the photo.

This is the piece i got.

Here it is now that it's acclimated to high light.
It may develope one of thoes colors over a little time once it starts to grow but doubtfully all of them.

I would say any true tricolored or rainbow piece doesn't need special conditions to have its colors come out. Just a stable tank with adequate sps keeping requirements.


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[saltywet]

Reefmutt,

I have not fragged it up to put in different locations. The coral has been with me for 5 months now. I just placed it at the bottom of my tank (about 150 par). I will see if I get a brown coral or some other colors.

 

[saltywet]

Piper27,

Thank you for posting your pictures and sharing thoughts and your experience.

I agree vendor pictures are always over saturated. At least I hope this thread may help others in deciding if they want to try a tri-color/rainbow color coral.

Have you tried placing your coral under lower light to see if other colors will show up?

The reason I ask, is my experience with smooth deep water corals. If I blast it with too much light, it looks bleached out. When I find just the right light, it shows the dual tone deep water colors. Maybe if we blast tri-colors with too much light or too little light--we get one color?