LTA losing color? Advice please.

[~RuSh~]

I did a 5g water change last night, so I'll do another tonight. Should I be concerned about the KH?

Any more comments about the lighting?

 

[ReeferBill]

For me a 29 gallon is hard to keep stable for that anem. I would add a refugium the same size as your display with live sand and live rock and cheato to help stablize or turn the 29 into a refugium and get a 46 bow for a display.. Good Luck!

 

[~RuSh~]

I have a 20g sump/refugium set up about a month ago. No chaeto yet, but soon.

 

[flakey]

when i first started out in marine, i bought a 2nd hand tank with an anemone and 150w MH. The nem was doing really well, then due to wanting to save a bit of money I decided to sell the MH and change to 4 D&D T5's. This was fine, but when it came to change theT5's I bought a relatively new brand because it was really cheap. My nem did the same as your's it went pale and shrunk over a period of a few months and eventually died. It was only after several more attempts with different nems that i came to the conclusion that the lighting was the problem. I've learnt that if there's anything you can't skimp on, its lighting. I've since bought reputable LED's and all corals in my tank are doing wonderfully. While this may not the problem with your tank it certainly is something you should try looking at. Hope your one makes it. It doesn't look very well, but it certainly looks like it will make a recovery if it is a lighting thing.

good luck

 

[~RuSh~]

Ok, so it's sounding more and more like the lighting is the cause of his decline. So I have a few questions:
1- is a 4x 24watt T5HO powerful enough for a LTA? (29g tank)
2- I swapped my old bulbs out about a month and a half ago from 10k(2) Actinic(2) over to ATI Coral plus(1) ATI Blue plus(2), ATI Purple plus(1) - is this the culprit? Do I need more 'white' light?

 

[flakey]

I just know that I went from very expensive T5's to probably the cheapest T5's which were supposed to be the same spec. I later did a really basic side by side comparision of their output and the old lights were still much brighter than the newer ones.
I don't know of the brands you mention as I am based un the UK so I guess your local LSF is your best bet or other fellow members of this forum can suggest something.
Are your other corals doing ok?

 

[~RuSh~]

A few weeks ago I let some corals of mine go to my brother because they were declining. Frogspawn, Hammer, Candy cane, and Trumpet. They declined very quickly though, too quickly for me to believe the light was the culprit.

The brand bulb I changed to are regarded as high quality as far as I know.

 

[~RuSh~]

Tonight I swapped one of the ATI Blue plus for a 10k bulb. I'm now running 1 10k, 1 Coral plus, 1 blue plus, and 1 purple plus.

We'll see if that makes a difference over time.

 

[~RuSh~]

Ok, so I think there has maaaaybe been some improvement. I swapped the bulbs on friday night so the Nem has only been under the 'new' lighting for a few days, but my wife mentioned that she thought there was more color. I haven't noticed much change but maybe I'll snap a pic at lunch to compare.

 

[~RuSh~]

Hmmm, I guess it looks the same. Maybe even a little worse...

 

[flakey]

I doubt there would be an improvement so quickly, maybe the lighting is making the nem look different. the nem might need some time to adjust to the new lights.

 

[~RuSh~]

Yeah, I know it's going to take time. I guess I'm just looking for any signs of improvement at this point.

 

[wonderz]

If the lighting was an issue, wouldn't the nem move to a higher ground by itself as oppose to staying in the sand for more lights?

 

[~RuSh~]

LTA's stick their foot in the substrate. BTA's climb for light. I'm no expert but I guess I would have thought it might have moved too.