highquality
New member
ive had complete white with blue tips go to complete purple and the purple polyps with green body and back to purple (dark) with bright blue tips
My T5 55g tank....and coral lightening
- Thread starter dvanacker
- Start date
highquality
New member
almost at 100 posts
Chip Douglas
New member
How your corals look is the same way some of ours looked from being under 10k XM halides for too long. We cut the photoperiod from 9 hours to 7 hours per day and within two weeks there was a great improvement in both growth and color. I agree that intensity is your problem.
Jacob D
New member
I have been wondering for awhile now what's up with my pastel colored corals. I have been able to get some of them to color up, for instance this prostrata was a 1" brown frag about a year ago...
I have a blue tip millie with pink base that has gotten really light, also grown from a frag. The only other acro that I have is a cali tort which is mostly greenish purple with bright purple tips, it could look a lot better. I had never considered that they might be getting too much light. I have 6x54w on standard ballasts with SLR reflectors.
Blue+
Aqua
Blue+
Sun
Blue+
Aqua
My photo period is 8 hours per pair, staggered 1 hour apart. So from 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM. The bulbs are about 4" above the water line. I wonder what would be a better experiment, raising the lights or reducing the photo period?
I have a blue tip millie with pink base that has gotten really light, also grown from a frag. The only other acro that I have is a cali tort which is mostly greenish purple with bright purple tips, it could look a lot better. I had never considered that they might be getting too much light. I have 6x54w on standard ballasts with SLR reflectors.
Blue+
Aqua
Blue+
Sun
Blue+
Aqua
My photo period is 8 hours per pair, staggered 1 hour apart. So from 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM. The bulbs are about 4" above the water line. I wonder what would be a better experiment, raising the lights or reducing the photo period?
Chip Douglas
New member
That's a good question...Danano runs his T5's 3" above the water surface I believe for an 11 hour photoperiod and his SPS look incredible:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=541121&perpage=25&pagenumber=1
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-03/totm/index.php
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=812416&perpage=25&pagenumber=1
I have the same issues with my 4X48" overdriven (IC660)/SLR T5s (2X11K/2Xblue+). The lighting is as bright or brighter visually, even as compared to MH systems I have seen and given what I've read of the PAR rating on those bulbs, I am seriously thinking of raising them up as suggested above.
I have a couple of acros, a yellow porites and an M/digitata holding their own, keeping color up top, but stylos (pink and light blue)/pocillopora/psammacora only keep their colors on the bottom of the tank. I almost lost a pocillopora to bleaching up top, but the colors are coming back on the bottom. Some acros on the top (actually they are 8-12" from the lights) are looking a bit washed out, and I am thinking of lowering them.
I am wondering, how the URI (now UV lighting) T5 bulbs will work in this system, given they are supposed have the same or similar coloration as the URI VHO tubes. My bulbs will be a year old in a month or so, and I'll probably switch brands soon just to try the URI bulbs.
I have a couple of acros, a yellow porites and an M/digitata holding their own, keeping color up top, but stylos (pink and light blue)/pocillopora/psammacora only keep their colors on the bottom of the tank. I almost lost a pocillopora to bleaching up top, but the colors are coming back on the bottom. Some acros on the top (actually they are 8-12" from the lights) are looking a bit washed out, and I am thinking of lowering them.
I am wondering, how the URI (now UV lighting) T5 bulbs will work in this system, given they are supposed have the same or similar coloration as the URI VHO tubes. My bulbs will be a year old in a month or so, and I'll probably switch brands soon just to try the URI bulbs.
Jacob D
New member
It's tanks like his that have always made me think that it's just my husbandry. My theory after running T5's for the last couple of years is you can achieve greatness with them, but it adds a degree of difficulty over a typical MH setup - whatever the reason may be.
After reading all of the posts thus far I might start with something similar to what dvanacker did by fragging my pink/blue millie and putting it much lower in the tank. If it colors up I'll not only be shocked but I'll be building a pendant to hang all of my T5's from
DitchPlains2
In Memoriam
hehe
hehe
I am running the 8 bulb fixture less then 1 inch from the surface of the water, will no ill effects, no bleaching, nothing all my colors are intense limes, blues, turqouises, pinks, etc... I believe in the theory that nothing we use lighting wise at home can compare to the sun. In the words of Sting "there's nothing like the sun." I just think whats the issue is how well adapted or suited the corals are to the lighting, in that have they been given a period to adjust. I had recently one mille colony rtn on me for that reason I believe, as its the only one that did. I never acclimated it to the lighting at the surface.
cheers
David
hehe
I am running the 8 bulb fixture less then 1 inch from the surface of the water, will no ill effects, no bleaching, nothing all my colors are intense limes, blues, turqouises, pinks, etc... I believe in the theory that nothing we use lighting wise at home can compare to the sun. In the words of Sting "there's nothing like the sun." I just think whats the issue is how well adapted or suited the corals are to the lighting, in that have they been given a period to adjust. I had recently one mille colony rtn on me for that reason I believe, as its the only one that did. I never acclimated it to the lighting at the surface.
cheers
David
dvanacker
DID I SOUNDS SMRT??
Ditch...just a few things. No offence but from that pic the corals look a little bleached not intense. Could be the picture but im just pointing out what I see.
Also I do beleive we can out do the sun in an aquarium becuase the sun isnt 3 inches from the water and the corals are usually alot deeper then 6-0" under the water.
I do agree that a proper acclimatization period would help though.
Also I do beleive we can out do the sun in an aquarium becuase the sun isnt 3 inches from the water and the corals are usually alot deeper then 6-0" under the water.
I do agree that a proper acclimatization period would help though.
DitchPlains2
In Memoriam
hmmmm
hmmmm
Well, it's funny when people want to believe something they often see things that just aren't there. Here's more of my bleached corals.
None of my corals are bleached out at all. The only thing you might be mentioning, which I think you mean is the birdsnest in the corner, and it was like that from shipping, it is a bad pic. Nonetheless, we cannot duplicate the sun indoors, have you ever been snorkeling or are you (scuba certified) ? If so and you have gone diving in the tropics you will immediately know what I mean. There are literally flats, and flats of exposed sps corals baking in the hot Fijian and Indonesian sun, which is much hotter and intense then the light that hits our corals on our reefs at home. It's something amazing to see! I went to Tavarua it's a small island off of Fijii, it's actually a private island, to surf, and to snorkel. When I was there, we couldn't surf some spots due to low tide, and what we did do was take a skiff and head out to the exposed reefs to snorkel. The sps corals had been exposed for nearly 4 hrs before incoming slack tide. I can only relate this inference but they were "DRY" and it was 95+ bright sunny day, I have olive skin and I was wearing sunblock and still got some pinkness. I have worked under my MH, and gotten a very light burn on my skin and a uv burn in my eyes, after nearly 1 hr and 1/2 under HQI qith no shiled, but nothing compares to the hot tropical sun. Anyways, the point being, that I am sure if par studies were done, and I am sure they have been, they will show that the tropical sun completely out shines our T5's and MH. Now, if we suddenly take a captive coral from a low light or lesser light enviroment and then place it inches from our lighting, ofcourse it will bleach, the corals in the tropics are used to very stable enviorments where they are allowed to develop those beautiful brightly colored Uv pigments we love to help deal with UV.
cheers
David
hmmmm
Well, it's funny when people want to believe something they often see things that just aren't there. Here's more of my bleached corals.
None of my corals are bleached out at all. The only thing you might be mentioning, which I think you mean is the birdsnest in the corner, and it was like that from shipping, it is a bad pic. Nonetheless, we cannot duplicate the sun indoors, have you ever been snorkeling or are you (scuba certified) ? If so and you have gone diving in the tropics you will immediately know what I mean. There are literally flats, and flats of exposed sps corals baking in the hot Fijian and Indonesian sun, which is much hotter and intense then the light that hits our corals on our reefs at home. It's something amazing to see! I went to Tavarua it's a small island off of Fijii, it's actually a private island, to surf, and to snorkel. When I was there, we couldn't surf some spots due to low tide, and what we did do was take a skiff and head out to the exposed reefs to snorkel. The sps corals had been exposed for nearly 4 hrs before incoming slack tide. I can only relate this inference but they were "DRY" and it was 95+ bright sunny day, I have olive skin and I was wearing sunblock and still got some pinkness. I have worked under my MH, and gotten a very light burn on my skin and a uv burn in my eyes, after nearly 1 hr and 1/2 under HQI qith no shiled, but nothing compares to the hot tropical sun. Anyways, the point being, that I am sure if par studies were done, and I am sure they have been, they will show that the tropical sun completely out shines our T5's and MH. Now, if we suddenly take a captive coral from a low light or lesser light enviroment and then place it inches from our lighting, ofcourse it will bleach, the corals in the tropics are used to very stable enviorments where they are allowed to develop those beautiful brightly colored Uv pigments we love to help deal with UV.
cheers
David
dvanacker
DID I SOUNDS SMRT??
Ya Im scuba certified. In situations with SPS flats that are baking in the sun your probably right....we cant compete.
But I think its just a combination of things. The ocean is so stable and the environment is so perfect that maybe the corals can take the light from the sun and grow light crazy.
Were just trying to duplicate nature and I dont think anyone can do that to perfection. Maybe the environment (water ,flow, light) in combination does do things to our corals like make them lighter. I still think that in my situation its from the intense light....but I could be wrong.....anybody else.
But I think its just a combination of things. The ocean is so stable and the environment is so perfect that maybe the corals can take the light from the sun and grow light crazy.
Were just trying to duplicate nature and I dont think anyone can do that to perfection. Maybe the environment (water ,flow, light) in combination does do things to our corals like make them lighter. I still think that in my situation its from the intense light....but I could be wrong.....anybody else.
My issue seems to be the brightness. Some of my corals tend to get bleachy (as opposed to outright bleaching) at the top, others don't. Some have turned brown and some brown corals have colored up. Some may need more time to photoadapt, and maybe its due to some quirk in my system, the newness of my system (1 year now), a nail hidden in the rock 
-P) or just my impatience. my husbandry is far from perfect, and maybe I need a calcium reactor or something else to raise, lower or stabilize some water/physical parameter that I am just too much of a noob to recognize.
The reason I concluded that its the light is that I have a pink pocillopora that started out near the bottom. It looked fine, so after a few weeks I moved it to mid-tank. It started to lighten up, so I moved it back to the bottom and it is now bright pink and growing like a weed (I'd estimate it has grown 5X in mass since mid January, despite the acclimation problems). Same story with a pink birds nest and I am seeing the same with a light blue birds nest I recently acquired.
Also, my "stock" is only 4 months in my tanks and they are reefermadness' frag pack, and I asked for lower light SPS due to fear that the t5s weren't up to the task for the brighter-light loving Acros. I think I was wrong in that assumption. Those lights are STRONG. My bleached-looking corals may color up in time and I'm going to try a light-loving Acro to see what'll happen. I think it will fluorish higher in the tank as with my porites and a few of my more light-tolerant acros. My birds nest and pocilloporas are looking great at the bottom and I'm going to keep them there.
Sorry about rambling on - its an occupational hazard.
-P) or just my impatience. my husbandry is far from perfect, and maybe I need a calcium reactor or something else to raise, lower or stabilize some water/physical parameter that I am just too much of a noob to recognize.The reason I concluded that its the light is that I have a pink pocillopora that started out near the bottom. It looked fine, so after a few weeks I moved it to mid-tank. It started to lighten up, so I moved it back to the bottom and it is now bright pink and growing like a weed (I'd estimate it has grown 5X in mass since mid January, despite the acclimation problems). Same story with a pink birds nest and I am seeing the same with a light blue birds nest I recently acquired.
Also, my "stock" is only 4 months in my tanks and they are reefermadness' frag pack, and I asked for lower light SPS due to fear that the t5s weren't up to the task for the brighter-light loving Acros. I think I was wrong in that assumption. Those lights are STRONG. My bleached-looking corals may color up in time and I'm going to try a light-loving Acro to see what'll happen. I think it will fluorish higher in the tank as with my porites and a few of my more light-tolerant acros. My birds nest and pocilloporas are looking great at the bottom and I'm going to keep them there.
Sorry about rambling on - its an occupational hazard.
Horace
New member
I totally DO NOT agree with the whole "we cant duplicate the sun" crap. We totally CAN over-do it because the sun is not out for as many hours as we run our bulbs. Many folks out there run thier bulbs at full intensity for 12 hours a day. The sun is only super hot for about 5-6 hours a day tops. You also gotta keep in mind, in the wild there is such a thing as weather, and there are several days that there is cloud cover. Its not like in our tank where the optimal lighting conditions happen every day for 12 hours a day.
CeeGee
New member
The same thing is happening in my 39 gallon tank. I am running 4 X 39 watt T5's from reefgeek. Corals look bleached and faded. All water parameters are in check. I am also running a SSB.
Most of my SPS corals came from fishdoc11's tank (he runs halides) and they looked absolutely incredible while they were in his tank. I am ashamed of the condition that they are in though they are doing better than they were. I had to move my tank and when I moved it back I did the whole window screen thing to let the corals adapt to the T5 lighting again over a 6 week period. Now they look bleached as described by everyone else. I have good polyp extension again and some corals are starting to color but others look bleached.
I can't figure this out. I have heard over and over again how great T5's are but I am beginning to wonder. I had a feeling that I should have gone with MH but was assured that T5's are the way to go. So far I am thinking that my initial feelings were right. My wallet isn't as deep as other peoples and I am stuck with the T5's for now.
Ditch,
How long have you had those pieces? They look kinda small. Mine faded over a period of months.
Most of my SPS corals came from fishdoc11's tank (he runs halides) and they looked absolutely incredible while they were in his tank. I am ashamed of the condition that they are in though they are doing better than they were. I had to move my tank and when I moved it back I did the whole window screen thing to let the corals adapt to the T5 lighting again over a 6 week period. Now they look bleached as described by everyone else. I have good polyp extension again and some corals are starting to color but others look bleached.
I can't figure this out. I have heard over and over again how great T5's are but I am beginning to wonder. I had a feeling that I should have gone with MH but was assured that T5's are the way to go. So far I am thinking that my initial feelings were right. My wallet isn't as deep as other peoples and I am stuck with the T5's for now.
Ditch,
How long have you had those pieces? They look kinda small. Mine faded over a period of months.
Horace
New member
CeeGee, I suggest you raise the lights up about 6" if you can. See if that helps. I dont think its the T5s that are the problem, its that we dont understand them fully yet. Everyone assumes they are just strong enough to support SPS, when in reality they are more than we actually need. I know for a fact that my tank is visually brighter than all of my friends tanks. It is even brighter than my buddy who runs 1600w of 20k MH over his 240g w/ 210w VHO and 108w of T5.
hskim
New member
I just got home from Minnesota and I raised my T5s 7" from the water surface. I can't believe how pale my purple montipora digita looks from what I saw three days ago. The acropora's bleached base did not get any larger but the blue tips are little paler now. I only got these couple of weeks ago and they are already becoming pale. My german blue polyps are totally white. I'm going to leave my T5s at 7" from the surface and I'll see what happens next week.
Jacob D
New member
For those who suggested it could be an acclimation issue, that could be, but in my case these corals have been in my tank for over a year. My alk is low and my temps are running on the high side so I'm going to try to get a handle on things which I have let slip for awhile. Once all the params are good in check if I don't get better coloration I'll consider raising the lights. I have been getting pretty darn good growth though, in at least once case my growth is better than a friends tank with MH, which kinda makes me scratch my head.
Horace
New member
What part of that are you asking "how the hell is this possible"?? If your asking how is it possible that my tank is brighter than his..well that is something you will just have to see for yourself to believe. I have no interest in lieing about it...simply put, my tank looks to the eye, at least 50% brighter than his. 20k halides are not very bright at all. Even the 400w ones only put down just over 120ish PAR. My T5s put down right around that I think and my tank is 4" shallower....I would also like to note, that all of my buddies have 250w EVC 14k over thier 75g, 125g, and 29g... my tank is visually ALOT brighter than even the 29g with the 250w 14k on it. Every time they see my tank they are amazed how bright it is....That should tell you something....
