pale sps - another thread

[parrotchute]

Ok, I've been reading through several threads on SPS fading, especially with biopellets. I have a 150 gallon SPS tank with a UV, BRS Biopellets, and an Octopus skimmer. I'm also running AI leds.

I'm having somewhat pale/pastel colors and limited growth. From the research on other threads, I definitely think my nutrients are too low. I feed my fish (convict, tomini, purple tang, foxface, 2 clowns, and a mandarin dragonet) fairly heavily, but still have 0's across the board for pho, no2, no3, and amm. Alk is slightly low at 7.2 with CA at 600.

Should I reduce lighting, eliminate the pellets, or increase feeding?

 

[kawicivic]

What's your mag?

IMHO your calcium is too high. I would work on getting it between 400 & 450.

After a few weeks like that, I would look into the other things you were talking about.

Also what are your LEDs at? I know some people dont get the color they want from LEDs an other get great color. Might be another thing to look at.

 

[parrotchute]

Thanks for the response. I'll check my mag but last time it was over 1200. Not sure why my ca is so high. I haven't been dosing ca since its currently being replaced at a greater rate by water changes.

My LEDs are at about 85% for four hours and ramp up/down over 4 hours. (total photoperiod 12 hours probably averaging 40-50% over that time)

 

[parrotchute]

Will high calcium cause similar symptoms?

 

[SpinyReef]

no, however fading could be a result of very low nutrients, too much light, light shock or pests. How long have you had your AI fixture for?

 

[parrotchute]

I've had it since the tank started, in October.

 

[smokenax]

+on low nutrients,try some reefbooster weekly that works for me

 

[parrotchute]

Reefbooster, eh? That stuff looks a little gimecky and expensive!

 

[jcw]

ai at 80% is pretty bright for new corals depending on placement. I've bleached coralline and corals with the leds. Much less forgiving a light than t5's. how long have you had the lights and how long the corals and when did the bleaching start?

 

[rc1626]

As explained lights could be your issue but I'm leaning towards too low of nutrient levels. I had my issues with biopellets as well and no longer use them. Aside from pale SPS colors I found that it was difficult to determine how much to use and then have to feed the tank excess to keep nutrient levels in a desired spot. A waste of food if you ask me. I switched to NO3PO4X along with Red Sea's NO3 & PO4 test kits and have been very happy. Now I feed what I normally would and match the dose of the NOPOX to keep my levels where they need to be. NO3 is right at .50 and PO4 is between .01 and .03. Colors have never looked better. No more GFO either. keeping my NO3 @ .50 has allowed some GHA to grow back but not a whole lot. And before using the NO3PO4X I had some cyano problems and hoped this would fix it but it hasn't.

I know I sound like I'm a Red Sea company person and I'm honestly not. I just know exactly where you are at and wanted to share my positive experiences that I had with a different method.

This is basically the same as Vodka / Vinegar dosing at a greater cost. I tried it because there were specific directions/charts to follow in relation to dosing and I find the test kits to be accurate.

+1 on pests as well. They will certainly have an effect on color. Check and dip most new corals and QT if you can.

HTH

 

[parrotchute]

I've had the AI's for 2 years, on my old 75 before I got in to much SPS.
I have used my PAR meter to try (obviously hard to compensate w/LEDs) to match MH in output. I am reading absolutely 0 on Na/Ni/Amm/Pho, so I'm leaning towards low nutrients as well. I wish there was a better way to figure it out for sure! Anyone have an "acceptable range" PAR values?
I'm thinking of removing the biopellets, but that would leave me only with the skimmer and UV. Possibly, I could replace the pellets in the reactor with GFO....?

The corals have been getting paler basically since introduction. Not all of them do it. I have a nice blue acro and a slimer that are maintaining their color well.

 

[parrotchute]

 

[franklypre]

Any one of your options in post #1 will work to regain your color. You can feed something to the coral, remove the pellets, or you can reduce lighting. Which ever you prefer but Only do one of the three options, my suggestion is to feed.

 

[Reef Bass]

+1 for feeding.

 

[parrotchute]

Hmmm - I'm feeding a lot already, but maybe something more specific to SPS. I'm going to order some reef chili from BRS. I saw an article on ************ saying how it seemed to have good success in a scientific study.

Any thoughts on replacing the biopellets with GFO?

 

[psykobowler]

Oysterfeast and brightwell amino acid and a large water change with bump in magnesium. It gets a lot of the excess carbon out while feeding the corals. I switched back to vodka from biopellets in order to control my carbon dose. I dose carbon every 3rd day.

 

[daveonbass]

Looks and sounds like it could be lack of feeding (corals not fish) and maybe just that its a very new tank. There doesn't seem to be much coraline growth and maybe its just too new. The BP don't sound to me to be an issue. If they are keeping N and P levels low then they seem to be working.

Maybe some AA's or other coral food with a little less light for a while and I think your colors would come back. But also the corals are still "young" as just little frags. Sometimes there is a grow in period and once they get to be bigger colonies they color up better

 

[Vipete1985]

U should never run biopellets with a uv sterilizer it defeats the purpose by killing off the bacteria.... I'd try ramping up the lighting it looked kinda dim in the few pics of your tank and coral

 

[daveonbass]

Woah! If the corals are pale, there is a good chance that there is too much light. And considering the kind of light you have I would assume that you have more than enough light. If anything I would say maybe turning the lights down a bit. (intensity and duration)

A photo of a certain time of day using leds that ramp up and down is a terrible thing to use to judge is someone has enough light.

 

[daveonbass]

Woah! If the corals are pale, there is a good chance that there is too much light. And considering the kind of light you have I would assume that you have more than enough light. If anything I would say maybe turning the lights down a bit. (intensity and duration)

A photo of a certain time of day using leds that ramp up and down is a terrible thing to use to judge is someone has enough light.