Problems keeping corals blue

[jackson6745]

High po4. If you get your hands on a Hanna meter you will see that your PO4 is not .02. Tanks that have .02 phosphates don't have so many brown corals. I would run a lot of GFO and replace it monthly (or sooner)

 

[purplereef]

How many frags do you have in that 120? Also your problem might be Potassium.

 

[nait002]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9291670#post9291670 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jackson6745
High po4. If you get your hands on a Hanna meter you will see that your PO4 is not .02. Tanks that have .02 phosphates don't have so many brown corals. I would run a lot of GFO and replace it monthly (or sooner)

My water tests are performed on a $50,000 water tester at UWM. I am sure my phosphates are at .02. Usually it is at .01. I always replace my GFO when my phosphates get to .03.

 

[nait002]

I wouldn't just go dumping GFO to take out po4. That can cause more harm than good if it is brought down to quick.

 

[nait002]

Re: Problems keeping corals blue

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9284563#post9284563 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nait002
There are also around 40 different SPS corals and a couple lps.

 

[jackson6745]

OOOOOOOOOOOOK

 

[nait002]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9292320#post9292320 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nait002
My water tests are performed on a $50,000 water tester at UWM. I am sure my phosphates are at .02. Usually it is at .01. I always replace my GFO when my phosphates get to .03.

jackson my post was not meant to come across snotty. I wouldn't post .02 without knowing it was really .02. Sorry if it came across bad............

 

[jackson6745]

LOL...no worries

Well if you're certain that it is not your phosphates or high nutrients for that matter, I would suggest you try dipping a few corals in Tropic Marin Pro Cure to check for AEFW's.
You could also change to Reeflux 10k's on electonic ballasts. These bulbs make blues POP!

You should try a fully colored frag from another reefers tank. If you put it in your tank and it browns, your PO4 is high....I don't care if you test on a million dollar piece of equipment

Anyway, hope you find the cause. Good luck

 

[JB NY]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9287485#post9287485 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nait002
What are your nutrients at for comparison?

You should have little if any algae growth on the rocks. You should be able to go 5-7 days without cleaning your glass. Meaning at about the 6-7 day mark you should start noticing some algae film on the front glass of the tank.

Of course you should have zero NO3 and PO4 but there are other things we can not test for, so the lack of algae and glass test should be helpful.

 

[nait002]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9293797#post9293797 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jackson6745


You should try a fully colored frag from another reefers tank. If you put it in your tank and it browns, your PO4 is high....I don't care if you test on a million dollar piece of equipment

I do have a blue and purple tort with green polyps that I got as a frag around a month ago. The colors are still great. It seems to only happen on larger pieces. I must also say my polyp extension is HUGE all the time. They are out so far on some of the corals that you can't see the skin of the coral.

 

[nait002]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9295778#post9295778 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JB NY
You should have little if any algae growth on the rocks. You should be able to go 5-7 days without cleaning your glass. Meaning at about the 6-7 day mark you should start noticing some algae film on the front glass of the tank.

Of course you should have zero NO3 and PO4 but there are other things we can not test for, so the lack of algae and glass test should be helpful.

You are correct. I have no algae on my rocks, substrate of pumps. There is a little algae in my fuge with the cheato. And when I say little i mean the size of my thumb. But that is the only place it is. I clean my glass every 4-5 days sometimes longer. It's usually at the 5 day mark when the film algae starts to grow on the glass. If I leave the film algae it will usually go away on it's own unless I feed heavy.

 

[prugs]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9296662#post9296662 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nait002
You are correct. I have no algae on my rocks, substrate of pumps. There is a little algae in my fuge with the cheato. And when I say little i mean the size of my thumb. But that is the only place it is. I clean my glass every 4-5 days sometimes longer. It's usually at the 5 day mark when the film algae starts to grow on the glass. If I leave the film algae it will usually go away on it's own unless I feed heavy.

I have seen nait002's tank & setup. Very nice with lots of FAST coral growth.

He does have his tank upstairs in the living room. There is some indirect sunlight that gets to the tank. I would suspect, that is the reason he has to clean the glass.

Large aqua cultured colonies are usually grown in tropical regions with direct sunlight. We cannot provide this type of lighting living in the great lakes region of the US. I also suspect this is the reason for the loss of color.

I have some aqua cultured pieces that kept their blue & some that have only have blue on the newer growth.

P.S. Tasha is hot. But I'm not smelling those fingers :lol:

 

[JB NY]

hmmm. I'm not sure what the problem is then. I've always had best luck with 10K bulbs in getting and keeping blue color. But even when using 14K bulbs I still had them keep their blue color just not as nice.

 

[poknsnok]

I tested my po4 twice 2 days ago and got .02 Immediately then .01 after 3 mins on my Hannah.. I get noticible film on the glass after 4 days. My no3 was zippo... I was pleased

 

[DMK]

my blues are good, but i can't get this damn birdsnest to pink up.

 

[nait002]

Got my tests back today.
NO3 1.69
NO2 .01
PO4 .01
NH3 .01
Ca2 417.08

I upped my lighting 45 minutes today to 8.75 hours a day. I am also going to stop with the Essential Elements and Coral Vite. I am also started feeding the corals Eric Bornmans recipe for coral food.

I read this article yesterday and found it very informative. It's a good read. Talks about colors in corals..
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/12/aafeature2

DMK, My birdsnests are as high in the tank as I can get them. They get pounded with light. 1 is about 2" from the surface and the other is 7" from the surface. They also receive a lot of flow.

 

[DMK]

your birdsnest real pink? i have heard some say they need to be under high light, and some say opposite.

 

[nait002]

Here's 2 of them..................

 

[gnatp2]

Any new findings? I'm having similar issues and wondering if you've had any luck or new ideas on the source of your problem

Nate

 

[Vanquish]

I personally tink that the other corals in the tank seem to signal that the nutrients are high... although somehow the po4 manages to keep low...

The 2 pieces shown that is supposed to be blue dun look like easy corals too, as evident by their very brown lower body...

I would suggest to upgrade the skimmer and maybe to increase photo-period to 10 hours and maybe deploy GAC/ozone...

Just my $0.02...