novahobbies
New member
I could use some advice! This little kid is looking pretty sad. I bought a red Goniopora frag from ReefChicks a few months ago. I do not believe it is a captive bred specimen (Aly, please correct me if that's wrong!) but I know it was under the same cheap chinese lights in their tank before coming to live with me. In the beginning, I was seeing moderate polyp extension and a good red coloration:
But now? Now, the poor thing looks like this:
Yep. Pretty sad. VERY sad. And I'm hoping I can save it before it's too late.
Now, I've read that red Gonis are generally a little hardier than the greens. I spot feed it with goniopower roughly every week (pumps off, using the wide siphon tube to concentrate the food) and I DO see some polyp extension when I feed.
At first I thought my Blue/White LEDs weren't giving out the correct spectrum of light. After adding a few reds and greens to the mix, the coral actually looks worse. I'm now wondering if this is TOO MUCH light. The coral is roughly in the middle of the tank, in a proverbial "moderate light, moderate flow" spot....but I have some areas that are more shaded if need be. To give you a reference, my favites and favia have to be shaded, otherwise they bleach out even on the bottom of the tank.
So: I'd love some advice if anyone has an opinion to offer. Should I try to shade this, or am I thinking in the wrong direction? Should I try moving it UP? I think there might be a little too much flow here also...the shaded spot I was thinking of is also a little slower water.
Oh, and just for fun: Here's what the coral looks like under actinic LEDs, with a RED filter over the camera lens. No photoshop here, just old-fashioned camera work:
If it looks this cool now...can you imagine what it would look like when it's healthy?
But now? Now, the poor thing looks like this:
Yep. Pretty sad. VERY sad. And I'm hoping I can save it before it's too late.
Now, I've read that red Gonis are generally a little hardier than the greens. I spot feed it with goniopower roughly every week (pumps off, using the wide siphon tube to concentrate the food) and I DO see some polyp extension when I feed.
At first I thought my Blue/White LEDs weren't giving out the correct spectrum of light. After adding a few reds and greens to the mix, the coral actually looks worse. I'm now wondering if this is TOO MUCH light. The coral is roughly in the middle of the tank, in a proverbial "moderate light, moderate flow" spot....but I have some areas that are more shaded if need be. To give you a reference, my favites and favia have to be shaded, otherwise they bleach out even on the bottom of the tank.
So: I'd love some advice if anyone has an opinion to offer. Should I try to shade this, or am I thinking in the wrong direction? Should I try moving it UP? I think there might be a little too much flow here also...the shaded spot I was thinking of is also a little slower water.
Oh, and just for fun: Here's what the coral looks like under actinic LEDs, with a RED filter over the camera lens. No photoshop here, just old-fashioned camera work:
If it looks this cool now...can you imagine what it would look like when it's healthy?
