red planet frag turning brown

[lovetoreef]

I have a nice red planet frag that has begun to loose its brilliant color ... it is no longer a bright red, but, shifting towards more of a brown color ... is this a high light coral?? it is currently under a 150 watt DE ushio ... about 10" below the water line, with the fixture mounted about 8" off the water surface ... thanks.

 

[t4zalews]

I'd check phosphate as the problem, this coral can adapt to different amounts of light, from reading..it tends to go more red the more light it recieves and keeps its green base better under lower light. How long have you had it in your tank? I know mine took longer than usual to settle in, but now it looks great.

 

[lovetoreef]

thanks for the reply - i have had the frag in the system for about 3 months ... it originally was under a supplemented light with par38's ... the color was much more vivid ... since then, i have moved the frag to a cube that was added to the system - plumbed in ... i even started running GFO about 3-4 weeks ago ... i will try moving it to a higher light area - thanks.

 

[Wd40]

FWIW, I had the same problem as you, bought it all nice and colorful and it turned brown for about 3 months! I moved it up to the highest point in my tank and that thing looks bright pink with green!! I say move him up..

 

[lovetoreef]

thanks guys - i switched the rp with a purple nana that wasn't loving all the light it was getting - we will see how things go over the coming months.