SPS color AGAIN!!!

[oneradtek202]

so IME so far, ive figured that SPS tend to color more as the grow into larger colonies. do little frags tend to show less color than a mature large colony? just wondering, if my sps will ever look like TOTM's lol

 

[myzislow]

IME it's a lot harder to keep large SPS colonies happy and well colored compared to small frags.

 

[sanababit]

^ what he said

sana

 

[oneradtek202]

hmm, well my tips of my SPS are very colorful, but teh body seems to be drab. My incredible hulk acro is brilliant green though. All else seems to be washed out.

use 2x250 watt radium 20k bulbs on PFO HQI ballast

10 gallon change a week with reef crystals

good flow with koralia 3, and 4, 600 gph return and maxijet 1200

my alk used to be around 7 until i finally started using kalk. The seachem calcium and alk boosters were not enough for my tank( i was up to 100ml a day each to keep it manageable)

also my temp for the summer was around 84 f. im thinking that might of caused the color loss also?

BUTTT

as it stands now

sal 1.025
temp 81-82
dkh- 8
calc- 420


whats the issue!!!! lol

 

[oneradtek202]

most recent pics i have of the tank, but these were taken during the low alk crisis

 

[SPSpirate]

it seems harder to give larger colonies enough flow sometimes..

 

[skyrne_isk]

wow onerad. a little OT, but I am most amazed by that nem (BTA, LTA?)....it is precariously close to being powerhead bait, lol. But bravo to you sir, that nem is quite finely balanced. As long as noooooothing changes, you are good. Sure makes me nervous, though.

 

[fishypets]

You could be starving you corals. What's your fish load and feeding habits? What skimmer are you running? You might try feeding the fish more and/or dosing amino acids. To me the colors look a little washed out from lack of nutrients. HTH

 

[oneradtek202]

thanks for the compliment on the Nem, its a Green BTA, and it recently budded off, and i took the opportunity to take the monster in for trade and keep a bud still. Ill just regrow another monster i think though


yea i was thinking about the low nutrients, i do 10 gallons a week in water changes, and feed a cube of mysis a day to 7 fish. one is a tang too. here are some RECENT pics taken today

Some new pics

 

[oneradtek202]

 

[carman9941]

Colors seem just fine to me

 

[oneradtek202]

not TOTM color though, how the heck u get it like that?

 

[carman9941]

Time, start with colored up corals to start with oh.....and photoshop the heck out of your pics......j/k

 

[fishypets]

You have some skills when it comes to taking pictures Brandon, nice job.

As far as the colors go, they looked "starved" out to me which is good because it's an easy problem to fix. Here is what I recommend you try.

Start feed P.E. Mysis shrimp and feed two cubes a day vs. one cube a day. Try this for two weeks and review your progress, if you're still not seeing much change start adding amino acids (I prefer ZEOvit AA'S)

Then report back in this thread with pictures so we can all see!

Good luck,

Clint

 

[oneradtek202]

will definately give that a try, im just up for trying a little bit of anything at this point.

would cyclopeez do good too at night?

 

[oneradtek202]

hey, check out my Poll about this color issue here and place your vote!
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1708261

 

[oneradtek202]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15717422#post15717422 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by skyrne_isk
wow onerad. a little OT, but I am most amazed by that nem (BTA, LTA?)....it is precariously close to being powerhead bait, lol. But bravo to you sir, that nem is quite finely balanced. As long as noooooothing changes, you are good. Sure makes me nervous, though.

you know what? i actually MOVED my whole tank a month ago, and the nem stayed in the same spot haha

 

[philipchan]

OMG your pics are so nice, may I ask what camera you use?
and special marco lens?

 

[muzz]

I do not think the corals look starved, as the tissue is not shrunken against the skeleton, it is swollen and appears healthy. The color is more realistic to what you see in the tank. A little exposure changes and photoshop could make those corals look very colorful. Many are using it lately.

The bonsai or tri color(last pic) looks very good, although it may appear a little pale in the tips, but that oculd be from overexposure in the pic. The Cali tort looks exactly how a cali tort looks, green interior with blue tips and blue polyps near the tips. The blue tenuis looks like a blue tenuis where tips are blue and body can be anywere from green to tan. Birdsnest looks good also.

Top down shots, since they show the tips for the most part, always seem to make a coral look more colorful. Shooting from the side lets you see the parts of the coral that do not always get the best light. I think your corals look good, but adding amino acids, vit. c, or vitamin supplements can improve or darken colors a little. A lot depends on the piece you started with, as some corals will never be anything more than a dull coral no matter what you do to it.

 

[Stanley-Reefer]

try some Ocean Nutrition oyster feast, a littel Rod's food for you fishes about 15 min before lights out.

Also Kent coral accel is a good cheap source of AA...