SPS colors lacking will Red Sea test help?

[wrimda]

Hello, We have been running a mixed reef for about a year with pretty good growth on our SPS, but lacking some color. We get good orange & green but have trouble with blues and purples.

Our question is would the Red Sea Pro colors test kit help?

Run T-5 lighting AB Spec / Bl +
PH low @ 7.9 Stable / closed house
Alk 9.6
Cal 425
Mag high @ 1475
Phos 0.00 with Hanna checker
Nitrate <.20
Amon <.25
Perameters stay stable
We dose BRS Two part
Tropic marin pro salt.

Get what I call pretty good growth on all sps. Example Orange Digi 5" colony to 12" colony in 10 months. Red Prostrada from 1 1/2 to 4" in 8 mo. Joe the coral from 3/4 frag to 3" sm colony in 8 mo. all these in good colors.

Now we get good growth with Teal acro 3" to 6" colony but more green now.
Blue stag great groth 1" to 4" colony in 9 mo but almost no color, same with Miami Orchid, and Purple acro.

We have good water flow with a Dart pump and Oceans motions, and a MP40.

Again would the Red Sea pro colors test kit help? We have never tested or dosed any of these elements. Potassium, Iodine, Iron.

Thank you Mike

 

[allsps40]

With Amon at .25 that is high, you want 0. Lighting flow and stability will bring out the colors. With a good salt and regular water changes potassium iodine and iron will be in the correct levels, these are used up in such small amounts that it is very rear to have low levels.

 

[RedSea Aviad]

Hi Mike,
The test kits will help.
By monitoring essential elements such as Iodine, Iron and Potassium and supplementing them to their desired levels, you might achieve the coloration you are looking for.
But to complete the picture, you will need sufficient light, low nutrients and proper energy form, for the corals, in order to compensate the lack of Zooxanthellae.
You can read more about it on Red-Sea’s website under the Reef Care Program(The RCP)
All the manuals, with the theory behind each step, are there for download under the “Support” label.
Even if you choose not to use our products, you will find the theory pretty helpful.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask on Red-Sea's Forum.

Good luck and hope you succeed.
Aviad

 

[allsps40]

LOL. Red Sea makes some great products dont get me wrong. But the last person I listen to is the one that gets paid to sell you stuff. Listen to others that have been there and are hobbyists. Do a search for iodine and potassium, you will find that it is very rare that they ever get depleted in a reef tank. Those that do are running ULNS bacteria driven reefs where that bacteria uses up large amounts of iodine and potassium to grow. I use Red Sea Coral Pro salt and have no need to dose or check for these and when I did have potassium check it was on the higher side. I do dose Lugols about 2 times a week though for my zoaz and leather, it is supposed to help with blues and purples in sps but I have never seen a difference.

 

[wrimda]

Thanks allsps40,

I ordered the pro colors test kit yesterday. At least we will see what the levels are at instead of guessing. I have read a little re the trace elements but have been disapointed with tropic marin pro salt. We have not dosed any Mag for a year and our level in the tank is 1475 - 1500 ppm, the last two buckets of TM pro when newly mixed at 1.026 reads above 1500 ppm on Salifert, Elos, and TM test kits. so I would feel better if we knew the actuall #'s.
Let me ask what you think about the Red Sea Coral Pro salt? I think its time to look at another salt! We emailed the TM rep re: the high mag levels and never received a reply.

Thanks again
Mike

 

[allsps40]

IMO it is ok but the alk is to high. I will be using normal Red Sea salt when this bucket is empty. It has the ca and mag I want when mixed to 1.025 but has a safer alk at around 10 instead of 14 in the Coral Pro. Overall quality of the salt is good, mixed clean and fast levels test right around what RSCP states on the bucket.