SPS Corals Losing Color

[dtum]

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong and I am sure this has been asked many times before, but I'm really puzzled. Any SPS I put in my tank seem to loose their colour and eventually become either just washed out or worse. :deadhorse1:

I've recently upgraded from 100 to 180 gallons (2 months ago), all of my parameters are in check:
Salinity: 1.025-1.026
PH: 7.9-8.1 (night/day)
Temp: 79
Alk: 7.5-8.5
Calcium: 380
Magnesium: 1350
Phosphate: 0.03
Nitrate: 0

I don't see any nuisance algae. Using chaeto for nutrient export. Extra live rock, beefy skimmer.

I've been dosing with AcroPower, feed SPS at least twice a week with PolypLabs.

My lighting is 8 bulb ATI SunPower (9'' from water surface). 2 bulbs come on for 12 hours, 8 bulbs are on for 3.5 hours (scaled back from 6 hours recently).

Tank dimensions are: 72 x 26 x 22.

Heeeeeelp! :dance:

 

[Dave & Monica]

My gut is to give it time, a new tank of 2 months needs time to settle.

 

[urbaneks]

How much is your alk swinging? You have a 1 dKH range listed which depending on how the swing is happening that could be a problem. If you have a doser setup, your dKH should not swing by more than .1.

Are you using any Aminos? This could help to add some coloration.

Lastly - agree with the last post, new tank and new lighting.

 

[d2mini]

I keep tellin ya... New tank syndrome!
I think it just needs time.
If all other parameters are checking out which they seem to be.
Only other thing I can think of is not enuff nutrients if nitrates are at zero.

 

[dtum]

How much is your alk swinging? You have a 1 dKH range listed which depending on how the swing is happening that could be a problem. If you have a doser setup, your dKH should not swing by more than .1.

Are you using any Aminos? This could help to add some coloration.

Lastly - agree with the last post, new tank and new lighting.

Alk is not swinging much - day to day it stays within 0.1 dKH. Over a few weeks it might drift by 1.0, but that's when I usually adjust.

I'm dosing Acropower which is an amino.

 

[dtum]

I keep tellin ya... New tank syndrome!
I think it just needs time.
If all other parameters are checking out which they seem to be.
Only other thing I can think of is not enuff nutrients if nitrates are at zero.

About nitrates.. I've seen quite a few really nice SPS tanks where nitrates were undetectable. But yes, mine have always been at zero for some reason.

 

[dtum]

Perhaps my lighting schedule needs to be tweaked?

 

[dtum]

My gut is to give it time, a new tank of 2 months needs time to settle.

Quite possible... but part of me really wants to speed this up

 

[ReeferJohn408]

I had the same dilemma before, lacking nutrients. My water was so clean, I barely have algae on my glass in 3-4 days range. I started feeding my fish, using oyster eggs for my corals, now they're encrusting and growing madly ( within acceptable range ) otherwise, you will encounter some bad algae.

 

[meshwheel]

feed it everyday 2-4 times. Get those nitrates up so they register at least with your test kit. Keep feeding. You will get algae. Thats normal. Clean the glass, add snails if needed. Your not feeding enough.............

 

[dtum]

I had the same dilemma before, lacking nutrients. My water was so clean, I barely have algae on my glass in 3-4 days range. I started feeding my fish, using oyster eggs for my corals, now they're encrusting and growing madly ( within acceptable range ) otherwise, you will encounter some bad algae.

feed it everyday 2-4 times. Get those nitrates up so they register at least with your test kit. Keep feeding. You will get algae. Thats normal. Clean the glass, add snails if needed. Your not feeding enough.............

I run Apex Feeder 4 times a day, my tank is fully stocked (5 tangs in it), every day I add at least 1 cube of frozen food and a sheet of Nori. That's feeding for the fish.

For corals I also add a bunch of food every other day.

My worry about feeding even more would be an increase in phosphates.

And again, why are there so many SPS tank profiles (or TOTMs) where nitrates are undetectable?

 

[Tweaked]

How often do you clean your glass. I dose and feed quite a bit now and have to clean green dust off the glass daily, however my colors have never been better. Sounds like simple starving.

 

[dtum]

How often do you clean your glass. I dose and feed quite a bit now and have to clean green dust off the glass daily, however my colors have never been better. Sounds like simple starving.

I clean every 3 days or so.

 

[Tweaked]

You can do some direct feeding to the colonies here and there with flow off. Also, the good comes slowly, and the bad, well you know :debi:

 

[meshwheel]

I agree. I get algae everywhere and feed daily. I know I need more snails! I get it on the glass daily as well. It's all about finding the balance. And yes, 2 months is not a long time.
What are you doing/running for water filtration? Skimmer? carbon dosing? What type? carbon in a reactor?
Once you get it right, the colors will not come overnight. It will take a week or two to start to see color changes.

 

[dtum]

I agree. I get algae everywhere and feed daily. I know I need more snails! I get it on the glass daily as well. It's all about finding the balance. And yes, 2 months is not a long time.
What are you doing/running for water filtration? Skimmer? carbon dosing? What type? carbon in a reactor?
Once you get it right, the colors will not come overnight. It will take a week or two to start to see color changes.

I got Bubble King 180 on it, no carbon dosing of any kind (used to run Prodibio on my previous tank but stopped 4 months prior to transfer).

I run carbon and GFO in a reactor.

 

[meshwheel]

shut the reactor off. I was afraid you where going to say that. It's stripping your system of everything! It's also hindering bacterial build up and the tank stabilizing.

 

[dtum]

shut the reactor off. I was afraid you where going to say that. It's stripping your system of everything! It's also hindering bacterial build up and the tank stabilizing.

Which of the two reactors should I shut off?
Before my GFO was plugged in, my phosphates were climbing to 0.1. And nitrates were undetectable!

 

[deeznutz1]

I would pull the reactors for a week and monitor closely. If you see colour returning, slowly bring them back into play.

It's either that or you lighting is too strong. Never under estimate the power of T5's

-dan

 

[dtum]

I would pull the reactors for a week and monitor closely. If you see colour returning, slowly bring them back into play.

It's either that or you lighting is too strong. Never under estimate the power of T5's

-dan

What can I do about my lighting? I don't want to lift it higher and have already reduced the 8 bulbs to only 3.5 or 4 hours a day.

I forgot to mention that my coral growth is phenomenal - everything is going gangbusters, even some of the browned out corals.