95% off all my sps coral have excellent growth and colors. I have 2 corals inparticular, a large 6" Tabling Strawberry Shortcake and a Red Planet Tabling Acropora that are losing the green but not the red. The Red planet, which I have had for 2 years as a frag, has lost all its green, but the red is fine and I am getting great growth. The Strawberry shortcake's green is also starting to fade, but the red is fine. I have 6 SOL Blue LEDs on my 180 gallon, with 0 Nitrites, Nitrates, Ammonia..DKH 10 ..CAL 450..Mag 1350. I have plenty of green sps corals positioned at around the same height and all are thriving. PAR for both at Peak is around 600-650. Could they be getting too much light? Or is it something else?
SPS losing some but not all colors
- Thread starter mluiso
- Start date
Reefin' Dude
New member
i would start by lowering your alk. i have found that to much alk can bleach out the color in Acro's. have you always ran your alk that high? if the lighting has not changed in the 2 years, then i would look elsewhere for the problem.
if you can get your alk down near NSW levels, and then have a hard time keeping it that high, then you have a nutrient problem. low alk (below 7) is a sign of eutrophication.
G~
if you can get your alk down near NSW levels, and then have a hard time keeping it that high, then you have a nutrient problem. low alk (below 7) is a sign of eutrophication.
G~
Spyderturbo007
New member
I'm with Reefin' Dude.
I had the same problem and lowering my Alkalinity was the solution. I brought it down from ~10.5dKh to 7.5dKh and my corals regained all their color. Prior to dropping Alkalinity, I had tried everything and nothing worked.
I had the same problem and lowering my Alkalinity was the solution. I brought it down from ~10.5dKh to 7.5dKh and my corals regained all their color. Prior to dropping Alkalinity, I had tried everything and nothing worked.
With both of those corals, they will turn nearly all red under intense light. They will green back up some if you lower them down. I have both fairly high in 120 and both are mostly red. They are down near the bottom in another and they are red/green. I like the red planet all-red, but do like the red/green of the shortcake. I don't think that you need to mess with anything, just move them if you don't like the color. Both tanks have 250W 14K Phoneix HQI, which is a lot of light, but I have no idea how they compare to yours - I tried a SOL, but it was not the blue and I only had 1.
I would not turn the lights down, rather move the corals.
In somewhat of a tangent, my Gonzos Raspberry Lemonaide is pure purpleish-pink when up high, but will look like the pictures on reef farmers (branches) if I move it down.
I would not turn the lights down, rather move the corals.
In somewhat of a tangent, my Gonzos Raspberry Lemonaide is pure purpleish-pink when up high, but will look like the pictures on reef farmers (branches) if I move it down.
From the ORA Web Site on the Red Planet:
Description:The ORA Red Planet is one of our most popular corals. It is a tabling Acropora with red and pink corallites and a metallic green base. Polyp coloration on this coral is a deep red and the new growth is light pink to white. Under intense lighting the coral may lose the attractive green coloration, it will return if the coral is moved to a lower light area.
Placement: All Levels
Lighting: Medium – High
Flow: Moderate – Strong
Description:The ORA Red Planet is one of our most popular corals. It is a tabling Acropora with red and pink corallites and a metallic green base. Polyp coloration on this coral is a deep red and the new growth is light pink to white. Under intense lighting the coral may lose the attractive green coloration, it will return if the coral is moved to a lower light area.
Placement: All Levels
Lighting: Medium – High
Flow: Moderate – Strong
asylumdown
New member
It's not impossible to have too much light for SPS. SPS grow naturally at many different depths and natural light levels, so if you've got a deeper water species and you've got it 8 inches under a high powered LED cluster you can easily fry it. The light level should match the natural light needs of the animals
Then there's the 'what's the best look' question. Different lighting levels definitely cause different looks on some corals. I have two frags (now mini colonies I guess) of Red planet in my tank, one is almost at the highest point in the tank directly under two radions, and the other is practically at the bottom of the tank in partial shade. They don't even look like the same species, one is a light pink with zero green, the other is a deep red with metallic green accents. They were fragged off each other. Which is best in this case is a matter of personal taste.
Reefin' Dude
New member
what are those natural light levels and what depth are those "deeper" corals collected? do coral collectors you scuba gear or just free dive?
we know that photosynthetic corals can live at 140 meters.
an interesting study on light penetration in the Tasman Sea.
G~
motomatt86
Member
what about your phosphates?
NeilFox
New member
It is possible to have too much light. I don't think that a natural environment comparison for these corals is appropriate either. They are almost assuredly not from wild stocks. Your corals sound healthy, water chemistry may play a part in the coloration. Your nutrients are nonexistent and your alk is a little high. A little nitrate and bacteria in the water can help them color up. Since everything else is fine, whatever you do do it slow. I would cut back on the alk a bit and see what happens. I just had a prblem with my alk being a little high. I stopped doseing and like the looks of thinks a little better.
