SPS Pigmentation

[Aqualund]

Red Sea's Coral Color B is a mix of Potassium and Boron and claims to enhance the red chromo proteins within corals thus enhancing the red pigment. However Brightwell Aquatics' Potassion contains Potassium Chloride and Potassium Sulfate and claims to enhance BLUE coloration. Which one is correct?

 

[Allmost]

none lol

red sea contains potassium, it cant be free floating ions ! it has to be mixed with something else ... chloride, or sulfate or .... ? which would make it same as the other one

potassium in general is NEEDED to maintain coral colors, if low, it should be maintained, but just as elevated CA++ has no positive effects, elevated K+ also has no good effects, some bad effects actually come from it !

KZ makes a potassium iodine which does enhance blues, but that does not increase value of K+ much, its mostly Iodine ...

of course JMO.

 

[Aqualund]

Yeah Brightwell's Lugols Solution has Potassium Iodine. I just wanna know which one of these products is falsely claiming Pigment coloration. Where do you cite your information from so I can do some more reading on the subject?

 

[Allmost]

Yeah Brightwell's Lugols Solution has Potassium Iodine. I just wanna know which one of these products is falsely claiming Pigment coloration. Where do you cite your information from so I can do some more reading on the subject?

lurking the reefing sites, google scholar, and some tiny bit of experience I'll PM you a good read on K+ .

 

[Aqualund]

Hey thanks man! I tried to PM you back but lol Im a newbie and dont have enough posts to PM a moderator member yet so here's my reply:

Thanks! Ive read all of these articles. The one by the user of the zeovit frustratingly does not provide scientific data on the processes of the Potassium in order to enhance a specific coloration...rather he just makes open ended generalizations of enhanced coloration based on his own experience. Truth is, without a controlled environment, as we all know...any number of environmental factors within an SPS tank can affect pigmentation and Coloration.

Also, in addition to that, the other articles you linked me to are great and show scientifically the increased activity and active transport processes within the corals due to the presence of elements available...but definitely do not point to Potassium as a source of enhanced pigment of any particular color. At this point, I really cant see Proof that Potassium will enhance either blue or Red pigments beyond a "he said she said."

I really hope Red Sea gets back to me on this issue. Think Im also going to write Brightwell as well, and see whats up!

Thanks for your help man!

 

[Allmost]

Hey thanks man! I tried to PM you back but lol Im a newbie and dont have enough posts to PM a moderator member yet so here's my reply:

Thanks! Ive read all of these articles. The one by the user of the zeovit frustratingly does not provide scientific data on the processes of the Potassium in order to enhance a specific coloration...rather he just makes open ended generalizations of enhanced coloration based on his own experience. Truth is, without a controlled environment, as we all know...any number of environmental factors within an SPS tank can affect pigmentation and Coloration.

Also, in addition to that, the other articles you linked me to are great and show scientifically the increased activity and active transport processes within the corals due to the presence of elements available...but definitely do not point to Potassium as a source of enhanced pigment of any particular color. At this point, I really cant see Proof that Potassium will enhance either blue or Red pigments beyond a "he said she said."

I really hope Red Sea gets back to me on this issue. Think Im also going to write Brightwell as well, and see whats up!

Thanks for your help man!

the articles I have sent you are not written by hobbyist, they are written by scientists studying corals, and getting grants for it.you might have read the wrong ones .... the ones I sent you, you can only see the abstract and full copy is not available online for you to read them all.

as stated, potassium does not increase color of a coral, but LOW k+ will make good colors impossible as they wont be able to uptake nutrition ... meaning we just need to maintain it.

 

[Aqualund]

Yeah thats what I read too! Plus im on meds after surgery today so my total comprehension is well...kinda limited lol. I see thats what youve been saying the whole time...but then why are these brands touting these products as enhancing a specific spectrum of color enhancement? LOL I wanna tweak specific coloration as I have the basics already in place! You rock man thanks for these links. Looks like ill be reading a lot today

 

[RedSea Aviad]

Hello,
I gave you an answer here:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2101352

One warning, try to elevate Potassium levels using KI, lugol's, Potassium Iodide etc. and you WILL KILL your corals.
It's an Iodine supplement not a Potassium.

Please read our manuals, if only for the theoretical info.
Good luck,
Aviad

 

[Allmost]

I checked the manual, coral color B has no indication of containing iodine for iodine poisoning !

perhaps the OP meant A ... which is iodine ..

question though, is coral color B K+ ions ? or KCL ?

from manual : "Coloration Potassium is related to the red chromo-proteins (peridinin, neo-peridinin)"

low K+ effects all colors ....

 

[RedSea Aviad]

Hello,
I didn't say it did.
I was referring to what had been said here:

Yeah Brightwell's Lugols Solution has Potassium Iodine. I just wanna know which one of these products is falsely claiming Pigment coloration. Where do you cite your information from so I can do some more reading on the subject?

All the best,
Aviad

 

[allsps40]

All and I mean all the products that claim to increase coral color are snake oil and do nothing. Lugols is good to dose if you have soft corals but water changes will replenish used up trace elements. Once I stopped dosing all the different color enhancers my sps finally colored up. Companies are making big bucks selling color enhancers to reefers that do a lot of nothing. Good lighting, flow and stability is the best thing for coral colors. Yes even the new Red Sea color enhancers, sorry Red Sea. Dont get to made though I love Red Sea salt mixes.