Too much light???

[blennymower]

I'm very dissappointed with the fact that my sps frags have lost a lot if not all of their color.

For now my temp is between 78-82
Nitrate and phosphate are at zero.
pH 7.7-7.9


I'm worried that my problem might be to much light...

fixture: (2) 250 watt 14K hamilton (2)96 watt actinics

700 watts on a 75 gallon.

hailtons are about a month and a half old. Before I was running 10K coralife (corals were already losing/lost color before the switch.

Too much light? WHY AM I LOSING COLOR?!


Thanks in advance.

 

[blennymower]

Oh and the hamiltons are each on 4 hours (they alternate) One is on from 12 to 4, the other from 4 to 8

 

[MCCOOL]

Doubt it's too much light, are they bleaching? Or turning brown? Or just lightening up?

 

[blennymower]

Some are turning brown another is lightening up

 

[Toddrtrex]

Assuming that you acclimated the corals to the lights, it isn't too much light. I have 2*250 + 4*54 T5 over my 75 --- all my SPS are doing great.

What are your Cal, Alk and Mag levels?
What is your salinity/SG?

 

[fishnut321]

your ph is low, have you checked alk, cal, mg?

 

[blennymower]

cal is ~440
Alk ~9
Mag ~1500
Salinity ~34ppt

If just placing the corals into the tank is not correct acclimation then no.

Will the color return?

If it does how long till they adjust and get their color back.

What is a good way to acclimate?

 

[tydtran]

There's no way that it's too much light. As others have suggested, you really have to check your water chemistry.

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15729758#post15729758 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by blennymower
cal is ~440
Alk ~9
Mag ~1500
Salinity ~34ppt

If just placing the corals into the tank is not correct acclimation then no.

Will the color return?

If it does how long till they adjust and get their color back.

What is a good way to acclimate?

No, you can't just place them in the tank ---- unless you brought them from a fellow reefer, and they weren't shipped. Shipping causes stress, so need to acclimate them to your lights. I like using 3 layers of window screening, and removing a layer each 5-7 days.

 

[blennymower]

I bought them from a frag farmer that lives 10 minutes from my house.

Will they get their color back? and how long if they do?

 

[MCCOOL]

As long as water conditions are good and they haven't lost tissue they will color back up. It could take up to a couple of months.

 

[Marga]

No they wont, sorry.

 

[blennymower]

Ok, I'm confused. Will they, or will they not?

Perhaps someone is capable of giving me some more detailed explanation as to how they will or will not?

 

[scottwhitson]

They WILL get there color back!! I have two 400W halides over a 75 and have great color so you definently don't have too much light. I would check all your parameters, poor water quality can cause corals to loose color. I know someone that upgraded skimmers on their tank and improved Acro colors!! I can say they will gain color and you don't have too much light but that is all I can say for sure. Some Acro's also take months to adjust to changes in lighting or water chemistry so just keep all your levels in check and you will be fine.

 

[wrott]

You should probably increase your photo period to both halides on 7-9 hrs/day at the same time. Excess nutrients can be the cause, and it does take 3-4 months for SPS to start to regain color. But my bet is on nutrients, do more WCs and you need MORE light IMO. I keep 2 x 400w MH on 9 hrs/day on my 4' 120g.
I do use Radium 20Ks though. And replace bulbs every 6 months or they will loose color again.

 

[blennymower]

Other than the method given by Todd what is another way of acclimating corals to light?

 

[Reef Bass]

There are numerous ways to acclimate to different lighting.
- screening which has been suggested already
- raising / lowering the lights over the tank
- changing the photoperiod or how long the lights are on
- position of the coral in the tank (high / low or in / out of cave)

 

[blennymower]

By how much should the photoperiod be cut?

How long would the coral have to be in the lower light before it can be put in its permanent position.

 

[Reef Bass]

I normally run my 400w MHs 9 hours a day and when I get a new coral I'll start it out on the sandbed and reduce my photoperiod to 6 hours of MH. I'll add 1/2 hour every 3 days or so taking about 2-3 weeks to get back to 9 hours. I confess sometimes that if the new coral is looking fine after a couple days of 8 hours I'll just go straight to 9 hours but there's usually been 2 weeks of gradually increasing photoperiod before then.

I'll leave the coral on the sandbed for a month or so before moving it up, and even then I won't move it up more than 6" or so at a time. If it needs to go higher I'll usually give it a week between upward moves.

 

[blennymower]

Ok Im going to buy a kit to measure nitrate and phosphate, so far I've been assuming phosphate and nitrate are at zero.

Let's say they're not zero, what is the most practical way to lower these levels? I do regular water changes, so doing more is not an option.