Ultimate SPS Color Tricks

[dtum]

After having obsessed about my SPS colors for years, I want to ask you fellow reefers as to what do you think it takes to bring out the best possible colors out of SPS corals (mostly acros).

When I say best possible colors, I'm talking Krzysztof worthy colors; vibrant blues and pinks, jaw dropping colors, TOTM kind of colors.

I assume that we all at this SPS forum section know the basics - keep parameters as stable as possible, try to be within recommended water parameter guidelines (7-9 Alk, 0-5 Nitrate, 0.02-0.06 Phosphates, etc); use MH or T5 lighting. But while there are many tanks that try to follow this, those that have screaming colors are few.

So I ask you, what are those extra suggestions that would make SPS color up like a Christmas tree? Happy New Year!

 

[Peter Eichler]

Great skimmer: Get something a little oversized and drawing a lot of air, get too small and you're stuck, a little too big and efficient and you can feed a little more and be in good shape.

Great flow: Random and strong flow while being careful to not batter the corals

Great lighting: For Acros I still think the only options are T5 and/or MH if coral color is your priority

Keep a fish in your tank fish and feed them well: I really notice my colors pale up when I'm not feeding my fish a good amount regularly. Finding that balance with a big skimmer is important.

Export: Keep phosphates as needed without driving them too low, and keep nitrates detectable. In my experience things start to lose a little color once I start going beyond .1 on my Hanna phosphate meter.

A keen eye: This is about the most important thing in my opinion. Learning to spot when a coral doesn't look quite right and identifying the possible factors as to why before it continues to go downhill is when you can become truly successful in the hobby.

 

[Big E]

Peter's list is perfect..............I can't emphasize enough how important observation is on a daily basis.

Patience is also very important................you can't react to every little move in a test kit or throw money & chemicals at issues. Sps can take quit a bit of time to look great again.

When your colors look perfect is when testing water is most important, because that's your range for stability

Learn how to take pictures with correct white balance. Monthly photos can really be telling on growth and color. Your memory just isn't going to cut it.

Same goes for keeping a journal.........most people will ignore this point but it has helped me the most. Log everything you do and visual changes you notice. The journal is not for countless lists of test numbers, but actual observations and any kind of changes or maintenance you do.

 

[DiscusHeckel]

Great skimmer: Get something a little oversized and drawing a lot of air, get too small and you're stuck, a little too big and efficient and you can feed a little more and be in good shape.

@OP: Thanks for starting this thread
@Peter: Thanks for your list.
@Ed: Thanks for your endorsement.

I have a specific question on the choice of a skimmer. I do not know what is small, perfect and a "little oversized". Can you please quantify this point using my tank volume as an example?

My net volume is 250 lt. I currently use BM NAC 6a (500 lph air intake and suitable for tanks 400-600 lt)

Let's look at other options:

BM Curve 5 (300 lph air intake and suitable for tanks 500 lt)
BM Curve 7 (520 lph air intake and suitable for tanks 700-900 lt)
BM Curve 9 (900 lph air intake and suitable for tanks 900-1500 lt)

How would you rate the suitability of these skimmers for my tank?

Moreover, what are your thoughts on dosing specific colour enhancing metals/trace elements (e.g. FM Colour elements)?

Happy new year.

 

[ExpensiveHobby]

I'm really glad someone posted this. I have been slowly trading away my soft corals and bringing in more SPS over the past year

I use a BuildMyLED light with excellent PAR but most of my SPS always look brown. Red planet looks like brown planet, Green Pocillipora looks like brown pocillipora. The only SPS that actually holds true to its color for me is my Monti's. My alk runs low but I have a BRS two part arriving Jan2 and I am going to start daily dosing to try an get more stability in my system but my fear is that using the LED and not T5/MH I will always have color issues.

 

[phenom5]

I think Peter really hit the nail on the head...hopefully not the LED part, cause I am giving LEDs a go for the first time on my new setup.

I think a big key is getting some nutrients, but not too much nutrients. Good amount of well fed fish with a efficient skimmer to keep things under control.

I also think good flow tends to take a backseat to lighting in a lot of people's mind, but is just as if not more important.

 

[rovster]

A keen eye: This is about the most important thing in my opinion. Learning to spot when a coral doesn't look quite right and identifying the possible factors as to why before it continues to go downhill is when you can become truly successful in the hobby.

This is awesome. It takes a while to notice these things but after a while you can learn to read the tank by looking at it. You will soon learn which are your canary corals. I think people get caught up on numbers. Let your eyes guide you and your numbers help you make your decisions, not the other way around!

 

[ridetheducati]

I challenge anyone to maintain the following parameters for six months and report back. I can almost guarantee coral colors will improve. Stability is the watchword. I am not a fan of chancing numbers, but the below is for the hobbyist that are struggling to get deep full colors. At some point certain corals will become "indicators". Indicators are corals that will tell you that something is off, such as Red Planet getting a rusty color, check nitrate levels.

As previously discussed above, there are many variables that affect coral colors, e.g., light, flow, nutrient export, etc. Just consider this post as one data point.

Please use reliable test kits.

KH: 7 - 9 dkh
Ca: 410 - 440 ppm
Mg: 1300 - 1400 ppm
K: 390 - 400 ppm
NO3: 5 ppm
PO4: 0.03 ppm

 

[ZON]

Vibrant colors need also trace calibrated elements

 

[Setragni]

It is possible to do so without, but Krzysztof uses zeovit. This stuff is great, my colors greatly, I mean GREATLY improved after I started the full zeovit system

 

[aquaph8]

I think Peter and Ed nailed it.

I think a big part of keeping acros is knowing how to react to changes. They handle changes just fine but learning to react slowly and not panic when things get off goes a long way. None of us is gonna successfully keep our params perfectly stable 100% of the time but we can keep things from happening so fast they become shocking.

 

[Tron_954]

But must be the full system with stones and all... otherwise you chance for algae outbreak.

 

[ridetheducati]

I did not think the spirit of this thread was about color enhancing bio-systems. Great colors and growth can be achieved the old fashion way. Color enhancing bio-systems like Red Sea and Zeo can make it easy to accomplish the look you are seeking.

One dose of Spur2 will absolutely enhance coral colors; however, a miscalculation can nuke a system.

 

[Stackemdeep]

I challenge anyone to maintain the following parameters for six months and report back.

Please use reliable test kits.

KH: 7 - 9 dkh
Ca: 410 - 440 ppm
Mg: 1300 - 1400 ppm
K: 390 - 400 ppm
NO3: 5 ppm
PO4: 0.03 ppm

Do you have an Sr number as well? I'm just now paying attention to Sr and K while my other parameters do fit your profile. Thank you.

 

[Peter Eichler]

@OP: Thanks for starting this thread
@Peter: Thanks for your list.
@Ed: Thanks for your endorsement.

I have a specific question on the choice of a skimmer. I do not know what is small, perfect and a "little oversized". Can you please quantify this point using my tank volume as an example?

My net volume is 250 lt. I currently use BM NAC 6a (500 lph air intake and suitable for tanks 400-600 lt)

Let's look at other options:

BM Curve 5 (300 lph air intake and suitable for tanks 500 lt)
BM Curve 7 (520 lph air intake and suitable for tanks 700-900 lt)
BM Curve 9 (900 lph air intake and suitable for tanks 900-1500 lt)

How would you rate the suitability of these skimmers for my tank?

Moreover, what are your thoughts on dosing specific colour enhancing metals/trace elements (e.g. FM Colour elements)?

Happy new year.

It's tricky and dependent on a lot of factors. However, I can use my current and past tanks as a rough guide. My current skimmer pulls about 95 scfh, or 2700 lph, and has a very large body (12" diameter). For a tank your size I would be aiming for at least 750 lph, and closer to 1000 would be my choice and what I found to be best on a tank I had of a similar size. I went from a skimmer that pulled around 500lph to a skimmer that was doing double that and noticed a big difference in coral coloration and nuisance algae. Not saying what you have can't work, but for my preferences it's on the small size for your volume. I also think that BM is VERY generous with their tank ratings when it comes to applying them to a full blown SPS tank...

For tanks under 150g/568l, at least tripling the volume in LPH might not be a bad guide. As you get bigger you can most likely get away with less

Just an FYI, for fish load in my current set-up I have 5 x larger fish (4"+), 8 x fish slightly smaller than that, and 5 x fish under 2". I would be comfortable adding more fish and increasing system volume by 100 or so gallons with my current skimmer.

As for dosing trace elements and other supplements... At the very least I think they're superfluous. I have been a part of every supplement and dosing trend of the last 30 years in the hobby, and there have been a lot of them. A few things I can confidently say in regards to the supplements and companies that make them.

1.) There is very little actual science that goes into determining if these supplements actually do anything, and therefore their claims are usually little more than marketing spin. People like Thiel, Wilkens, Kent,

2.) You can have an amazing tank with amazing colors without ever dosing a single thing other than calcium, alkalinity and magnesium.

3.) Blindly dosing things over the course of time can have bad results. Trace elements are metals and can be toxic at fairly low levels.

 

[DiscusHeckel]

Peter,

I appreciate your response.

Happy new year.

 

[SPS_Addiction]

I just switched back to Radium 400 watt halide 2 weeks ago and My acropolas have never looked better. I love how much SPS are responding to Radiums. I've used LED's and T5's before and can't get the colors I want.
I also use an oversized skimmer and carbon dose.

 

[Peter Eichler]

Posted before finishing my thought on #1 above...

1.) There is very little actual science that goes into determining if these supplements actually do anything, and therefore their claims are usually little more than marketing spin. People like Thiel, Wilkens, Kent, were some of the early snake oil salesmen in this hobby. Thiel and Wilkens actually did something to help the hobby as a whole, but they took advantage of their followers for their own personal gain. That trend to make money rather than only provide useful products at fair prices continues with most of today's supplement companies.

 

[ridetheducati]

Do you have an Sr number as well? I'm just now paying attention to Sr and K while my other parameters do fit your profile. Thank you.

IMHO, Strontium supplementation was not needed or negatively impacted coral color or growth. A good salt mix seems to keep level at NSW.

 

[Aww7979]

I seem to go through 2 or 3 frags until of diffrent acros until I find a color morph that likes my tank, I trade the ones that don't color up for others to try. Some pieces don't do well in my buddies tank but they thrive in mine.

So my addition to this thread is find the corals that like your set up.