Ultimate SPS Color Tricks

[gdemos]

2 weeks may be premature to observe definitive 'great results' but it's great to hear!! my reason for using a calcium reactor is largely due to the belief that the dissolved reactor media is not only providing calcium and alkalinity, but also potentially all the 'other elements' that are composed within the arragonite. i've wondered if anyone conducted an ICP on Calcium Reactor Effluent (of various media) and attempted to compare to a traditional 2-Part solution mixed with their water.

Here's a big question for you guys. Does anyone get good growth and collaboration dosing to part? Or do you guys have better luck using calcium reactor?

I have been dosing to part for the last year and get decent growth and color, but have just switched to a calcium reactor and in the last two weeks I'm seeing great results.

I would love to hear your opinion on two part dosing versus calcium Reactors


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[coraldude]

I also like the idea of the other elements being resolved


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[reefmutt]

I would agreed, posts #2 and #3 are still the fundamentals..
I think there are reefers here that would agree with Piper concerning specific trace elements, though..
One thing that i think may get overlooked is what types of food get into a reef.
frozen foods like mysis and brine or various seafood mixes don't necessarily have some of the preservatives found in some dry pellet foods.
most pellet foods contain either all or some of the following preservative agents: zinc, manganese, iron, copper.. and others..
Not to mention the digestion of marine algae by fish that produces some amino acids..
All this to say, some reefers may say that they don't dose or don't need to dose certain things but may actually be dosing them without knowing.. especially large systems that rely on pelleted food to feed many fish..

 

[Piper27]

Good point, the food you feed is another key. I would say a tank being fed by a wide variety of of frozen and or fresh foods will have more healthy and diverse of life. Everything in my tank feeds off the mixture of foods I feed. If I fed only pellets I would only be feeding my fish and everything else including the corals would be only relying on fish poo. Which works, maybe better for some who have very small tanks, but the healthier the system the healthier the corals.
Most of us know the basics can get amazing results but none of them are tricks. That's why I brought up metals and such. No one brought up anything along those lines yet and I find stuff like that very interesting.

 

[gdemos]

I'd 2nd your emotion on copper sulphate having a positive impact on my sps colonies.

Good point, the food you feed is another key. I would say a tank being fed by a wide variety of of frozen and or fresh foods will have more healthy and diverse of life. Everything in my tank feeds off the mixture of foods I feed. If I fed only pellets I would only be feeding my fish and everything else including the corals would be only relying on fish poo. Which works, maybe better for some who have very small tanks, but the healthier the system the healthier the corals.
Most of us know the basics can get amazing results but none of them are tricks. That's why I brought up metals and such. No one brought up anything along those lines yet and I find stuff like that very interesting.

 

[Piper27]

Yea there is no need to overdo it with certain products either. Some products contain smaller amounts you can add daily for much milder results. I have yet to try to use the more potent bottles but may at some point just to experiment with it.

 

[Stolireef]

If you are using 'non-synthetic' salt, shouldn't they provide all of the necessary trace elements?

 

[slavetonet]

Trace elements, fatty acids, lipids, aminos, vitamins all play a major part in healthy corals.
In return - the coral growth and colouration can exceed what can happen in nature.
It is just not common knowledge amongst reefing.

I can't elaborate anymore on it as it would take too long to explain it.
All I know it works very well.

 

[reefmutt]

If you are using 'non-synthetic' salt, shouldn't they provide all of the necessary trace elements?

Technically yes but It depends greatly on coral density, growth rates and water change frequency,
If one were changing 100% of the water each week, one would have great replenishment, I suppose. But if you have a 300 gallon tank with several small colonies or a 70g tank jam packed with mature colonies, the trace element requirements will be very different. Also, depending on filtration methods, this may also change trace element requirements.
I suspect a fast growing cheato fuge will not only reduce n and p, it will also reduce beneficial trace elements..

 

[Vio]

Mine and a lot of other reefer the coral grow great under LED for a long time, years. None of these success for 3 months and crash. I used to keep coral under MH also and they grow great and have great color also. Minimal heat and no chiller, great color and growth, plus a lower e bill, cause me to switch over. The cost right now for LED is 10 time the start up cost for MH. However maintenance and operating cost is a fraction of MH.

LEDs need 20 years more to come close to MH Radium, 10 x less ( LED) got nothing to do w/color , use more Live Rocks, use Refugium (grow Chaeto) use GOOD salt, run Algae Scrubber, less mechanical filters, go more Bio, get rid of Detritus fast is possible, use a GOOD Protein Skimmer, use good RO/DI, use some Kalkawasser Sttir ( Deltec) good water flow. Good CUC crew. Feed the fish w/natural food. etc.

 

[stevedola]

LEDs need 20 years more to come close to MH Radium, 10 x less ( LED) got nothing to do w/color , use more Live Rocks, use Refugium (grow Chaeto) use GOOD salt, run Algae Scrubber, less mechanical filters, go more Bio, get rid of Detritus fast is possible, use a GOOD Protein Skimmer, use good RO/DI, use some Kalkawasser Sttir ( Deltec) good water flow. Good CUC crew. Feed the fish w/natural food. etc.

This is mostly opinion. LEDs are not 20 years from MH radiums. They can grow healthy colorful corals today. The initial cost of LEDs have come down substantially since 2015 (which is when the quote from Orion was from) to where its 2x to 3x the initial cost of a MH radium with reflector setup currently.

There are obviously other factors and other disciplines to maintaining a healthy tank (many you listed). It is not a necessity to implement MH or T5 lighting in order to create a healthy vibrant SPS system.

 

[Stolireef]

LEDs need 20 years more to come close to MH Radium, 10 x less ( LED) got nothing to do w/color , use more Live Rocks, use Refugium (grow Chaeto) use GOOD salt, run Algae Scrubber, less mechanical filters, go more Bio, get rid of Detritus fast is possible, use a GOOD Protein Skimmer, use good RO/DI, use some Kalkawasser Sttir ( Deltec) good water flow. Good CUC crew. Feed the fish w/natural food. etc.

Ummm. Have you seen the TOTM thread for March. He's using AI Hydra 52s (not even the latest version). I don't think he has any issues with coloration or growth. I promised to link to his TOTM thread every time I see a post like this. A TOTM from a few months ago (Elliott's tank) is running on AI Sols. He lives a few blocks from me and I've seen his tank in person many times. Acro's grow out of the top of the tank. I think we can put this one to bed.

 

[jda]

This is an ultimate color thread. There are still no LED tanks that have ultimate color. None. The panels do an OK job and that is good enough for some people, but every one of the TOTMs would have better color with Radium or Phoenix lighting. There is an extra 20-25% there that you can get with better lights... especially with some of the more colorful acropora.

 

[markalot]

I don't think we need to have this argument here. IMO there are too many variables at play with acros and lighting. There are some acros that look better under LED, I've seen it first hand. There are MORE that look better under halide or t5, and there are apparently some that will refuse to color if any LED's are over the tank. I'm not sure anyone knows why, though lot's of folks will claim otherwise.

I would hope this thread will quickly get back on track. What is 'your' trick for coloring up SPS? What did you do, how long did it take, do you have a success story? You being the general you, not someone in particular.

 

[Stolireef]

I don't think we need to have this argument here. IMO there are too many variables at play with acros and lighting. There are some acros that look better under LED, I've seen it first hand. There are MORE that look better under halide or t5, and there are apparently some that will refuse to color if any LED's are over the tank. I'm not sure anyone knows why, though lot's of folks will claim otherwise.

I would hope this thread will quickly get back on track. What is 'your' trick for coloring up SPS? What did you do, how long did it take, do you have a success story? You being the general you, not someone in particular.

Agreed. Sorry I brought it up.

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[kevin.st]

I am a slow learner, so switching to SPS from softies/LPS has been a struggle. My 210 is about a year old now and I feel like SPS is finally starting to grow and get nicer color. Over the last year I have spent a lot of money upgrading skimmer, adding 2 more SB reef boxes, supplementing t5's, switching to calcium reactor and adding another 100 pounds of live rock.

I can't exactly say what the difference is-it could be time alone. I am feeding more and more and have added a few more fish.

I think I am probably similar to many reefers-too many changes to really pinpoint the problems/solutions to color. I want to just let my tank ride for a another year exactly how it is now and then, maybe, I can possibly say what has worked for me.

 

[Alitoo_81]

Any thing new? How can some acro farmers like Reef Raft get this amazing colors and we dont? I would like to see a Triton test of there water. I am sure they have a trick they don't want to share.

Aquarists in australia are playing with trace and metals with very good results. Some other USA and European aquarists have found metal and trace element recipes as well with very good results. I think for better color coloration: Vitamins, Zoothantela control, never 0 nutrients and stability. But I could also add the secret trace and metal mixtures that no one wants to share.

Hope some one can post a Triton test of the water that comes with the frag purched from a vendor like Reef Raft for example. I saw how a normal green acro turned red!!! In 15 days!!! In their tanks. Something is going on in this waters. Here is the post:

https://************.com/2017/02/14/dramatic-acropora-color-change/

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[hart24601]

My 120 with LEDs. This was a while back, the coral grew like weeds. I don't feel that I was missing any color or growth with LED, in fact in years past I was never able to get this color or growth with MH or T5. Some people act like LEDs killed their dog. It's just light. I never had to fiddle with setting or anything, was just plug and play for me.

I found best color was phosphate undetectable and to keep low levels of nitrate (1ppm) and to feed a lot of appropriate sized foods. The photo is using white balance only on the camera, nothing else.

 

[da8]

Still a newbie in sps coloring and staying apart from the led debate keeping fosfates and nitrates undetectable is playing with fire.

0,05 and 1-4 prove to give great coloration results while adding AA, traces, and lots of food for the corals.

Keeping K at regular 390/410 is sometimes forgotten and should not.

Also keeping iodine in mind is useful, but due to it's difficult testing is harder to keep correctly.
Maybe zeovit Jod or Pif can help for keeping this correct.

I'm a bit of a zeo hybrid taking use of some products I find very interesting. But only been six months working on this hybrid method.

I'm also convinced on a secret (but more obvious of what we think) recipe for boosting and tweaking sps coloration.

But have no clue on what can be...

 

[pakirri]

Good quality strong light, salt and skimmer is important. Stability & overfeeding is also important imo. Once you have control on those, you should dose color enhancers.I have had great success with zeovit additives, specially mixing 1:1 k-balance strong flatworm stop. I also dose b-balance, zeofood, coral snow and spur2. I use 6x24w ati powermodule and esv salt.

This is some corals on my tank (22 gallon).