Watermelon millie color faded

[ksicard]

Hey all,
about 2-3 months ago I purchased a watermelon millie frag. The frag is growing very fast and has huge polyp extension, it has fully enecrusted the plug and grown on to the rocks. However, it has faded in color. It's defintely lightened up so my guess is that either my ROX carbon striped the water to clean or it's getting to much light since it is at the very top of the tank. I want to fix the problem before it grows to heavily onto the rock so I can move it if need be.

I wanted to know if watermelon millies typically want more or less light. IME usually millies can take quite a bit of light. I stopped running the carbon and wanted to get others opinions on whether the issue is to much light or if the carbon is to blame so I can go ahead and move the frag if need be before it grows to heavily on the rocks.

My other acros are doing wonderful, fully colored up with huge PE. Lighting consists of a DIY led fixture. The LED is full spectrum and the intensities range from 50%-85%. Flow is 2x mp40qwd. Dosing pumps keep levels stable. BK double cone 150 skimmer.

DKH: 8.0
Ca: 410ppm
Mg: 1420ppm
No3: 16ppm
po4: 0.06ppm

 

[markalot]

In my limited experience some acros color up spectacularly at 10 to 20 nitrates and some brown out. I might try and lower nitrates just a little, closer to 10, and see what happens.

 

[plyle02]

IME you cannot throw enough light at a milli, I would venture to say that the carbon exchange could have cleared the water enough to maybe bleach the coral, hence it being lighter in a nutrient rich tank, where typically elevated nutrients tend to show richer and darker colors due to zoox density.

 

[markalot]

Woops, you said lightened up and I read brown. I would guess the change in light as well, that ROX carbon is strong stuff.

 

[ksicard]

I'll run without carbon for a month or so and see how it goes. Thanks for the advice.

 

[DSMpunk]

3 months is still pretty new. Sometimes it takes a LONG time for frags to color back up. I had an acro that was pasty white/tan for 7-8 months and then almost overnight it was red/pink with a bright green rim. No changes at all. It was growing like a weed the entire time.

There is also the chance it just doesn't like you tank. I've had corals that look like crap in my tank but looks amazing in a friends. No particular reason that I can ever find.