Ways to improve coloration?
- Thread starter customdusty
- Start date
Reefun
New member
The best way I can think to describe it is a crisp blue. The actinics do drop the brightness a little. But with 8 bulbs on a 75 I don’t think that’s a bad thing with the brighter light combo it was hard to look at the tank without squinting. I used the actinics to drop the par. I think they have a par output of about 135 compared to around 310 to 330 for the rest of the bulbs I run. The actinics also make some of the colors pop a little more.
we had a thread in are local club about this paste coloring... some people in the club has switch out the ati aqua blue special for a uvl Actinic/Whites and got their deep colors back...
http://www.tcmas.org/forums/showthread.php?t=12124&highlight=pastel
http://www.tcmas.org/forums/showthread.php?t=12124&highlight=pastel
panic
Premium Member
I know everyone is excited about t5 bulbs now, but I have not seen a better actinic than the URI SuperActinic VHO. It gives corals that extra flourescence I think you might be looking for. T5 doesn't get there. That with a Radium or XM20k makes some seriously wicked colors. Very blue though. I am happy with just the XM20ks. 0ppm ro/di water, good balanced salt, a variety of fresh food for your fish high in protein and aminos, and perfect water parameters of course will get you great color out of having top-notch health of your animals. Some speculate that slightly elevated levels (by 10% above NSW) of potassium and magnesium also help certain color saturation
poor color
poor color
I had similar (less than desired) results for several years.
Then I learend about pests - all of them, red bugs, acro black bugs, monti black bugs & AEFW.
Once I cured the pest problems and started to quarentine everything new, the corals took care of producing their colors.
IMO, poor color or pale color is usually indicattive of stress from pests.
Brown coloration is usually indicative of environment problems.
My suggestion, Take one of your palest corals and dip it in tank water with a pich of levamisole in a white plastic bowl for a few hours, blast it a bit with a baster - See what you see come off the coral - look for pests.
poor color
I had similar (less than desired) results for several years.
Then I learend about pests - all of them, red bugs, acro black bugs, monti black bugs & AEFW.
Once I cured the pest problems and started to quarentine everything new, the corals took care of producing their colors.
IMO, poor color or pale color is usually indicattive of stress from pests.
Brown coloration is usually indicative of environment problems.
My suggestion, Take one of your palest corals and dip it in tank water with a pich of levamisole in a white plastic bowl for a few hours, blast it a bit with a baster - See what you see come off the coral - look for pests.
deklin
New member
I was wondering the same thing. Does things like having tunze pumps or an auto top-off also invalidate bulb combinations?
Seems like anyone who is serious about SPS doses, it's pretty tough to get by with only water changes on an SPS dominated tank! My calcium and alkalinity levels would drop like a rock if I tried to do that for even a few days.
I've seen plenty of great looking tanks that have used the ATI aquablue in their bulb combo and I use it myself and have no problems with pale colors. It is however a high PAR bulb and photoinhibition can be a problem and lead to pale colors. I suspect your friends that got better colors when swapping out the aquablue for a lower PAR bulb like the UVL actinic may have been able to accomplish the same improvement by simply reducing the photoperiod.
customdusty
New member
After doing some more research and reading and going over test results from my tank, I think my corals are just starving - I think my system has very low nutrients.
For now I am increasing my feedings to see how that works. I am now feeding DTs Phyto, frozen rotifers, and Rod's food daily.
I'm going to see how things progress over the next few weeks.
In terms of lighting, I have used a few different bulb combos - although there wasn't a particular combo which delivered better tissue color on my SPS. I have used Geisemenn Pure Actinics and UVL Aquasuns in different combinations with the Blue+ and Aquablues.
For now I am increasing my feedings to see how that works. I am now feeding DTs Phyto, frozen rotifers, and Rod's food daily.
I'm going to see how things progress over the next few weeks.
In terms of lighting, I have used a few different bulb combos - although there wasn't a particular combo which delivered better tissue color on my SPS. I have used Geisemenn Pure Actinics and UVL Aquasuns in different combinations with the Blue+ and Aquablues.
Shadowramy
In Memoriam
One problem might be that you are changing your bulb configuration out too frequently.
IMO, evey time you change to a different T5 config it can take SPS sometime to adjust to the new spectrum, at least it did when I ran T5s.
As far as VHO being "old school", well that is really yes and no. For viewing I agree that nothing is going to beat the UV Super Actinic or the new 454 UV bulb, then again it depends on if you like deep colors or pastels.
As far as growth, that is a total different subject and way too many variable to make a determing factor in a single thread.
IMO, evey time you change to a different T5 config it can take SPS sometime to adjust to the new spectrum, at least it did when I ran T5s.
As far as VHO being "old school", well that is really yes and no. For viewing I agree that nothing is going to beat the UV Super Actinic or the new 454 UV bulb, then again it depends on if you like deep colors or pastels.
As far as growth, that is a total different subject and way too many variable to make a determing factor in a single thread.
panic
Premium Member
VHO is old school Reefer08, you are right, BUT I am talking about perceived color and not PAR. I am going by personal experience when I mention that I like to see colors from the VHO Superactinic vs. my t5 blues rather than what I have read since I have actually tried both - still use t5 and over my 180s refugium and to supplement halides on my 270 so I am definitely unbiased. I am not a fan of pastel colors on a $120 frag
customdusty
New member
I've been at the heavier feeding level for a full week now, no noticieable differences at this point. I adjusted my skimmer to skim a little more wet and have prepared a larger batch of limewater for top off so I can better control the mixture. I'm also going to be doing weekly water change now to balance the salinity and to remove excess nutrients.
I've been watching most of my sps very closely, and most seem to be exhibiting some nice recent growth. As far as coloration, the worst case color is in my green slimers which were once very bright green and the stand out pieces in my tank against the blue background. They still have the nice green polyps, but the tissue of the coral skeleton just has lost its color inentirely - just a pale fleshy tone - all of the bright green is gone completely. Despite this, they are still growing very quickly.
A couple of my other corals aren't doing well, probably because I didn't acclimate them to the new ligth fixture well and were damaged as a result. I will be fragging these in hopes of saving them. These are the only ones exhibiting some tissue loss, as opposed to just loss of tissue color.
Looks like my main challenge is not growth, nor is it polyp color/extension - it is tissue color.
We will see how the next couple of weeks work out and if any improvments occur.
I've been watching most of my sps very closely, and most seem to be exhibiting some nice recent growth. As far as coloration, the worst case color is in my green slimers which were once very bright green and the stand out pieces in my tank against the blue background. They still have the nice green polyps, but the tissue of the coral skeleton just has lost its color inentirely - just a pale fleshy tone - all of the bright green is gone completely. Despite this, they are still growing very quickly.
A couple of my other corals aren't doing well, probably because I didn't acclimate them to the new ligth fixture well and were damaged as a result. I will be fragging these in hopes of saving them. These are the only ones exhibiting some tissue loss, as opposed to just loss of tissue color.
Looks like my main challenge is not growth, nor is it polyp color/extension - it is tissue color.
We will see how the next couple of weeks work out and if any improvments occur.
I have a blue tip stag that had nice green body when i bought it but the green disappeared after a while. It has grown awesome since i've had it. So i fraged it and accidentally dropped a frag down behind the rock work. It was still getting direct light, just a lot lower in the tank. I forgot about it for a couple weeks, and today I was looking at it and the green had returned and it was extremely deep and vibrant.
So i'm going to do some experiments with frags of the same coral at different parts of the tank and see if there is a correlation between lower light and better color and then also see if growth is affected.
Also, I have green milli that lost all of its green tissue color (polyps still colorful) im going to put in the shade for a while and see what happens with the color.
So i'm going to do some experiments with frags of the same coral at different parts of the tank and see if there is a correlation between lower light and better color and then also see if growth is affected.
Also, I have green milli that lost all of its green tissue color (polyps still colorful) im going to put in the shade for a while and see what happens with the color.
customdusty
New member
Update:
It has been another 2 full weeks, and 3 since I began the increased feedings.
Growth has continued to be very good, although there has been no change yet in coloration - it remains frustratingly lousy.
I have not changed any placement of corals nor have I adjusted the photoperiod.
Just going to continue to be patient and watch things.
It has been another 2 full weeks, and 3 since I began the increased feedings.
Growth has continued to be very good, although there has been no change yet in coloration - it remains frustratingly lousy.
I have not changed any placement of corals nor have I adjusted the photoperiod.
Just going to continue to be patient and watch things.
