What happened to my Acan?

[HarrisonMG]

So a few weeks ago I got my first corals, including an acan, and it looked like this when I put it into my tank:

Now, however, it looks like this:

Why could this happen?
I have changed my bulbs for a different combo since the first pic, but then earlier today I tried recreating the same setup I had and still couldn't get it to look the same.

Rn I have 6 T5s: two 420/460, one purple, one colormax, and two 10,000Ks. Without the 10,000ks on, the color looks slightly slightly better but the first pic is with everything on, just an actinic and instead of a colormax I think.

One thing I did notice is with the lunes, I can see a little bit of the fluorescent orange, but only barely.

Tank placement: slightly above bottom, 15" below light
Water flow: medium-low

There are some nutrients in my system, got some algae happening but phos are at 0 and nitrates near 0 - 5.

I'm debating on going to reefapalooza and getting a bunch of corals, but if they aren't gonna look good under my lights or gonna fade then wouldn't do that.

Thanks!

 

[homer1475]

it looks way healthier then when you bought it. Was your LFS using LED's?


different lighting and nutrient loads can affect colors in most corals.


I don't see an issue to be honest. It looks much better then the first pic. It has full polyps, unlike before where there is obviously skeleton showing, and by the looks of it has actually grown a bit. I think the color looks better too, although not that bright orange, it's still very nice looking. You could try to bring up the phosphate level a bit, and it might color up a bit different.



Like I said above though, different combination of lights, and different nutrient loads will affect the color of corals immensely.

 

[FullBoreReefer]

I agree with the above, looks like its settling in and happy again. Looks fine to me.

 

[sde1500]

Yea coral looks way happier. Not as fluorescent but colors always seem to change a bit with different light set ups.

 

[HarrisonMG]

So while I'm not 100% sure of course, I do believe it's not the light that has changed much. Although the LFS had Radion XR40s but they were set kind of dim and completely blue.

SO then it seems likely to be nutrients. Just worry about letting phosphate rust because I've got some and growing. However I think that is Problem with my photo period.

The second photo make it look a little better in real life though. So Yeah it inflates now which is very nice but it is kind of the same brown as the Rock and almost blends in.

The reason its important to me to figure this out is that i bought 4 different corals with different needs just to try them out and see if I'm up for the job. Yet right now I'm in the fence. I want to go to reefapalooza and pick some cool specimen up there, but in the same time I am worried if it is worth it because I only want them.purely for aesthetics. If they turn brownish burgundy and don't return color that would be a waste unless I grow and sell for.more.

Thanks!

 

[sde1500]

Although the LFS had Radion XR40s but they were set kind of dim and completely blue.

This is the cause. Pump a ton of blue light on the corals you have now and watch the colors pop.

 

[HarrisonMG]

Have you experienced this? how long might it take?

And, if most of the corals I buy are from completely blue lighting (mine is blue with some purple and orange from colormax) then would me having blue lighting keep all of them bright colored?

the interesting thing is my green hammer and green trumpet are just as colorful as they have been, they just fluoresce more under more blue lighting.

thanks for the advice!

 

[homer1475]

What are your parameters?


And yes, more blue would bring out the florescents on most corals instantly. It's kind of why on some website corals have all these crazy colors, but you get them home in normal lighting and they look nothing like the web site. It's likely what you are experiencing.



It could also be a matter of nutrient load. Some corals are the most colorful when they are near starving(ULNS system), where they survive mostly on being fed from their zoox, thus having more zoox, and florescent colors.

 

[HarrisonMG]

Ohhh that makes sense with the zooxanthellae
My phos is near 0
My nitrates are near 0
Alk 9-10
Ammonia and nitrite 0
Calc 450ish
ph 8.4

And like I said, the lights are 2x 420/460s (blue) one purple, one colormax (orange, make fish look good and washes out corals tiny bit)

 

[sde1500]

What happened to my Acan?

Take out the other bulbs, or turn them off if you have them on a separate channel. I bet that the colors will show up immediately. Green shows up no matter what but the oranges reds and yellows in my tank pop when there is almost all or all blue running.

 

[HarrisonMG]

Take out the other bulbs, or turn them off if you have them on a separate channel. I bet that the colors will show up immediately. Green shows up no matter what but the oranges reds and yellows in my tank pop when there is almost all or all blue running.

Well it doesn't show up when I switch out the bulbs to all blue, but hopefully the colors come back. I would love to have a tank full of beautiful corals.