Mikey122687
New member
I got a turquoise tenuis and its turning brownish. What do i need to add so i can bring back the color?
What to add to bring back color?
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Mikey122687
New member
Just that one, i got a 48" tek light with 4 ati blue plus, 1 fiji purple, and 1 ati aquablue special.
I have about 3000GPH circulation in my tank, which is a 80 gallon tank.
I use brightwell amino acid for trace element and i have 0 phosphate (i use DI water and dosing vodka + MB7)
Norwood IND
Member
A little more information would be helpful. Could you post all your parameters (alk, Ca, Mg) ? Also, is it placed high in the tank? Always best to slowly raise your new sps so it can become acclimated to the light in the system.
Mikey122687
New member
Nitrate - 0
Phosphate - 0
Calc - 460
Alk - 12 dkh
Mag - 1200
All tests are from Salifert except for the nitrate and phosphate which are API test kits
The coral is at the top of my tank. I raise my tank about 10" above the tank, and the coral is about 4 inches below the water so that makes it about 14" between the coral and the light fixture.
My temperature is about 79 constant since i have a chiller for it.
I mean my turquoise tenuis isn't really brown, its a dark teal color, so i might've been exggagerating a bit
Phosphate - 0
Calc - 460
Alk - 12 dkh
Mag - 1200
All tests are from Salifert except for the nitrate and phosphate which are API test kits
The coral is at the top of my tank. I raise my tank about 10" above the tank, and the coral is about 4 inches below the water so that makes it about 14" between the coral and the light fixture.
My temperature is about 79 constant since i have a chiller for it.
I mean my turquoise tenuis isn't really brown, its a dark teal color, so i might've been exggagerating a bit
API kits may not show levels low enough to indicate actual nutrient levels in your system. Elevated levels are likely to be a cause of your problems too. Besides investing in higher end test kits, and it's a good idea even if you have, you should make up some sort of reference solution to check against. Mix up some new saltwater using RO/DI water that you know has zero nitrate and phosphate, then test both the zero reference and your tank water side by side. Whether there is a difference or not, this will give you a better clue as to what your levels truly are.
Allmost
New member
your nitrate is not zero, its less than 5 PPM
mg should be 3.25 times the value of ca.
I personally like lower DKH, what salt do u use ?
do not dose vodka if you do not know your exact nitrate levels.
Dustin1300
Reefaholic
I'd agree with Allmost of the Alk. Does your tank normally have this high of an alk reading? Mag could come up some but not sure that would be reason for a major brown out.
Mikey122687
New member
I use Seachem Salinity Salt, mixing it with DI water, not RO/DI
Allmost
New member
seachem usually has Dkh of 10, so what are you dosing to bring the KH up ? let it sit at 10 DKH, 12 is too much. but this is not the reason for browning out.
measure the TDS of the DI water, RO is the unit that removes most fo the unpurities. so if TDS is not zero u need RO/DI unit, if TDS is zero then ure fine.
now all that is left out is lighting and nutrition. if ure bulbs are less than 1 year old, then lighting is not the ISsue. so nutrition it is : I would stop dosing amino acides, and all trace elements. then get a salifert test kit fro no3 and po4.
when dosing vodka, it is VERY important to be testing no3 with VERY good test kits and salifert can read down to 0.2 PPM of no3, where API lowest value is 5 PPM !! then start ure vodka dosing all over again, dose till no3 lowers and then stop at that value. you dont want to overdose on vodka.
lastly how stable is your PH ?and what skimmer ?
Mattik
New member
how long have you had this coral? It may just be a bit of initial shock and it will color up with time.
I do agree with those that say you need a better N and P test kit, especially given your problem. Its better to know the actual level rather than just that it is less than 5 ppm. I would stop dosing aminos and trace elements. They really aren't necessary and the aminos in particular could contribute to a nutrient problem.
Also, I agree that dKh is probably "borderline high".
I do agree with those that say you need a better N and P test kit, especially given your problem. Its better to know the actual level rather than just that it is less than 5 ppm. I would stop dosing aminos and trace elements. They really aren't necessary and the aminos in particular could contribute to a nutrient problem.
Also, I agree that dKh is probably "borderline high".
Mikey122687
New member
seachem usually has Dkh of 10, so what are you dosing to bring the KH up ? let it sit at 10 DKH, 12 is too much. but this is not the reason for browning out.
measure the TDS of the DI water, RO is the unit that removes most fo the unpurities. so if TDS is not zero u need RO/DI unit, if TDS is zero then ure fine.
now all that is left out is lighting and nutrition. if ure bulbs are less than 1 year old, then lighting is not the ISsue. so nutrition it is : I would stop dosing amino acides, and all trace elements. then get a salifert test kit fro no3 and po4.
when dosing vodka, it is VERY important to be testing no3 with VERY good test kits and salifert can read down to 0.2 PPM of no3, where API lowest value is 5 PPM !! then start ure vodka dosing all over again, dose till no3 lowers and then stop at that value. you dont want to overdose on vodka.
lastly how stable is your PH ?and what skimmer ?
I use Kent SuperBuffer DKH to bring up my Alk. The DI water is about 30-40 TDS when i test it (had to borrow a friend TDS meter). My PH is about 7.8 in the morning and 8.2 during the day.
I got a EuroReef skimmer that rated for 150G (i forgot the model)
I have the coral for about 6-7 months now, like i said its not "brown". Its a dark turquoise color, when i got it, it was a bright turquoise and i'll stop the aminos
Mattik
New member
I guess I missed this, and it does change things a bit. It could be any of the above mentioned issues, or photoperiod.
BUT, it could also be that when you bought it, it was faded, and it has now colored back up un your tank. In other words, maybe the color you are seeing now is its true color?
Pics might help people judge that a bit...at least if they are more familiar with this coral than I am.
+1 on that. I've taken corals home from various LFS's, and after having them for a few months, some look more colorful, some look less. I've noticed that in my own tank, blue pigmentation appears more vibrant under lower dKH.
I've learned to accept the fact that since I don't run zeovit, SPS are going to look a tad brown here and there. I don't think it's a bad thing, to tell you the truth.
Mikey122687
New member
Yea, everything else is doing fine. I guess its just what u guys are saying, that some coral are different from tank to tank
