Why are frags not keeping colors?

Felixc

New member
How are your frags looking in your propagation tank?
Does it maintain the same color intensity as the mother?
Has it gone brown or loss most of it's colors?

These are some of the questions I would like to hear answered by the many SPS farmers out there. I have no problem with growth but color is mediocre when comparing to the mother colonies. Similarly, a sibling frag of the same coral will have much better color in the main tank, go figure. Just like to hear what people think about this problem.

Main tank:
100g
2x65w attinic
3x250W 14K halides
good water movement
most corals are 12"-16" from the light source

Prop tank:
20g
Looped from the same sump (20x turn-over)
1x250w 14K halides
good water movement
all frags are placed on one shelf 12"-14" from the light

All water parameters are at good levels and corals in the main tank are brilliantly colored. Most of the frags start off looking good for about a week and then it would start to lose colors. I have some acro frags that have been encrusting for 2 months and have lost most of it's colors. Why????
 
Sounds like too much cow bell ;)

20x turnover isn't much. Might want to up that.

Don't see mention of skimmer in your post. Are you running one?
 
You moved them from one tank to the other. It is trying to readjust to the new surroundings.

MY TWO CENTS

1.) Says you have athinics on main but not prop tanks.
2.) 20x flow on a 20 gallon in kinda high try reducing to about 15x or 10x in the prop tank only.

I have a purple a. valida about 3 inches maybe less from the water surface in my tank. Light is not an issue. But it took 2 months to gets it color of deep purple w/neon green PE from tan/purple/blue. I bought cause I thought it would be a tricolor valide.

Now only one color :D
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7162939#post7162939 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by undertai
MY TWO CENTS


2.) 20x flow on a 20 gallon in kinda high try reducing to about 15x or 10x in the prop tank only.


MY TWO CENTS

The above suggestion is a very bad one.




Brad
 
I do have a 250g rated skimmer...not an issue.

foob: I start off new frags at about 16" and then slowly lower to about 12-14". none has bleached from this distance.

purple haze and dascharisma: you don't think 20x turn-over is enought for this 20g? Why not, and how much would you recommend.

I have beated my head with both of these possibilities, too much light, too much or not enought current, but in the end I don't think my parameters (light/current/skimming) is the cause of lack of colors, as mother colonies are in very similar parameters, just in the display tank.

Could it be the lack of liverocks, fish, sand, and etc, that are the difference. I can't think of anything else being different other then these from the display tank.
 
have you tried feeding the prop tank. if it is not getting the nutrients becaue they are skimmed out first that may be a cause of lack of vibrance imo.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7164732#post7164732 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by twon8
have you tried feeding the prop tank. if it is not getting the nutrients becaue they are skimmed out first that may be a cause of lack of vibrance imo.

I have, 3 times a week with kent Chromamax and Cyclopeez and turning pump off for 30min. No improvement that I can see.
 
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