Your Best Opinion on Coral Color

[Biggar]

Run down of my system.
265 gallon with variety of softies, LPS, and SPS (hoping there is no chemical warfare going on)
LEDs lights 3 watts. combo of royal blue, blue, cool white, and neutral white, covering many spectrum's
Par reads 500 at surface and 100-150 on sand
SPS sit in 200-425 par rating
Parameters in normal. nitrate 5ppm. phosphate nearly zero .02
Run GFO and carbon constantly, change filter sock 2x per week
Give weekly dose of iodine supplement
Give weekly tank saturation and cyclop eeze and rotifers
I have not given plankton in long while.
Have about 20 fish

Here is an example of what is going some of my SPS. This Tri color staghorn was so awesome looking before.

Here has what it turned into.

Here is what is used to look like the first day I put it in

BEFORE: Purple stalk with blue and green tips

NOW: Brown to purple and green tips that look kinda washed out.

I noticed some of my other coral doing same thing, but will continue to grow well? Stumped

 

[Joshporksandwic]

Awesome growth! How long did it take to change color?

 

[gatoralum69]

From what I read when stonies turn whitish means too much light...maybe they are getting too much of it as you have LED that traverse water better than MH and/or T5s. This is what I would think if these were mine.

 

[Biggar]

Awesome growth! How long did it take to change color?

That growth is over 2.5 months. Probably doubled in size. The color change was very gradual, maybe over period of weeks. Not sure. To slow to notice

My purple bonsai lost its color before I put it in my tank, never recovered to what it was when I bought it.

From what I read when stonies turn whitish means too much light...maybe they are getting too much of it as you have LED that traverse water better than MH and/or T5s. This is what I would think if these were mine.

I read that too. But my par is not off the charts from what i understand

 

[gatoralum69]

Did u try reading that pars right where the coral is? With LEDs it could be deciving as you have optics that direct/disperse the light from my understanding.

 

[Biggar]

Yea it about 400 if I remember correctly. I may post some pics of other corals fading out a bit.

I wonder if zooplankton and phytoplankton have anything to do with it?

Just is one thing I never add anymore but used to in 2011.

most things purple dont stay purple. I have purple deaths that are like brown deaths now. Strange

 

[AquamanE]

In looking at your specs you seem fine IMHO.

Ide try moving it elsewhere lower higher light, lower higher flow whatever you think. With that growth you are doing well.

Unless I get no growth or notice something drastic I dont mess with them much, let them do their own thing.

 

[Biggar]

Thanks Eddie, I moved it tonight.


Here are more examples that have made me wonder where my color is going.

My purple deaths that are on sand

My bonsai

Bonsai Supposed to look like this

SCRIBBS BEFORE

SCRIBBS AFTER

CATEYE ZOA BEFORE: Had deep color

CAT EYE NOW: Red disappearing

BEFORE

AFTER: More pink now

 

[Biggar]

Even the holly stunner is not as purple as i believe it should be.

Hmmmm

On the other hand, this dendro is pretty sweet. Nother effects this one ( :

Let me know if this im losing my mind here, thanks in advance for suggestions and comments

 

[clockwurk]

I received my purple bonzai browned out. I blasted it with light and flow, and it turned solid purple with neon green polyps. I think you may need more light/flow.

 

[jc-reef]

how old is your tank? May need time to mature.

 

[Biggar]

how old is your tank? May need time to mature.

Most Rock is about 18 months + , some are 5 months

 

[Biggar]

I received my purple bonzai browned out. I blasted it with light and flow, and it turned solid purple with neon green polyps. I think you may need more light/flow.

As far as flow goes I have

2 Koralia 6's 2200 = 4400 GPH
2 1400 koralia's = 2800 GPH
1 Reeflo 4300GPH = about 2800 in tank

Think 10,000 GPH in a 265 is not enough?

Im thinking that its not the flow because even the zoanthids are getting affected that are on the sand.

I tried running just blue light for 3 days straight and that did nothing.

 

[Daimyo68]

I would move the sps down if it were me, as they look to be "bleached". I have my SPS in par levels ranging from 100 to 245.

Your going to get some color shift under LED's, but not as severe as your seeing.

 

[Biggar]

Thinking about shutting down half of my lights for about a week or 2 and seeing what happens.

That means ill be running about 150 watts instead of 300.

Imagine if 300 watts on a 30" deep 265 gallon was way to much.

Excuse me sir. what wattage is necessary to grow sps. " .5 watts per gallon max " ( ;

 

[AquamanE]

Maybe im colorblind. I dont see an issue other than in the bonsai. :sad1::fun5:

 

[Principeces]

Curious to see what happens. I've seen some color shift with some sps pieces in my tank lit by LED.

 

[Blueline12]

I think your colors look pretty good. Maybe a bit too much light and you may need a bit more blue spectrum to get those deep rich colors. Remember how those 20K radiums turn acro colors insane.

I had every color SPS you can imagine with 14x 39W T-5's on a 180g. My colors were sick. Pinks, deep reds, purples, blues, baby blues, greens, orange and I had more of a mixture of blue and pink/purple with 4 whites thrown in.

 

[Blueline12]

BTW, that dendro is non-photosynthetic so lights won't do anything for it.

 

[Biggar]

I think your colors look pretty good. Maybe a bit too much light and you may need a bit more blue spectrum to get those deep rich colors. Remember how those 20K radiums turn acro colors insane.

I had every color SPS you can imagine with 14x 39W T-5's on a 180g. My colors were sick. Pinks, deep reds, purples, blues, baby blues, greens, orange and I had more of a mixture of blue and pink/purple with 4 whites thrown in.

Light Specs
All Cree 3 watts. both white sets are on stronger Ma driver(1000ma)s. all blues on 700ma's

Cool white- 24
Neutral white-12
Royal Blue- 56
Blue- 14
most on 80 degree optics, some on 60 degree.

70 blue, to 36 white. I only run 12 whites as a high noon effect (4 hours per day)

So, basically- 70 blue to 24 white

May be more than 20k in blue