2 Acropora Color Questions

Schgred · Feb 16, 2015

I have two questions to ask about the coloring on acropora:

1. Do you typically find that new acro frags tend to lose their color once introduced in to new systems? Then after they sit for a bit and encrust, that the color typically returns? I have a sunset milli and a red planet frag that looked great at first in my system and have slowly faded in color. Somebody mentioned that this fading, and then re-coloring is somewhat typical.

2. I was given a chunk of rock that had an encrusted piece of rose millepora on it. The color was great when I introduced it to my tank, but for some reason the color faded. I have no other real issues with color on my other acros so I'm thinking it was something just with the rose millepora. As I said, it was just a small encrusted spot, and it has encrusted a whole lot more and is growing several branches, some are over an inch now. The polyp extension is great, but the color has not returned. It is a faded base with blah green polyps. I've also heard that sometimes the color will not return until it is more encrusted and shooting up branches.

All the other acros are doing great in my tahnk.

camelcruiser · Feb 16, 2015

A lot of times Acro has to adjust its much more common with wild or maricultured pieces because they haven't had any time to adjust to being in an aquarium. It could be high nutrients or low nutrients or different lights being used there are a lot of variables with acros but most of the time once they settle in they will color back up.

Schgred · Feb 17, 2015

That makes sense. Any other thoughts?

Badspstank · Feb 17, 2015

Acros will lose color alot of them just turn brown this is common. Mainly do to different peram, Temp and water quality. Corals will adjust and some time get better color.

KoleTang · Feb 17, 2015

What is your Alk, Nitrate, and Phosphate readings?

Where in the tank is the Millepora located? Lighting?

Schgred · Feb 17, 2015

High watt LED lighting. I keep my calcium at 420, alk at 9dkh, mag at 3500, salinity at 1.026, temp at 78.

Phosphate and nitrate are undetectable on the API test kit. Other test kits are red we and salifert.

The milli is about 2/3 up in the tank and getting plenty of flow.

Rockhead · Feb 17, 2015

Mag 3500 is that possible?

Schgred · Feb 17, 2015

Ha. My bad. 1350.

KoleTang · Feb 17, 2015

Not familiar with Salifert's Phosphate kit. What reading it red?

This thread may provide some insight here. the secret to colorful,healthy corals....obvious to some,elusive to many - Reef Central Online Community

Ultra low nutrients, high light, and medium-high alk can be a recipe for pale corals. I'd say to slowly up the stocking and feeding of the tank and see how that goes. Don't go too fast, just try to hit the sweet spot in nutrient levels. Make sure to use accurate test kits for Nitrate and Phosphate.

Badspstank · Feb 17, 2015

Corals need time to adjust simple

Schgred · Feb 17, 2015

Thanks. I'm running carbon and gfo, and growing chaeto and probably not feeding enough. I'll try that and see if it helps. I've been adding acropower which has probably kept the other acros in good health. The only thing that doesn't add up with this is that xenia grows like wildfire in my tank. Don't xenia typically like dirty water?

FishnFriendz · Feb 17, 2015

Schgred said:
Thanks. I'm running carbon and gfo, and growing chaeto and probably not feeding enough. I'll try that and see if it helps. I've been adding acropower which has probably kept the other acros in good health. The only thing that doesn't add up with this is that xenia grows like wildfire in my tank. Don't xenia typically like dirty water?

I have the same issue like yours. Most of my acro have the pale color, some almost wash out. I have LED system, feed less, have chaeto sump, running purigen and gfo. My alk is also low ( mid 7 to 8, cal: 420, mag:1350, temp:78, weekly 5% water change).
- I have been trying to feed more (at least 1 time a day)... I can tell my chaeto looks more greener, healthier, and growing.
- I have been dosing acro power (started last month), see some encrust but not much change.
- I took out GFO (couple days ago)...and in process of monitoring them, so far too early to tell. Most of my sps I have for 4-5 months.
Anyway, we are in the same boat, if you can find out the solution, please share

Thanks

Schgred · Apr 13, 2015

I still haven't entirely figured this out, but I will give somewhat of an update. The two pieces that I mentioned at first that faded (the red planet frag and sunset milli frag) have both colored up and have improved over all. The Rose Milli just keeps growing faster than any other acro in my tank. Its polyp extension is better than any other acro in my tank, but the color is still somewhat blah... It looks like it wants to color up back to what it was, but no go.

All of the acropora colonies and frags that I have had in my tank for some time now are doing great. Great color and decent growth and decent polyp extension. I introduced a hawkins echinata small colony that was really stressed and faded from transferring from a friends' tank to mine, and that has now colored back up and is growing and doing well.

I bought 4 frags from someone that were shipped and they looked great when I first got them, and they have all lost significant color. I'm guessing that the stress of being clipped, being shipped, and being acclimated to a new tank really affects the coloring until they can encrust and grow. It seems that for some though (like my rose milli), that if they get too faded and too colorless that it takes that much longer to get back to the original color if they even do.

If you're keeping acropora, time doesn't go fast! That's for sure!