Colors not so bright...

[Kerriann]

so, i've noticed our hammer coral and some of my zoas/polys look not so bright as they used to. Jon, I know you had suggested Marine C (still have not made it to a store to find this - stupid jobs) but does anyone else have any suggestions as to what may be causing this?

Tank 75g
Salinity 1.024-1.025
Phosphates 0-0.1 (test is so hard to read)
Nitrates 0
Ammonia 0
Ph 7.8-8
Alk 10.5-11.5
Calcium 430
Temp - now 78, varies from 77-81 lately...

Lights (4x54w T5)are on for 3 hrs in the morning and i think 4.5 in the evening. I've been considering cutting our light cycle a bit in the evening.

Most of the corals are about the middle of the tank as I was concerned our T5's might not be enough light for them...

 

[cloakerpoked]

Actually, if they aren't as bright it may be because they aren't having enough photosynthetic periods at a time. I would combine your two cycles into 1, 7 hour cycle and see if that helps. Usually, coloration is what corals go when they need more energy to survive. What this would mean in your case specifically is that they may not be creating enough food via photosynthesis to keep your colors at par with what they should be. You could easily target feed the hammer, but I'd try "normalizing" your photo period first, and see if that helps.

 

[Jonreefer]

yea if they are starting to appear a bit more translucent then they use to..they need more light.

 

[Kerriann]

i'll start there - what do you suggest target feeding to tha hammer?

 

[Jonreefer]

mysis, cyclo, anything meaty...

 

[Kerriann]

tried the mysis last night - no interest in it at all...

 

[Jonreefer]

yea no shock..Anytime I ever tried to feed any hammers I had..they never took it. just let it go

 

[Paul_N]

My frogspawn will take food but my hammer never do. I use a large syringe to spot feed and the frogspawn will close up around the food but not the hammer. It kinda gets stuck in the polyps a little then my tang and foxface try to take it.

 

[cloakerpoked]

I have one very large head of frogspawn right now...it ate a piece of krill one time...I couldn't believe it!

 

[Kerriann]

well, i switched my light setting to 7 hrs straight so we'll give it a few weeks and see if the colors come around.

i'm just so confused because everything is growing (my polys have almost doubled in just under a month) but my hammer still isn't completely full. i've managed to minimize our temperature swing to stay within a degree or two rather than the 4 degree swings we'd been having but i think the weather isn't doing us any favors with air on, windows open, shut it up heat on, etc.

if i don't see an improvement by May the next option is to tear the whole thing down and start all over!!!

 

[cloakerpoked]

if i don't see an improvement by May the next option is to tear the whole thing down and start all over!!!

I wouldn't think you should need to do that under any circumstances. placement may be a small issue for you as well, since t-5 lighting doesn't carry quite the intensity that Metal Halide does, you'll want to put your higher light stuff closer toward the top. Your tank is relatively new, give it time and it'll all come around. Pics of the hammer and zoas would help...

 

[superstein61]

Is your hammer in a spot getting good flow? Mine really seem to do better in more flow

 

[AquaWorldPSC]

What test kits did you use to test it?

 

[Kerriann]

here's some pics of the colors lacking (apologies, my camera is not top notch). the people eaters are pulled in but there's some small polyps growing in there as well. my yellow polyps have gone from 2 to 5(3 little guys) in less than 3 weeks.

i'm going to try to re-position the hammer tonight after class.

 

[Jonreefer]

def looks like they are bleaching and either need to have the lights on longer..or need more powerful. but you have plenty of light power for those type of corals in your tank though..I think maybe just need to run them longer..how many fish do you have..maybe you have to large of a bioload for the tank????

 

[Kerriann]

1 yellow tang
1 coral beauty
2 black percs
1 starry blenny
1 royal gramma
2 chromis
1 watchman

is that too many?? the lights are on 7 hrs a day straight. i'm starting to get a brown algae on some of my rocks now as well...nitrates are still reading 0-5

test kits are API except calc/alk which are Saliferts

 

[cloakerpoked]

The brown algea will go away with time...just brush it off in the meantime. Your tank is getting used to the new light cycle. This is good though, because it means there is enough light to allow photosynthesis to occur. Obviously before, there wasn't, and it was starving your corals. I think this will solve your problem....just be patient with the stupid algea...we all deal with it at one point or another

 

[Kerriann]

so i've been running the lights from 3-10 daily since Monday. is this enough time or should i run longer/less?

should i get more snails to clean the brown algae or just brush it away?

thanks guys, i really appreciate the feedback. we've been fish only for almost 2 years so this is a whole new mindset for us to switch to...much more involved!!

 

[Jonreefer]

thats all I usually run mine about 3-10 sometimes 11

 

[cloakerpoked]

Brush it away...the light cycle isn't too long. Soon (within a month or so) you should start getting a lot more coraline algea growth, and once you're getting that, you shouldn't really have to worry much about brown algea. It just grows faster, so that's always what you see growing in abundance when you change a light cycle like you did. Watch your nitrates, and as long as they don't go up at all, you should be just fine