Corals eventually lose any trace of green?

[ArtsyAxolotl]

I've had a sort've ongoing issue with the coloration in my tank. All my corals seem to, over time, lose any trace of the color green and instead become a funny, yellowish fleshy color. The most notable example I have at the moment is a finger leather coral I bought last week. It was this nice teal-green color, but now it's losing that color and only one finger is still green. Same thing happened to a duncan I have. It was light blue and teal before. Now it's tan.

The corals looks entirely healthy otherwise. All of my formerly green coral do. They grow just fine, expand nice and big during the day if they're the kind that shrink up at night... everyone eats when I feed the tank and all seems well. But everything eventually becomes dull and tan. I wouldn't call it a full browning out, but maybe it is? It just looks like a loss of color.

Any ideas? What typically causes loss of color? Is too too much light? Not enough? Nutrients?

 

[keddre]

I am ignorant to corals and can't help, but they will probably want to know your nutrients and your lighting

 

[oscargrumete61]

Did you add some phosphate removal lately?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

What lights are you running? Do you know the par?

Corals will expel the zoanthene algaes sometimes. I have a frogspawan that got too much ligh , the top heads are faded and some clearish. The lower heads are the nice deep colors they should be.

Yes. There are low light corals.

 

[ArtsyAxolotl]

I'm running a Marine Orbit Current. Pro version I think. I don't know the par, no. I run the blues at 100% and the whites at.. I think 60? for 10 hours, then just blue for 4, and then off for the night. At least, that's what I think it was. It's been a while since looked at it honestly. Someone suggested to me that Irun the lights this way because my galaxea coral lost all it's color too and turned a weird red color. Changing the light made that one get its color back, but not the others.

I'm testing some water now to get specifics on what's in my water for you guys. No I haven't added phosphate remover. I have pouches of Chemipure Blue in my filter socks, but I've been having this color problem since long before I added those.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I belive the pro version at full measured at 12in was about three or four hundred par. So it's possible it's a bit too much or for too long

If your running low nutints with higher par that could be a small problem On it's own.

 

[ArtsyAxolotl]

My parameters are:

0 ammonia
0 nitrites
10ppm nitrates
0.25 phos
400 calcium
8-8.4ph. Honestly, the API test kit for ph sucks. The color doesn't match anything. and I know I need a different kit but this was all I could find without ordering online so...

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

My parameters are:

0 ammonia
0 nitrites
10ppm nitrates
0.25 phos
400 calcium
8-8.4ph. Honestly, the API test kit for ph sucks. The color doesn't match anything. and I know I need a different kit but this was all I could find without ordering online so...

W the API , as long as you're in the purple. Lol.

 

[ArtsyAxolotl]

Haha, yea it certainly seems that way. So you think maybe my lights might be too much and that's why some of my corals are losing color? It's hard to find the right balance for everyone to be happy.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Yea. It could very well be.

Photoinhibition on the ones that aren't growing.
Or expulsion of zoox from too much light. Or too long at to high an intensity.

You'd need to estimate with a par or lux meter.

 

[tdileo]

Is it only green corals? New corals should be started at the bottom and then moved up to where you want it over a few weeks so they can adjust to your lighting.
Usually browning out is when you have higher phos/nitrates (which it seems you have) since the population of zoox in the coral will go up and the corals natural color will be less noticeable.

 

[ArtsyAxolotl]

I'll have to look into getting a par/lux meter. Any you might recommend?

And tdileo, yes, it appears to be green/bluish corals specifically, yes. I always start them low and then move them up like you suggested. are my phosphates and nitrates considered high?

 

[rkpetersen]

Well, without actually seeing your corals, here's what I think might be going on, fwiw.

Your nitrate and phosphate levels are rather high. If you also have fairly intense lighting, happy corals will be growing and many of them will increase the concentration of zooxanthellae algae in their tissues, because the nutrient levels allow it. High concentrations of zooxanthellae impart the tan/brown color that I think you're talking about. If you keep lps corals, you may see them expelling stringy brown masses of excess zooxanthellae from time to time. Many of the more colorful and/or fluorescing pigments may actually reside in the coral polyp tissue but outside the zooxanthellae, and these colors can get masked/muted when the zooxanthellae concentrations rise. The concept of an ultra low nutrient reef system is to limit the zooxanthellae to just what's necessary and bring out the coloration of the coral tissue itself, and it works great to create those color-saturated master reefs we all envy, but it can present increased risk of bleaching, tissue necrosis and general catastrophe if you're not careful or just unlucky.

So, personally, I'd bring my nitrate/phosphate levels down some, and you might see some of those colors return. But don't overdo it, some of the phosphate removing products will really pull the level down fast, so be careful, use much less than recommended to start, do testing, increase amount as needed. Also if your white lights are running at 60%, I would gradually bring that down a bit as well, simultaneous with decreasing nutrients.


Edit: tdileo posted while I was composing this. Great minds, etc.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/help-my-sps-are-paling-and-i-dont-know-what-to-do.210035/

 

[ArtsyAxolotl]

Thanks so much for the tips guys. I learned a lot from all the advice! I'll start adjusting the lights down a little and work on lowering the nutrients. I'd rather my corals be dull and healthy than colorful and unhealthy, but I'd love to see just a bit more color.

 

[rkpetersen]

I'll have to look into getting a par/lux meter. Any you might recommend?

I wouldn't get a lux meter. PAR meters are more expensive but they give you much better information about photosynthetically useful radiation.

A while ago, the guys at BRStv pointed out that major PAR meters on the market including a super expensive professional one had a major flaw when used underwater (I forget the specifics). I bought this one after confirming that it had been redesigned, and it functions as it should when transitioning from air to water.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/mq-510-full-spectrum-underwater-led-par-meter-apogee.html

Same company makes other models but I didn't research those.

This wand is a very useful addon for checking PAR at multiple locations in your tank:

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/sensor-wand-for-par-sensors-apogee.html

 

[BlueCursor]

Green turning to yellow can be an iron deficiency. Add some iron and I bet they turn green pretty quickly.

 

[ArtsyAxolotl]

Yikes, that's expensive. Can't quite afford that atm but I'll definitely consider it for the future! I'm planning to do a water change one day this week to try and reduce those phosphates a bit more. Just haven't had the time.

Are there test kits for iron? I might try adding iron if I can identify the levels in my reef and see if it's something that might help.

 

[BlueCursor]

Iron tests are pretty hit or miss. Just find some dosing fluid for iron and follow the instructions, then watch your color. Discontinue if you see no benefit

 

[ArtsyAxolotl]

There's no downside to just putting iron dosing fluid into the tank? Might give it a shot then!