Hawkins Brown Out

[specialk]

I am sure many have seen this happen to their Hawkins .. . but wanted to post to see if this was pretty common.

Basically .. it is in the midst of a brown out. There is some blue on there, but it is like a greenish - brown. BUT it is still growing at a pretty good clip. However I am anxious to get the great color back.

I did have the following factors due to unexpected, NON stop travel and stress --

* Water changes did not stay on course with my normal 15% change every 2 weeks .. slipped at times to every 4 weeks.

* Had a refugium light problem where all my macro algae died off .. also caused some bad gunk to start in my tank as the water parameters went off a bit obviously. (phosphates and nitrates)

* LED lights went to where I was forced to replace about 50% f the blues .. so the lighting was off a bit.

Since then all of this has been fixed and back to normal (lights, refugium and water parameters are back to where they were) ...

I am wondering how long it will take for the color to come back and get back to normal? Any one experience this before with the Hawkins sps .. I love this coral too so I am anxious to get it back to normal

 

[hybridazn]

It could take a while, it's hard to give a time frame because it really depends on your system and how stable you can keep the parameters for it.

Best of luck!

 

[specialk]

It could take a while, it's hard to give a time frame because it really depends on your system and how stable you can keep the parameters for it.

Best of luck!

Is this basically just from a lack of nutrients and bad crap in the water?

 

[hybridazn]

Lack of nutrients, swings in parameters and water quality

 

[sticky polyps]

Got a pic? I'd like to see a browned out Hawkins.

 

[specialk]

There ya go ...although I started dosing and it is starting to come back. One of my favorite corals so I hope it gets back sooner rather then later

 

[blkhawk10]

I may be wrong but that doesn't look like a Hawkins echinata...the one I have and the pictures I've seen the branches are all smooth with a single polyp coming out from the top of the branch.

 

[FarmerTy]

Doesn't look like one to me either.

Besides that point, I've only had my echinata lighten up due to undesirable conditions but never browned out on me. The brown out I'm sure has to do with the higher nutrients. Once you get your nitrates down in particular, I've seen them color back up fully in about 4 weeks.

 

[BryanS4]

Yeah, not a Hawkins.

Either way, as stated above get your po4 or no3 down and it will color up for you.

 

[FL_Reefer]

High po4 all day, get that down and should turn around

 

[sticky polyps]

They look better from top down i think...

 

[specialk]

I started running gfo out of a canister filter about 3 weeks ago. Previously I also had a fuge light go on me while I was traveling and lost a bunch of macro algae in the sump. Im hoping that since I have worked on these 2 things and taking steps to get these 2 back in line and in order things will start coloring up and turning around for me

 

[specialk]

Btw...is there such a thing as running too much gfo?

 

[specialk]

They look better from top down i think...

Those look good...look more in line of what I have. Nice work

 

[hybridazn]

Btw...is there such a thing as running too much gfo?

Yes there def is. If you run too much it will strip the water incredibly fast.

 

[specialk]

Ok ...so just stick with what I am doing then. May be a dumb question ....but what is the usual time that it takes to make a serious dent in high phosphate levels? 1 month or so ?