Help to color up CC Pink Highlighter

[TLECLUYSE]

I have had this pink highlighter for about 4 months now and just can’t seem to get it to color up at all, once in a while I will notice a little pink but then it fades away just as fast as it came. I was at a frag swap today and heard cherry telling another person that it’s a hard one to color up. Right now sitting in 300 par good random flow, I run my alk at 8.5 calcium at 420 and mg at 1350 nitrates between 8-12 and phos .04-.1 I run reef moonshiners for trace supplements and ati test once a month. Any help would be appreciated

Other acros are full of color fyi

 

[blaxsun]

Yeah, that other acro is absolutely gorgeous!

 

[Joe462]

sounds like you are doing everything right, maybe it just needs some more time in your system. Tenuis can be really stubborn. I'm currently getting pretty good color on my CC pink highlighter but not as much polyp extension as i would like. I do dose amino acids.

 

[TLECLUYSE]

sounds like you are doing everything right, maybe it just needs some more time in your system. Tenuis can be really stubborn. I'm currently getting pretty good color on my CC pink highlighter but not as much polyp extension as i would like. I do dose amino acids.

Mine has some polyp extension but defiantly could have more

 

[Hurricane Aquatics]

I don't think your lighting is as high as you think it is.

Tell me something, the first frag and the second Pic, where is the first frag that you're trying to color up, positioned in the tank with lighting and flow? Then where is the second colony positioned?

 

[TLECLUYSE]

I don't think your lighting is as high as you think it is.

Tell me something, the first frag and the second Pic, where is the first frag that you're trying to color up, positioned in the tank with lighting and flow? Then where is the second colony positioned?

I have a par meter so I am sure of the number. Those 2 colonies are on opposite sides of the tank however this frag here I got as a stark white wild frag and it is parked right next to the highlighter.

I did have for the first 2 months have it right next to my princess peach but moved it to get some more flow and I wanted it in the frag rack instead of on the rockwork due to the coloring

 

[Hurricane Aquatics]

I have a par meter so I am sure of the number. Those 2 colonies are on opposite sides of the tank however this frag here I got as a stark white wild frag and it is parked right next to the highlighter.

I did have for the first 2 months have it right next to my princess peach but moved it to get some more flow and I wanted it in the frag rack instead of on the rockwork due to the coloring

Can you post a summary of your system like how old is the overall tank? What is your flow situation? I didn't see your tank size or your power head setup?

What PAR meter are you using? I'm asking all these for a reason.

 

[TLECLUYSE]

Can you post a summary of your system like how old is the overall tank? What is your flow situation? I didn't see your tank size or your power head setup?

What PAR meter are you using? I'm asking all these for a reason.

Sure it’s a 60 cube setup for 1.5 years. I have 2 mp40 turned way down to provide random flow, I have them set on alternating gyre flow, should be mp10’s but I am planning up upgrading eventually to a larger tank. I use the apogee par meter.

 

[TLECLUYSE]

Can you post a summary of your system like how old is the overall tank? What is your flow situation? I didn't see your tank size or your power head setup?

What PAR meter are you using? I'm asking all these for a reason.

 

[Tony616]

Here's mine under 500-550 par. They love flows. I have a 6 feet tank with 4 mp60 running at 85%.

Po4 0.05
No3 5
Calcium 1350
Alk 8.5

 

[Hurricane Aquatics]

Appreciate all the info, love the 60 cube, used to have one myself back in 2013.

You have 2 issues that standout right away.

1) Your lighting isn't providing enough blanket coverage. Leds require a large area when growing SPS and it doesn't matter if they're right under the light, they still get shaded. You would benefit greatly with the T5 fixture that has a couple of bulbs on each side and the Radion in the middle.

If you want to stay LED only, you could put a couple of LED strips on each side and angle them about 10 degrees inward.

2) Flow. Your 2 MP40s are great and it's better to go too big than not big enough. Placement in a cube is tough to get the right flow. I don't think your current setup provides alternating flow. If it were me, I would leave the MP40 in the back where you have it and I would move the one on the side down below the Acro about an inch or so. That way you'll have flow moving front to back and then side to side, but the side to side will cover the middle and bottom of the tank. Lowering the side MP40 will also allow it to nitninterferenwith the back MP40 flow. As it is, they intersect which isn't good for flow. The side one is right on the SPS too which is too much for it.

3) Gyre mode, I like, but it's probably a bit much for a cube. I run my rear MP40s on Tidal Swell in the day time and Lagoon at night. I run my side MP40s on a mixture of Reef Crest, Tidal Swell, and an hour of Gyre in the day and run Lagoon at night on low intensity.

4) When you add more lighting if you do, you'll want to increase your Nitrate to 12 to 15. You could do that now actually and it will help with color. Your phosphates are fine.

Hope this helps and if you have questions just let me know.

 

[TLECLUYSE]

Appreciate all the info, love the 60 cube, used to have one myself back in 2013.

You have 2 issues that standout right away.

1) Your lighting isn't providing enough blanket coverage. Leds require a large area when growing SPS and it doesn't matter if they're right under the light, they still get shaded. You would benefit greatly with the T5 fixture that has a couple of bulbs on each side and the Radion in the middle.

If you want to stay LED only, you could put a couple of LED strips on each side and angle them about 10 degrees inward.

2) Flow. Your 2 MP40s are great and it's better to go too big than not big enough. Placement in a cube is tough to get the right flow. I don't think your current setup provides alternating flow. If it were me, I would leave the MP40 in the back where you have it and I would move the one on the side down below the Acro about an inch or so. That way you'll have flow moving front to back and then side to side, but the side to side will cover the middle and bottom of the tank. Lowering the side MP40 will also allow it to nitninterferenwith the back MP40 flow. As it is, they intersect which isn't good for flow. The side one is right on the SPS too which is too much for it.

3) Gyre mode, I like, but it's probably a bit much for a cube. I run my rear MP40s on Tidal Swell in the day time and Lagoon at night. I run my side MP40s on a mixture of Reef Crest, Tidal Swell, and an hour of Gyre in the day and run Lagoon at night on low intensity.

4) When you add more lighting if you do, you'll want to increase your Nitrate to 12 to 15. You could do that now actually and it will help with color. Your phosphates are fine.

Hope this helps and if you have questions just let me know.

thank you for the detailed response!! T5 and reefbrites are out of the question I had a hydra 32 and reefbrites, they didn’t seem to make any difference to shadowing so I upgraded to the xr30 wife declined any addition to the lights as she thinks it looks stupid lol as far as the mp40 placement if I move the one on the left down it will blow straight thru my rockwork and assume blow my torch’s to death. Would only running one on reefcrest be more beneficial? Your right about the 2 canceling each other out, that’s why I’m running the gyre so the left power head comes on then shuts off when the back turns on, I tried sync and anti sync on every other mode and just couldn’t get anything that moved the polyps both ways so to speak. I have struggled with flow the most on this tank!

 

[dbq5anlxj]

I run my tank identical to yours. alk8 ca430 mag1400 around 350 par. N18 p0.08. Yours looks almost like bleached. The zooxanthellae density seems really low.

 

[TLECLUYSE]

I run my tank identical to yours. alk8 ca430 mag1400 around 350 par. N18 p0.08. Yours looks almost like bleached. The zooxanthellae density seems really low.

Looks awesome!! I guess I just need to give it more time then lol

 

[Pistondog]

Ime green color indicates not enough light.
Acropower once or twice a week.

 

[Troylee]

Ime green color indicates not enough light.
Acropower once or twice a week.

Normally a bright green fluoresce is when it’s getting accustomed to brighter light ime.

 

[TLECLUYSE]

Ime green color indicates not enough light.
Acropower once or twice a week.

It’s actually mostly white or like a cream color

 

[biecacka]

I don’t get any of those colors shown in some of the photos above either. that is pretty awesome looking though, never seen one that color. Very cool. Mine is similar to the OP’s just slightly more pink and a brighter green base. It’s somewhat new in my tank (4 Months or so), but it is definitely growing. That is for sure.


corey

Here's mine under 500-550 par. They love flows. I have a 6 feet tank with 4 mp60 running at 85%.

Po4 0.05
No3 5
Calcium 1350
Alk 8.5