How to get vivid colors from SPS corals

[Dilan Patel]

Hello, I have seen many amazing tanks that have very vivid colors. Very bright reds,blues,purples,pinks,yellows ,etc. I am just wondering how do yall get those colors to be so bright. Especially the reds and blues. Thanks

 

[77railer]

I am interested as well...ive heard t5s are for growing and leds are for cooking (coloring up) but I'd like to hear what the experts say.

 

[679x]

Interested as well. Following this

 

[N4sty T4te]

Mostly water chemistry I think, blue lighting. For sps the color is more uniform with T5. No shadowing.

Try dosing a coral color program like the one from Red Sea or Zeovit. Water changes won't adequately replenish trace elements.

Also ULNS systems can have pastelish tones. Some nutrients help.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Complete available nutrients package and adequate light are the main contributor to vivid SPS coloration. Some will say red/green are not needed at all, but IME daily bombardment of red/green will help out in color pigmentation.

 

[spspirate]

I agree with Donovan. I would add stable parameters.

 

[Neil Fox]

Photoshop...

All joking aside, here is a really good guide https://reefbuilders.com/2008/09/03/guide-of-sps-coral-coloration-make-them-more-vivid-bright/#

 

[mtraylor]

Yes stable water conditions is number one. Amino Acids work well too.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

I agree with Donovan. I would add stable parameters.

Stable parameters are mandatory for SPS survival. Took me two years to tune up with my tank, and I can see different shades of color pigmentation when on full spectrum LED. My colored channels runs full 4 hours, but I am experimenting a 20 minutes blue channels reduction (1/2 normal intensity) for every hour my colored channels is on. So for four hours time frame, 80 minutes my blue channels runs at half intensity.

 

[Abhishek]

It's funny that sometimes we swear by the trace elements whereas some of the best sps keepers keep things as simple as possible with weekly water changes , high nutrients by feeding fishes , high light and high flow .
One of the best sps keeper - @Big E share your thoughts please ..

Regards,
Abhishek

 

[Dilan Patel]

I would like to hear yalls experience with the red sea reef color program if you do not mind.

 

[Coronus]

Been growing sps for many years. Key to good color is IMO the basics.
Gotta have good lighting I use t5s
Gotta have a good bioload of fish to feed the coral. Feed the fish, the fish poop, then the poop feeds the coral naturally.
Gotta do regular water changes. Me, every 2 weeks 15% atleast. Need to replace trace elements regulary.
Cal, alk, mag, pot, dosing regulary.
Stable alk. On point every day. I test it daily.
Once a week use a tyrkey bastor to blow the detritus off the rocks in the tank. Keep the pumps running. This feeds the corals with out adding anything else to the tank ever.
My tanks are zero no3 and po4. Atleast undetectable. In my systems I get algae when I raise those number. But that just for me.
Feed fish 1-2 times a day.
I have good color doing this.

 

[Dilan Patel]

How do you keep alk calc and mag the same with waterchanges don't you put less alk calc and mag in or does it drop temporarily and then the daily dosing bring it back to where it is stable.

 

[Mr.Rocc]

How do you keep alk calc and mag the same with waterchanges don't you put less alk calc and mag in or does it drop temporarily and then the daily dosing bring it back to where it is stable.

Most people use dosing pumps to keep the levels stable. Also a ton of people mix bulk supplies of salt water so they know what the params will be at if they take out X amount and put in X amount. It helps a ton to have a consistency in your mix

 

[Dilan Patel]

I do not do waterchanges because I will be starting coral colors by red sea which will supplement all trace elements. Also everything will beon dosing pumps for consistency. Only time water is changed is when water is taken out for acclimation or cleaning of the rock. How do you all test Iron,Iodine and stuff like that everytime I test I get 0 for Iron and the perfect amount for Iodine which is think is .6 right or .06

 

[Dilan Patel]

Also if yall have photos it would benefit all of us if you do not mind sharing

 

[Mr.Rocc]

I don't test for that stuff only because i havent started dosing my color program. Basics though, water changes, decent bioload, stable params.

 

[Coronus]

Cal, mag, pot, can flex a little bit as long as you stay with in the acceptable parameters . Alk is the only thing that I work hard to keep on the money every day.
Dosing pumps for cal and alk maintain them spot on. Every 3-4 weeks I have to make small adjustments up to compensate for growth. Mag and pot, I dose manually every 2 weeks. Right after water changes.
Depending on your coral growth, will dictate the demand on cal,alk,mag,pot.
Alk, alk, alk, alk, alk.............this is key. Stable alk super important.
Bioload also important.

 

[Dilan Patel]

Pot is potassium right? Sorry just want to clarrify

 

[Abhishek]

Iron is transient and you cannot measure it unless it's within 2-3 hours of dosing .
I tried dosing iron and general consensus says it improves green which it didn't for me .

Regards,
Abhishek