Losing Color

[HowardJ02]

I have a frag of "burning magicians."
When I first got them, they were colorful, but they are slowly becoming almost translucent.

I have a 20 long and the frag is still on the sandbed from when I got them ~3 weeks ago. So they're roughly ~14-15" from the light.

I'm running a 4 bulb T5 with 2 blues, 1 white and 1 purple.

When they turn brown/translucent, are they getting too much light or too little?

They looked so good in the picture when I bought them but now they're just kind of blah. Would love to get the color back. I'm almost wondering if LED would be better for color?

I only have a test kit for nitrates, nitrites, pH and ammonia.


This is with blues only on. And it's a crappy iPhone pic.

 

[502]

Reef roid will help

 

[Snorty2668]

I have some of them and I keep mine about 6 inches from the top with same light setup and they are thriving

 

[HowardJ02]

I will move them up then! Thank you!

 

[HowardJ02]

Couple other placement questions if you guys can help out.

Joker zoas and Gobstoppers?

You can kind of see the jokers in the background of the photo above. The skirts have never gotten long at all. They are just little nubs.

And my gobstoppers have never opened all the way since I've had them.

 

[Snorty2668]

I would try moving the other ones up slowly also

 

[HowardJ02]

I would try moving the other ones up slowly also

Thanks, bud. I appreciate it!

 

[joshporksandwich]

They are getting used to the lights. It happens to me all the time when I move zoas from leds to t5s or when I put new t5 bulbs. It takes a bit but they will color back up

 

[HowardJ02]

They are getting used to the lights. It happens to me all the time when I move zoas from leds to t5s or when I put new t5 bulbs. It takes a bit but they will color back up

Should I still move them up though?

 

[GoFish]

Should I still move them up though?

I wouldn't move them up, they have too much light already by the looks of it. You can either give them a bit longer, or swap out to a different bulb combo. What brand of T5 bulbs are you using? Wondering what the "white" one is... personally I get better colour with basically no white at all. Thinking you could swap either the purple or the white bulb for an actinic

 

[HowardJ02]

I wouldn't move them up, they have too much light already by the looks of it. You can either give them a bit longer, or swap out to a different bulb combo. What brand of T5 bulbs are you using? Wondering what the "white" one is... personally I get better colour with basically no white at all. Thinking you could swap either the purple or the white bulb for an actinic

I'm honestly not sure which brand- I bought a used, but not very old "Aquatic Life" brand light from a buddy getting out of the hobby.

 

[HowardJ02]

Well, I moved the back to the sand bed a couple weeks ago and they're not getting any better, if not worse in coloration.
Not sure what to do?

 

[wattson]

whats your salinity ?

 

[HowardJ02]

1.025/6

 

[joshporksandwich]

Should I still move them up though?

Leave them alone lol

 

[ludnix]

Do you test your alkalinity? When that is off my zoanthids seem to respond quite a bit despite lacking a skeleton. Any photos of your other corals? Anyone else looking a little more translucent or faded?

 

[HowardJ02]

Leave them alone lol

I have been

 

[HowardJ02]

Do you test your alkalinity? When that is off my zoanthids seem to respond quite a bit despite lacking a skeleton. Any photos of your other corals? Anyone else looking a little more translucent or faded?

I do not have an alkalinity test kit. Nothing else appears to be faded at all.