Purple SPS turning fluorescent green

[Scott.h]

I need some input. I started off this frag in a frag tank 7-8 months ago, (see second picture). A few months ago I transplanted it to my display. My parameters are perfect and stable. And everything in my tank is happy and healthy, but this coral is turning more and more green. It's not algae, and it's fluorescent under 400 ish spectrum. (See 1st pic). It's showing growth from the frag plug onto the rock,.. Possibly in height also. To me it doesn't look unhealthy, But any experience on what could be going on here?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

What light was in the frag tank and what light is in the DT? What specific if any color settings are you using.

As I understand it different frequency of light can target different carotenoids in the coral or zoo ox more correctly. So it's possible and I'd say likely the DT light contains a spectrum that is stimulating that zoo ox more then the others.

Right now I'm doing a lot of reading to understand this to get a better handle on what Nm frequency targets what and specifily what color.

 

[Scott.h]

What light was in the frag tank and what light is in the DT? What specific if any color settings are you using.

As I understand it different frequency of light can target different carotenoids in the coral or zoo ox more correctly. So it's possible and I'd say likely the DT light contains a spectrum that is stimulating that zoo ox more then the others.

Right now I'm doing a lot of reading to understand this to get a better handle on what Nm frequency targets what and specifily what color.

The frag tank is t5 ho. 2 blues, 2 whites 150 par. The lfs had it probably 3 foot below an ecotech radion when purchased. Now I'm using a preprogrammed current 2 channel led at 100% blue 100% white for 12 hours and a second fluval just running full attinic for 6 hours achieving about 270 par peak. And I started it in the DT with matching par and ramped it over a few weeks

 

[Sabellafella]

I need some input. I started off this frag in a frag tank 7-8 months ago, (see second picture). A few months ago I transplanted it to my display. My parameters are perfect and stable. And everything in my tank is happy and healthy, but this coral is turning more and more green. It's not algae, and it's fluorescent under 400 ish spectrum. (See 1st pic). It's showing growth from the frag plug onto the rock,.. Possibly in height also. To me it doesn't look unhealthy, But any experience on what could be going on here?

Looks like its finally getting its true color to me

 

[Scott.h]

It's a catch 22. If I run my nitrates lower then 5 I get bleaching on my softies. Phosphate stay undetectable. And If I run my lights harder I get algae. If I run the extra attinic light I won't cook anything, algae stays in check, and the SPS seem to get what they need. But maybe the attinic brings out the green zooxanthellae? The polyp extention could definitely be better, but it might need different flow or more light to get that. At the rate it's going it appears in a month or two it will be all green..

 

[Scott.h]

Actually the 270 par is with the whites on on the second light. It's getting just over 200 if I remember right.

 

[FL_Reefer]

Looks like it's getting its true color to me aswell, was browned out IMO.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Looks like its finally getting its true color to me

I think your prob right.

I did have a tricolor Valeda that was always browned out. Under the higher actinic or bluer spectrum 14 16k w led blues I only got the green speck to come back forever.
I switched led lights and run close to the same kelvin but now I'm getting the greens and the purple skin back. Took about four or five weeks now.

 

[SeaDweller]

Green could be its transitioning color. Meaning it's warming up to liking (or hating: going from good color to green) your parameters. Or maybe it's green. In my experience, green is a transitioning color. Could be a few weeks or so before the true colors come out, possibly.

 

[Scott.h]

Ironically it's getting direct flow from my return pipe, and the green is growing Right to left. The same as the water flow. I guess time will tell what happens.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Id love to see an update in a month. Im curious what color its supposed to be. Under white. also there is a lot of comment on placing the frag vs frag rack. thats weird.
Any Idea how much light you have either Par or lux?
My new light is kinda blowing my mind on color change. Its weeks on color and growth now.

 

[Scott.h]

Id love to see an update in a month. Im curious what color its supposed to be. Under white. also there is a lot of comment on placing the frag vs frag rack. thats weird.
Any Idea how much light you have either Par or lux?
My new light is kinda blowing my mind on color change. Its weeks on color and growth now.

ill post up. My frag tank runs zero nitrates and my display runs 2-5 ish. It's doing better in my display for sure even without the t5. I was concerned about my lighting in my display, why I kept it in my frag tank for months. Hence the second led light bar I added to compensate. I have a waterproof lux meter as well as the new apogee 500 meter for LEDs so I can get good readings. Some of the colored sps need 300 which I can't give it currently so my main concern was health. But it doesn't seem to be an issue. I'm also curious as to if vodka dosing in my sump has any effect of this coloration, as my return pipe blows right by it. I'll check readings tomorrow

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Oh cool you have both. Im running 40,000 lux at the top of the tank. I havent had time honestly to test params in a month or more(70hr weeks), but its all stable by eye but def high. biggest improvements are at the top . 6 to 800 par zone.
but have noticed improvement even on the bottom. This tank has been under 40k lux under 3 other lights. this one just has better spectrum apparently. Over a 14k Pheonix a 20k Radium and a Razor???
your it could be also it just likes that flow.or is being fed better. Ive had a couple that did nothing and by accident i put it in a hurricane and wow. PE.

Its a pretty mind blowing balance to strike.

 

[Big E]

My frag tank runs zero nitrates and my display runs 2-5 ish.

This is typical..........no nitrates gives you that browned out dry look.......not good long term. Nitrate readings will bring the colors and better growth.

Your pictures match your nitrate levels in the frag tank vs the display.

 

[Scott.h]

This is typical..........no nitrates gives you that browned out dry look.......not good long term. Nitrate readings will bring the colors and better growth.

Your pictures match your nitrate levels in the frag tank vs the display.

I agree. I do spot feed in that tank to compensate for 0 nitrates. But the picture of it in the frag tank was right after I bought it so I had not been sitting there at that point

 

[Scott.h]

Oh cool you have both. Im running 40,000 lux at the top of the tank. I havent had time honestly to test params in a month or more(70hr weeks), but its all stable by eye but def high. biggest improvements are at the top . 6 to 800 par zone.
but have noticed improvement even on the bottom. This tank has been under 40k lux under 3 other lights. this one just has better spectrum apparently. Over a 14k Pheonix a 20k Radium and a Razor???
your it could be also it just likes that flow.or is being fed better. Ive had a couple that did nothing and by accident i put it in a hurricane and wow. PE.

Its a pretty mind blowing balance to strike.

if I remember correctly you switched over from metal halides, correct? And you use the lux to convert it during the LED changeover for height adjustment? My lights arent capable of producing what yours are, but I'm not exactly ready to go drop $1600 on 2 new radions either. Which is what I want. Crazy what they are going for.

I measured light at the middle of the coral. 5" below my lid. Keep in mind two thirds of the light that it's getting is attinic and I'm pretty confident the lux readings are way off in that spectrum. I'm getting 5000 to 5500 lux in the middle of the coral and 110 par. It's another downside of having a lightbar sitting directly over the tank versus a more powerful light flooding from the top. If you're directly under the light the light readings go up significantly. I have my second lightbar full attinic directly over top of that coral.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Tell me again what light it is?
Do you have a link or pic of the lux meter.
And no the spectrum is taken into account on the lux meter.
A par meter has the same sensor. Edit. a photocell

 

[Scott.h]

Tell me again what light it is?
Do you have a link or pic of the lux meter.
And no the spectrum is taken into account on the lux meter.
A par meter has the same sensor. Edit. a photocell

http://www.marineandreef.com/MW700_...RMI00370.htm?gclid=CISCjpWI0c4CFQaQaQodifEATw

This light is running both channels 100% 12 hours.

http://m.drsfostersmith.com/product...mpid=03cseYY&gclid=CNeorsmI0c4CFQKRaQodMtwJIA

And this light is running 100% attinic only 8 hours

http://www.petmountain.com/product/...m_medium=cpc&gclid=CIy78IKJ0c4CFY81aQodXBYFOg

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Nice. The milwaukee is going to be spot on in the reading. Im guessing the orbit is right on the tank. Yea that makes it tough to read.
I have a 48 orbit just like that. The other one I dont know.
FWIW 50 is the lux/par constant of the sun. Blue tubes and led are actually a bit less. I usually average between 50 and 60. So yea your likely running only about 100 par or so on the coral. But the orbit I know has a really good useable spectrum. So the coral is finding a good amount of PUR. So yea you could def use more intensity for sure down the road.
Sadly I have no par lux data on a radion, only Par. My guess is it has a much lower constant, more in the 50 range or possibly even less. Like Some t5 and MH brands. So lees intensity better spectrum leaving a constan as low as 35.

The only other time I saw the greening phenomenon was when I was running A 14k Metalhalide but had a high intensity blue led. The back side of the Tri color valeda most exposed to the blue got lots of greening but the rest of the skin stayed brown. My theory is the wavelength within in the blue are targeting specific ZooOx while the rest are left alone.
Browning is pretty common Ive learned is pretty common for sticks as they are just like that reacting to light nutrients etc, Im told esp common in wild maricultures.

I will say after four combinations of lights on my little tank, the latest has been the best.
ONE stick in particular was half dead on one whole side due to a cyano/algae thing I had so I mounted it high sticking strait out. It colored up, got some growth, made me happy bla bla bla.
Im now running in lux values in the 25 35 k lux range but the growth has been spectacular.
SB reef light.
All the little pokey spines a in the last 30 40 days.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]