Question about browning out

[homer1475]

Just curious as I had always thought that when SPS brown out they are not receiving enough light?

While I do not have enough SPS to tell I do have a few, and recently used a par meter to get a feel for my T5 setup. What surprised me whas what par I was keeping my coral at(roughly 100 to 150 par for most SPS in my system, and some LPS as low as 15!). So I decided to lower my T5 with 2 reefbrite strips to around 6 inches(was at 10inches above the water) which raised my par to around 300 where most of my SPS are.

Within 2 days all my SPS browned out. Still growing well, but they have lost all color? Even my green slimer has turned all brown? Nutrients haven't changed, ALK, CAL, or MAG never changed either. The only change in my reef in the last year is the PAR of my lights.

I would think that if anything I would be seeing bleaching and not browning? I almost whish I hadn't borrowed that par meter!

 

[Pennywise the Clown]

I'd be interested in this too. I had a lovely Garf Bonsai doing really well. I added a Strawberry Shortcake, and reading that it likes lots of light I upped my intensity.
My GB turned brown in 3 days.

 

[jda]

This is kinda complicated. Lower light with normal N and P levels makes for paler color, but the colors should be normal. High light with normal N and P levels makes the color really bright. Brown corals are usually from N and P that are too high, but they need more light, but this is a N and P issue, not a light issue - there is more available building blocks for the dinos (zoox) to multiply faster which turns the coral brown... this is ammonium/ammonia for nitrogen (there is always excess ammonia when N levels are hight) and P in the water column.

This is not likely a PAR issue, although lowering the light might have started a chain reaction and was the catalyst. 300 is still not a bunch of light... minimum to me for most acropora, but not so much other SPS like MBP&S. Wait a few weeks and see if the color returns. If so, then no big deal. If not, then post back.

Generally speaking, if brown is the first color change, then this is uncommon in my experience. Most acropora go lighter and then green before turning brown.

There are a few corals that under very low light will really shine and fluoresce. These are not all that common, but I have seen them from time to time. The colors are less rich and really bright, if that makes sense.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

So you have pictures in normal lighting that you can share?

 

[homer1475]

Hmm lets see if I can find a before pic, and a now pic. But I do get what @jda is saying.

September 3:

Moved my lights down sometime in October, and this change was almost overnight(well not exactly overnight, but it was probably 3 or 4 days).
And today:

 

[homer1475]

And yes I have a small algae issue ATM. I was overfeeding the tank due to a new anthias. Now that she's settled in, I'll stop overfeeding.