question about coloration

[Saltysteele]

i've got a question for my z*p bretheren and sister... en?

i've got some texas trash and army greens that are going to town. however, when i first turn my lights on they are much more colorful. the ag's are much more green, and are about the color of olive green, and the texas trash are a baby blue almost.

i understand this is due to the zoanthellae leaving the surface over the course of lights out leaving only the color pigments at the surface, and then coming back to the surface as the day progresses.

how do i get that color to stay even when the lights are on? my tank is pretty much run for lps (not as pristine as sps, that's for sure), and they seem to thrive. i'm running T5's driven by an icecap, so lighting isn't an issue. why the abundance of zoanthellae, and how do i keep the stuff suppressed?

(my green button polyps are the same way - flourescent green, changing to a drab green throughout the day)

 

[flricordia]

Just a guess but try keeping them in lower light level. Might need more actinic too then white bulbs if you are looking for that 'pop' in your corals.