Question about SPS coloration

[SandJ]

I feel a little silly asking this...It seems like basic knowledge I should know 3 years into reef keeping and should probably have researched it sooner...

But what makes corals that look like this in the ocean...


Look like this in our tanks?




I am assuming the answer is lighting?
If so, what exactly is it about the the light that causes the coloration to show? Do corals gain their color after being removed from the ocean and under tank lights or do they show these colors immediately?
Any links to articles that discuss this?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Phelipe's Ocean]

You are correct it is lighting. Producing colors as good as they are in the ocean is very hard to do. If your were to go out in the ocean at night with some sort of actnic flashlight your jaw would drop at all the mesmerizing colors. The sun spectrum is 6500k if you were to put that on your tank everything would look brown all thought the color is still there. As for what about the blue light spectrum causes corals to become flourescent I wouldnt know. A coral however never shows the same color it does it the ocean it usually colors up more in our tanks or loses color depending on the peice. Colonies have a tendency to “brownout” when collected from the ocean where they actually become brown do to stress,acclimation, and transport but color up back nicey when conditions are favorable.