Quick Question on SPS health

[JMSKI333]

What would cause Acro's to have barley any color and to focus all of it's growth on encrusting with little growth upwards? It seems like most of the coloration is on the encrusting portion of the coral but all the branches are almost pale.

This is the case for almost all of my SPS and I am trying to get to the bottom of it.

Tank: 90 Gallon mixed reef with 7 fish
Total water volume: >115 Gallons
Calcium: 425
Alk: 9
Mag: 1260
PH: 8.27 (@8pm 12/8)
Filtration: Reef Octopus 200 w/ BB3000 pump, 5 gallon refuge with chaeto, felt filter socks.
Lighting: 6x54w ATI Sunpower T5 with 12 month old bulbs (4x blue+, 1x Fiji Purple and GE 6500k)
Salt: Coralife

Redsea Nitrate and Phosphate test kit is in the mail since API test kit is showing 0ppm for both No3 and Po4.

 

[sceia]

Are the sps new to the tank? Most of the time, they'll encrust first and then start growing upwards. I suspect your phosphate or nitrates are high and that's what is making you loose color.... either that or not enough light...

Scott.

 

[JMSKI333]

Frags are about 8 months old and haven't grown much at all. I have a feeling it may be phosphates or Nitrates so that's why I ordered that test kit. Some of these corals have like a 3" in diameter encrust ring around them. The encrusting that was left on my frag rack seemed so brittle too. Almost like paper thin.

 

[Badfish83]

It could also be 0 nutrients. Do you run gfo or do any carbon dosing?

 

[JMSKI333]

It could also be 0 nutrients. Do you run gfo or do any carbon dosing?

Appreciate the reply. I have LPS in the tank and they all seem to be doing well so I don't it is 0 nutrients. I just run carbon media in my filter sock and change it out when I change out my filter socks. No GFO or Dosing.

BTW: Top off water is kalkwasser.

 

[JMSKI333]

Bump for the late night crew. Any SPS junkies have some ideas? Do you guys need some pictures?

 

[bct15]

How much carbon are you putting in you filter sock? To much carbon will strip all of the good nutrients acros need to color up. Your API test kit for phosphates is useless, you'll need a Hanna checker to test for phosphates. The nitrates kit is ok though. Have you checked for aefw? Got pics?

 

[Clearwater]

Pics would be nice. With sps there are many variables. So hard to say. Lighting looks good. Could be phosphates or lack there of. Any algae growth? Keep us posted and we will try to help.

 

[JMSKI333]

I really appreciate the help guys. Here are some pics. I have some Cyano on the sand bed but for the most part one wouldn't say I got a killer algea problem. I have been cyphoning a 5x5 area of the sand during each water change to combat this.

I have a 6 stage RODI system for my water which is showing 0 TDS.

For color reference, i believe those are Tera Del Fuego and an ORA Borialis. Both looking like $10 frags.

All Pictures taken with an Iphone 4

 

[KoleTang]

What type of trigger is that?

Pale colors means too much light and/or too little nutrients. (They don't have enough photosynthetic algae)
Browned out colors means too little light and/or too much nutrients (They have overpopulation of photosynthetic algae)

Did you start them at the top or start from the bottom and slowly adjust them to the light? Sometimes it may just be that they got the light too quickly. (Light they would normally be OK with, they just didn't have time to adjust)

 

[JMSKI333]

What type of trigger is that?

Pale colors means too much light and/or too little nutrients. (They don't have enough photosynthetic algae)
Browned out colors means too little light and/or too much nutrients (They have overpopulation of photosynthetic algae)

Did you start them at the top or start from the bottom and slowly adjust them to the light? Sometimes it may just be that they got the light too quickly. (Light they would normally be OK with, they just didn't have time to adjust)

That is a blue jaw trigger. Model Citizen so far.

All frags were started on the sand bed and moved up slowly. This may seem like a dumb question, but do my corals look pale or browned out to you? It seems like some are pale and some are browned out to me. I raised my light up about 3 inches more a few days ago in fear that there was too much light on these guys.(light fixture is about 13 inches off of the tank)

 

[JMSKI333]

Bump!

 

[bct15]

It's to many blue+ bulbs and not any bulbs that produce par. ATI even lists the blue+ as a supplemental bulb but you're using it as your main bulb. You need to swap a couple of them out with coral + or aquablue special. Your not getting the par to them they new to fully color up, to be honest i'm surprised there even growing.

 

[ronnie]

It's to many blue+ bulbs and not any bulbs that produce par. ATI even lists the blue+ as a supplemental bulb but you're using it as your main bulb. You need to swap a couple of them out with coral + or aquablue special. Your not getting the par to them they new to fully color up, to be honest i'm surprised there even growing.

Not quite. The blue+ bulbs are growth monsters providing the most PAR of any T5 bulb. So I'd say he has ample PAR.

 

[bct15]

Not quite. The blue+ bulbs are growth monsters providing the most PAR of any T5 bulb. So I'd say he has ample PAR.

No they are not, I've measured them they don't make much par at all (something like 70 par just under the water surface)...the coral+ is a a par monster for t5s. Acros will not color up that well under just blue+ bulbs, that is the issue. Missing alot of light he needs.

 

[JMSKI333]

I appreciate both of your opinions. I was under the impression blue+ provides excellent par as well. When I update my bulbs this month, I planned to add some coral+ bulbs in the mix to replace the GE 6500k bulb for a different water color.

 

[JMSKI333]

No they are not, I've measured them they don't make much par at all (something like 70 par just under the water surface)...the coral+ is a a par monster for t5s. Acros will not color up that well under just blue+ bulbs, that is the issue. Missing alot of light he needs.

What bulb combo would you recommend for good sps growth and great color? I have a 48" blue LED reefbrite as well for added color.

 

[ronnie]

No they are not, I've measured them they don't make much par at all (something like 70 par just under the water surface)...the coral+ is a a par monster for t5s. Acros will not color up that well under just blue+ bulbs, that is the issue. Missing alot of light he needs.

Better tell Sanjay and the grim reefer that all of their tests are wrong then...

 

[ronnie]

And the blue plus rating is wrong on that chart. It is higher than the aquasun bulb. So it's pushing 350 PAR

 

[ronnie]

Some "light" reading on T5s if it's ok to post this link:

T5 lamp PAR readings - Reef Central Online Community

It's a few years old, but has a plethora of valuable info.