SPS Color Question

[goldenhurricane2]

So I have several pieces of various acropora (as well as some birds nest, poci, and a couple of monti caps). All my SPS grow quite well and are entrusting relatively rapidly... the only problem I’m having is that I’m not getting good color on a couple of pieces. My green slimer is bright green, my Mr Pac-Man is pink like it’s supposed to be, but a couple of other pieces are weirdly pale...

I run a pretty low nutrient system: nitrates are undetectable and phosphate hovers around 0.06ppm.

Is my color issue simply because of my undetectable nitrates or is there something else that I may not be thinking of? I dose aminos a couple of times per week (acropower), but I’m not sure it’s really doing much and I’ve just about finished a bottle so I’m debating on whether to get more or try Red Sea reef energy a and b... or just get some nitrate solution and dose that until I get my nitrates up to 5ish ppm.

Thoughts?

 

[Flippers4pups]

So I have several pieces of various acropora (as well as some birds nest, poci, and a couple of monti caps). All my SPS grow quite well and are entrusting relatively rapidly... the only problem I’m having is that I’m not getting good color on a couple of pieces. My green slimer is bright green, my Mr Pac-Man is pink like it’s supposed to be, but a couple of other pieces are weirdly pale...

I run a pretty low nutrient system: nitrates are undetectable and phosphate hovers around 0.06ppm.

Is my color issue simply because of my undetectable nitrates or is there something else that I may not be thinking of? I dose aminos a couple of times per week (acropower), but I’m not sure it’s really doing much and I’ve just about finished a bottle so I’m debating on whether to get more or try Red Sea reef energy a and b... or just get some nitrate solution and dose that until I get my nitrates up to 5ish ppm.

Thoughts?

Me, I get the best colors when I've had detectible N03.

 

[Scott.h]

You need to (slowly) get your no3 up. Not a lot, but .75 -2 will make a difference. From there there are specific aminos that will help, but unlike magic amino bottles it needs to be controlled and measured. Otherwise you have no idea what you are adding, what's building up, and what's lacking. This is assuming your lights aren't too bright also.

 

[David Cher]

i have been running zeovit and getting pale but when i used AF ABVE coral food series , the colours returning by itself . no3 of course rises

 

[delv2323]

Some corals look best with low nutrients, some with higher. You can't generalize as if there's one single environment to get the best colors. I've some crazy bright greens in higher nutrients that are an even crazier brighter yellow in low nutrients. Some pale/pastels are pretty nice as are some vibrant deeper colors. Depends on what you want.

 

[David Cher]

to me , so as long , the colours comes out . that is more important , stop chasing numbers

 

[Shigshwa]

Aside from water chemistry stability, feeding heavily is important if running near 0 nutrients, alongside medium-heavy export. I find it a happy medium if I keep some amount of NO3 and PO4, non-zero, but not more than about 10/0.04 either. That's where my mixed tank likes to sit to keep everyone fed and well colored.

Going on with what delv2323 said, I think too that some species of corals look their best with the absence of colors that they take on with higher nutrients/pigments from high PAR, and some look their best when they take on color from the previous mentioned factors.