SPS coloration

[Acroporaaddict]

I've been battling with pale coloration of my acros for the last month or so. I think I had multiple variables that influenced it. First, I turned my LED fixture up to increase growth. Growth increased, but color drastically decreased. At the same time my nutrients bottomed out and registered at 0 NO3 using salifert, nyos, and red sea test kits and 0 PO4 using Hannah ULR tester.

Since then, I have slowly taken the tank of vinegar and dosed NO3 to build up some nutrients. Current parameters are:
40 breeder 36x18x17
8dkh
440 ppm Ca
1400ppm Mg
400ppm K
3ppm NO3
.17ppm PO4
8.2-8.5 PH
80 temp
1.026 sg

I also switched my lighting to t5s, something I have had great success with in the past. I am using a ATI Sunpower 6x39w dimmable fixture and a LET 2x39w retro
I am running heavy in the actinic spectrum to keep par low
2 ATI actinic @85% 10 hrs
1 ATI actinic, 1 B+ 100% 4 hrs
2 B+, 2 Coral+ 60% 7 hrs

I feel that I should be seeing increased coloration due to the increase in nutrients and lighting change, but I'm not. New frags that I put in the tank are slowly fading after the first few days.

Am I using to much light?
Are my nutrients still to low?

Brown acros are from low light or high nutrients.
Pale acros are from too much light or no nutients.
Is this correct?

 

[reefeqmover]

Po4 could be causing it, I try to keep mine under .09

 

[dbrewsky]

I will take a stab-

Your loss of color is probably a combination of increasing your light and reducing your no3/po4 to nothing in a relatively short time-frame. I would say you have done the right thing by allowing your nutrients to creep up a bit.

How high off the water are your lights?

Often SPS will not show there displeasure for a couple weeks after an event. Furthermore, they can take 2-3 months+ to recover from changes to regain color or begin to show the color in the first place. The more important thing is, are the sps healthy with good polyp extension? If so, the color will probably come back assuming that you provide some nutrients and your lighting isn't too intense.

 

[71xlch]

You realize atinic is very high in par. Most atinic bulbs are heavy in the one spectrum of chlorphy. Just because it's dim to your eye doesn't mean it is to a coral.

 

[Acroporaaddict]

You realize atinic is very high in par. Most atinic bulbs are heavy in the one spectrum of chlorphy. Just because it's dim to your eye doesn't mean it is to a coral.

I was under the impression from reading other forum posts, that actinic is roughly 2/3 the par of a blue +

 

[Acroporaaddict]

I will take a stab-

Your loss of color is probably a combination of increasing your light and reducing your no3/po4 to nothing in a relatively short time-frame. I would say you have done the right thing by allowing your nutrients to creep up a bit.

How high off the water are your lights?

Often SPS will not show there displeasure for a couple weeks after an event. Furthermore, they can take 2-3 months+ to recover from changes to regain color or begin to show the color in the first place. The more important thing is, are the sps healthy with good polyp extension? If so, the color will probably come back assuming that you provide some nutrients and your lighting isn't too intense.

Lights are roughly 7" above the surface. I can't go any higher because they are in a canopy. All acros have excellent polyp extension and growth. My only problem is pale colors

 

[Acroporaaddict]

 

[dbrewsky]

The look ok to me. I would leave your lights were they are and focus on maintaining some nutrients in the tank. The key is to keep things stable moving forward. Several variables were changed and that always makes it difficult to determine what the root cause really was. They should regain color in a couple months!

 

[71xlch]

I was under the impression from reading other forum posts, that actinic is roughly 2/3 the par of a blue +

Par covers the entire spectrum of 400nm to 700nm. So something could be super high in par in the green spectrum and completely useless to our corals. Atinic could be 1/3 that of the green source but right on the 460 peak and be wayyyyyy stronger in a corals mind.

 

[jvb89]

The look ok to me. I would leave your lights were they are and focus on maintaining some nutrients in the tank. The key is to keep things stable moving forward. Several variables were changed and that always makes it difficult to determine what the root cause really was. They should regain color in a couple months!

+1 at least a month of stability to know.

 

[Russ265]

i think you are taking the right course.

newly introduced corals rarely stay the same color in my tank.
even in shipping ill see them pale or brown out, only to bounce back after a month.

your tank looks pretty "ok".

your light schedule is great.

id keep nitrate between 5-10 though and see how they look after a week or so.

the newly introduced ones will take a while before they warm up to you.

 

[Addicted2ACRO's]

Following along.
My 2 cents for what its worth. I had the same issue running a combination of 250w MH's and Radion Pros. PAR was way too high. I've since converted to an ATI 8x80 Sunpower fixture with Blue Reefbrites. I'm also using a variety of KZ products such as Pohl's Extra Special and Flatworm Stop, along with AcroPower and Koral Kolor. Having a little PO4 is also a plus. I now see a significant difference in my Coral coloration. Good Luck, hope this helps