Strawberry Short Cake Browned Out HELP.

[Zombie]

I always thought that Acroporas brown under too little light or high nutrients.
I got a 6" Strawberry Short Cake colony in trade for some other corals that came from a system that was running halides three months ago.
The tank it came from was running a huge skimmer and a refugium so I don't think it browned out because of nutrients.
When he got it, it was perfect.

It has nice PE and it is growing but it is brown now.
:cry:

I have been keeping it under 30w leds over the last three months, hoping it would color back up in my tank.
How long dose it usually take for acroporas to color back up, or will it ever?
Should I keep it low in the tank for a while?

I got this to frag it someday, so I hope it turns around.

I never had a coral brown out before; is this common with this type of Acro?
Are they hard to keep colored up?

 

[Murfman]

Changing from MH to LED was probably a big shock to it and it is taking time for the zooxanthellae to adjust to their new lighting. This can take awhile though. Move it up and let it go. It looks healthy.

 

[Zombie]

Actually it went brown in the other tank and it was not an auacultured piece. I don't know if it was too much light from being directly under 400w or the shock from going from Sun to halide. Now it is shock from going from halide to LED I guess.

 

[Troylee]

It's temperamental man especially a wild one... Have you dipped it and checked for pest or anything?? I would give it like 2 months and see where it goes.... When my looked it best it was half way down in my tank with high flow... Hth

 

[Murfman]

If it were too much light, it would bleach, not brown.

 

[Zombie]

That is what I thought.

 

[Zombie]

It's temperamental man especially a wild one... Have you dipped it and checked for pest or anything?? I would give it like 2 months and see where it goes.... When my looked it best it was half way down in my tank with high flow... Hth

I didn't dip it because it has two Acro crabs in it. I don't see any pest.

 

[Zombie]

What is wierd is that with led lighting, I have seen my own Acroporas that were once dark puirple/brown in color change to amazing tans and blues in just a few months of switching to LEDs from my halides. Do LEDs put out more light then 400w halides?

 

[Troylee]

It's possible depending on the LEDs... Not sure what fixture you have but some sps just hate LEDs and will never color up from my exp....

 

[Murfman]

Zombie, the zoox change color based on the spectrum and intensity of the lights they are getting. A GARB Bonzai in my tank is going to look different than a frag from the same coral in Troylee's tank, because he has MH/T5/LED. I can't get my GARF to be the real bright purple with Green polyps, to save my life. Under MH, they were fine.

 

[wooboodoo]

Shortcake is picky coral... but also one of my favorite. If you want green base and red polyps you shouldn't place it too high cause this coral don't really like strong light from my experience... I keep my 3-4" from the bottom in 20" of total water volume under T5 bulbs. Water flow moderate not too strong.

 

[Murfman]

Sounds like it is a lot like the Red Planet, as far as lighting goes. I just got mine from WT and am trying to color it up.

 

[bct15]

From what i have been told, most acros brown out under LEDs and never color back up, it is to thin if a spectrum but to much of a thin spectrum. Another major browning factor is high phosphates, that is the number one browning factor in sps. Most wild colonies brown out when added to a tank and then recolor something completely different, and most aquacultured pieces brown out a good bit just from shipping...it is up to your water quality and light spectrum. If your coral are not getting a specific wavelength (color) of light, they can not reflect it.

 

[lpskeeper]

sps and leds can make or break from acro to acro. my buddy has mh and has got some brown out coral never realy colored up and gives it to me and then bam it looks 100 time better in my tank in a few weeks with my cree led. But i have had this brown out redish acro thats like been in my tank 6m never colored up realy. so i gave it to him went to his house the week after that and the thing was popen blue streaks and all crazy stuff. its the way it goes. Check your water watch your alk lower it to med light. hope for the best dont move it around all the time to just lower it then leave it. And give a frag to me :bigsmile:

 

[gar732]

I have a mini colony of this acro and had it under a diy cree led fixture and it was coloring up just fine. It does however take some time to color back up though. I fragged it for a buddy of mine and it browned, I moved it from leds to T5s and it browned. Your best bet is to pick a spot to put it and forget about it, don't keep moving it just pick a spot and commit to it. Although everyones tank is different so hopefully it will color up quicker in yours.

 

[dknuckles]

Tagging along
Just p/u a frag and want to keep up color

 

[Sbrob]

Ive notice that mine shortcake is very picky. If my water is gets dirty at all it starts to brown out. Once my watr is clean again it usually take mine about 3 to 4 weeks to color back up. Hope this helps.

 

[Zombie]

It's possible depending on the LEDs... Not sure what fixture you have but some sps just hate LEDs and will never color up from my exp....

I am running 6 of these, they have a 30w led in the center with six 3w leds around it. The Strawberry Short Cake is off center and not directly under the light. it is in a med flow.

 

[Zombie]

Is this 30w led too much for it or too little? With my halides I always known it would be most of the time too much light to stick a new coral high up on the reef, but with LEDs I am lost.
:doubt:

 

[artachoki]

I have one too, but my question is does it like a nutrient rich enviorment? High strontium, calcium, a tank with many water changes like once a week?
I have one that is all bleached white with some hints of red and brown at tips. No green at all I think I may have damaged it too cause my timer busted the LEDs where on for 4 days. I have a 120 watt leds. I think thats why I have brown on some of the tips. I have only had mine for a month. its about midway up in my tank too. all of my other corals are fantastic but then again there Lps coral, So I agree strawberrys are very picky
:sad: