Strawberry Shortcake, All red

[Jeremy Luke]

I purchased a Strawberry Shortcake frag from a local LFS. At the shop it was in a shallow flat lit with a halide. It was a small frag with a light green base and red tips.

When I brought it home I put it low on the frag rack for a week, then I moved it fairly high, dead center. It has shown good growth but all of the green is gone now. It is has turned entirely deep red.

Nitrates: undetectable
PO4: .03ppm (10 ppb Hanna ULR)
Alk: 8dkh
Ca: 450ppm

Lighting: 2x250w MH Radiums driven at 300w, 4xT5 Blue+

Is it getting too much light? Should I leave it be and see where it goes?

Thanks

 

[happyhourhero]

You sure it wasnt a red planet?

 

[Jeremy Luke]

I was told it was SSC. I had a red planet in my last tank and this frag definitely doesn't look like that structurally.

 

[alten78]

Why should have to say it...pictures would be helpful

 

[Jeremy Luke]

Why should have to say it...pictures would be helpful

I'll post a picture when I get home from work tonight. It will be best effort phone picture

 

[Jeremy Luke]

Ok, so my tangs had to go to quaruntine.. Pardon the GHA. I need to do a little weeding

View attachment 20170616_173259.jpg

 

[Jeremy Luke]

But based on the new BRS video... I think it may be getting too much par. They are using the exact same light setup except they were running their radiums at a lower wattage. Based on their findings it is probably getting over 600 PAR

 

[Jeremy Luke]

Well for the immediate, I moved it down a bit to see what happens.

 

[Jeremy Luke]

Well for the immediate, I moved it down a bit to see what happens.

About 4" I'd say

 

[dankreef]

Greens like that are from low par. Same thing with like a red planet will get green at low light

 

[Jeremy Luke]

Thanks, I suspected that was the problem. I'll probably need to drop further. I doubt that there's anywhere in my tank under 300 PAR. It's probably in the 450ish zone now.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Mine right on top with LUX app registering 90k LUX (PAR ??) at water surface. SSC is 5" below water surface.

 

[Jeremy Luke]

Sorry but I have no idea what intensity that is. I do know that based on the latest video from BRS.. where they were running my exact lighting, except at 100 watts less, I was probably given that thing over 700 PAR where it was.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

At 700 PAR I think that is far too high. Maybe you can put a shade on and wait for a week or two instead of relocating the frag. Everytime you change location, it will take some time to readjust itself.

 

[Jeremy Luke]

I agree. I didn't realize that until I saw the BRS video released Friday measuring the light with my exact lighting setup they were showing 650 PAR in 6 inches of water under the halides. They were running their Radiums at 250w and I'm running mine at 300w. That's why I moved it down. I had a few reef raft frags I got recently at about mid tank on the glass on a frag rack. They are brown... So I put them up there

Keep in mind I'm probably only 17" from surface to sand in my tank... There's really no hiding from the PAR.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

All the best to you buddy. I have experienced SPS browning under too intense light as well. I am running more higher spectrum, that could be the reason of browning instead of bleaching.

 

[chris3del]

Sometimes nature just wants to do what it wants to do no matter how much you scratch your head and throw at it

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Sometimes nature just wants to do what it wants to do no matter how much you scratch your head and throw at it

Exactly. Even the great barrier reef are having issues, let alone our tank.

 

[Jeremy Luke]

Well, I'm certainly having a better go of things with my halides then I ever did with LED. I've got almost 30 frags of SPS in my new build now and most are looking really good. I just put the birdsnests and montis low in the corners.

 

[Jeremy Luke]

And the brown RR frags arrived brown.