True or False - Higher Light Requires Higher Nutrient Levels

[-Logzor]

So, True or False, If I am running higher amount of light over my aquarium, do nutrient levels matter?Specifically, do I need higher nutrient levels when I increase PAR levels?

As far as need is defined, I am talking about wanting to sustain optimal color and growth of corals. As some tend to fade under super-high light and super-low nutrient environments.

In my experience, I say this is true, if I am running ultra-low nutrients and I'm pounding my corals with tons of light, they tend to starve and fade away. Right when I start dumping food in the tank, colors and growth perk up.

 

[Sea MunnKey]

Excess nutrients does affect the clarity of your water. However when it comes to strong lights (metal halides) affecting the colors of corals ... it all depends on what type of corals you've got in your system. Most sps love strong lights and majority of lps like medium to lower light exposure.

Paul

 

[-Logzor]

Excess nutrients does affect the clarity of your water. However when it comes to strong lights (metal halides) affecting the colors of corals ... it all depends on what type of corals you've got in your system. Most sps love strong lights and majority of lps like medium to lower light exposure.

Paul

I'm not debating if SPS need strong light or not, I'm trying to determine if SPS which have strong lighting need higher nutrient levels to thrive in comparison to those same SPS under less light.

Basically: Do SPS under strong lighting do better or worse under undetectable N/P or somewhat detectable N/P?

Then: Does this also hold true for these same SPS under weaker lighting?

 

[Sea MunnKey]

A little nutrient level is tolerable as I've tested this out a while ago and that was with vodka dosing though. I had an on going fight with hair algae and high phosphate problem back then and my sps were thriving and multiplying. Colors were really awesome.

Although there was one specific sps colony that just would not color up at all and I'm assuming it has to do with my water parameter's nutrient level. It was pretty pale when I first acquired it and then it slowly turn purplish and after that it turned ugly brown!

Paul

 

[tnyr5]

In my experience this is true although I'd caution any newbie reading this thread that it's a fine line to walk...

 

[darryl_v]

I agree that the coloration (deep vs. light) can be affected by both lighting strength and nutrient levels.

 

[MarkChong]

I agree with the statement "Higher Light Requires Higher Nutrient Levels", at least from my own observations. However, I am not sure whether "Higher Nutrient levels" means higher amount food particles available or simply higher N/P(dissolved nutrient). My guess is under higher light level, zooxanthellae level within sps corals decrease. Therefore, they shed their brown color and show their true color. However, coral cannot produce pigments alone with sugar and trace amount of metabolites provided by Zooxanthellae alone. It requires food particles thrive and produce pigments. But higher amount of food particles corresponsing to higher dissolved nutrient in a closed system, thus zooxanthellae level increase again. In contrast, in shallow reef water, sps received high light and relatively constant supply of food particles but extremely low dissolved nutrients. That's why we always see awesome color from the wild or even mariculture acropora. Certainly, the particular corals must have the required genetic codes to produce colorful pigment in the first place. So in conclusion, As a reefer, we constantly trying to establish a delicate balance to mimic the natural reef conditions. After all, I am no expert, this is just my opinion on this topic. Please let me know what you guys think

Colorful shallow water sps =
Good Genes + High food particles + Low dissolved nutrients + High light @ right spectrum.

Mark

 

[AcroholicReefer]

SPS corals need food, one way or another. One method of obtaining food is to create sugars via photosynthesis. This obviously requires a type of lighting with a high par rating. However, relying on photosynthesis alone for a food source is not going to be enough. This is why ULNS rely on feeding amino acids and other rich, oily foods.

The second method is to keep an adequate supply of food in the water column. This allows the coral to eat 24/7 off of the zooplankton that naturally lives in our system. Not to mention that you are saving a decent amount of cash by not purchasing the additional supplements. Zooplankton levels vary based on alkalinity levels and also the method of nutrient reduction that is being used. Excess GFO and even carbon will strip the sps coral's food source (zooplankton) from the system, forcing the coral to rely on photosynthesis as their main food source.

I choose to take a route that allows the coral to adequately produce their own food via photosynthesis and also have plenty of zooplankton in the water column. I still run lighting with high par rating (250w MH HQI) and use a natural method of nutrient removal via water changes and skimming well.

 

[Fieroguy19]

I agree that the coloration (deep vs. light) can be affected by both lighting strength and nutrient levels.

+1 Just remember that saying high lighting is kinda relative. Do you consider 500PAR to be high or 900-1000PAR to be high.

 

[mc-cro]

bump. found this thread doing a search on the problem I am having, and it has let me to believe the statement is true.

I have been trying to balance my SPS tank for a while, and have absolutely noticed that the color is greatly effected by the amount I feed. I notice that even with my auto feeder, when I travel for several days, my sps will have started to pale. I normally toss in 2-3 chuncks of rods food every day. I have 23 small fish in a 160g tank.

I have been slowly dialing back the lighting schedule and upping the foods to try and find the sweet spot. I also notice that I get color back when I use reef chili, or dried phyto, or other coral food.

While slowly adjusting the lighting schedule, and keeping the feeding at a steady level, I have been able to color the SPS back up, albeit much slower than actually just adding more food.

 

[gws3]

I find the two most important factors for SPS coloration is stable Alk and lighting/nutrient balance, so I definitely agree. Probably any successful SPS system is considered a low nutrient system, but from my experience an increase in lighting strentgh dictates an increase in nutrient input/levels for the equivalent coloration.