Vivid’s Rainbow Delight- Help Pulling Out Color

[Reef Dude]

I’m looking for help pulling more color out of my Vivid Rainbow Acro. I purchased this as a small frag 14 months ago from a reputable vendor. It grows very fast, but it has always been a little “blah”. It is basically all green skin with brown polyps and purple tips. I’m looking to pull out the cream colored skin and blue tips that can be seen in photos posted by others. Any hints, tips, or tricks? I have a successful SPS dominated mixed reef, and I’m not going to do anything too drastic to chase colors on this one coral while everything else seems good. All my other sps colors are on point. However, I put this coral front and center in the best spot in my tank thinking it would be a showpiece. I’m not sure if it’s time to clip this off and replace it with another acro or what.

What you want to know...

The coral sits 10” under water with lights suspended 8” above water. Light is 250w Radium driven by an M80 ballast and 4 t5’s (blue+ and actinic) that supplement dust/dawn hours. Halide is on for 6 hours daily.

Flow = 2 mp40’s on reefcrest mode cranked up to approx 2/3 power.

System - this tank has been set up for 2 years but is part of a larger system (common sump) that has running for 8 years. Basement sump full of live rock and an oversized skimmer. No gfo, no carbon, no filter socks, etc.

Nitrate = 5 ppm (on purpose, not trying to run ulns) Salifert
Phosphate = 0.04 ppm Hanna ul Phosphorous
Alk = 8.3, rarely shifts more than .1 dkh tested daily Salifert
Calcium = 440 ppm Salifert
Magnesium = 1340 ppm Salifert

Weekly 30% water changes with TM Pro Reef salt.

Triton results are pretty much on point with no parameters outside of ideal ranges.

What am I missing? My gut feeling is that this is a lighting issue? From reading on this forum, I understand that this is a sensitive coral that take a long time to color up. Do I need to possibly just give it more time, like another year or so, to color up?

I’ve attached a couple photos. One is a close up. The first person to say the word aptasia is out of here!!! I’m in the process of trying to nail it from all directions... Berghia’s, File fish, giving it dirty looks while swearing at it, etc.

The other photo is a fts from the side. The Vivid Rainbow is just to the 7 o’clock position from the yellow candy hogfish. Forgot to mention, this is a 50 gallon display that is 24”x24”x20”(height).

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I would lower my halide some, need high par but also needs to be forming a colony to gain the good colors, your very close, looks like it's about to take off. Although I dont see how you say it's a fast grower, you must be a lucky one. I dont fool with this coral anymore, not the PC "rainbow". Even leaving it should be fine I doubt lowering the light will bring out much more unless you really drop it like 6 inches.

 

[Reef Dude]

I would lower my halide some, need high par but also needs to be forming a colony to gain the good colors, your very close, looks like it's about to take off. Although I dont see how you say it's a fast grower, you must be a lucky one. I dont fool with this coral anymore, not the PC "rainbow". Even leaving it should be fine I doubt lowering the light will bring out much more unless you really drop it like 6 inches.

Thanks for taking the time to give me some feedback. I like the optimism that I’m close! I’m patient... you have to be in this hobby, right? Just want to make sure I’m not waiting for something that will never happen in this placement. I only say it’s a fast grower relative to most of my other Acros. The photo you seen went from a 1/2 nub to that in 14 months. The only faster grower in my tank is the Garf bonsai. I know the greens and browns usually indicate too little light, but I’m not sure why it would be growing so fast if that is the case. Either way, maybe you’re right with the lighting. I could always frag this and stick it higher as an experiment to see the coloration differences. Thanks again.

 

[Cuong]

I've had two frags of vivid's rainbow in two different places in my tank for the last 6 months. One is at ~400 par, one at ~300 measured with my apogee. Both growing very similar in color, but the lower one is encrusting way faster. New growth is a dark purple/blue, but the rest is still brown like when I got them.

 

[Big E]

There are a lot of Aiptasia around that colony............if they are brushing it or touching it in any way that can cause stress and loss of color.

Your lighting shouldn't be an issue & parameters look ok. This coral can go through spells of lost color. It needs to be growing well for the colors to pop. If growth slows at all it browns out.

 

[Reef Dude]

Thanks for the responses. The Aptasia isn’t touching the coral, but I hear what you’re saying. Good thought.

BRS investigates did a video on my exact lighting fixture over a tank my size, and from looking at their par maps, I’m estimating this coral to be sitting in the 325-350 par range. Maybe I could extend the photo period? I don’t want to get in the game of changing too much to make one coral happy... been there done that before, isn’t worth it and it ends us messing up other things that are going well.

I had a minor issue a few months ago that caused some browning of a few of my more sensitive corals (the Vivid Rainbow didn’t seem to change during the ordeal - it’s never had great color in the year I had it), so maybe this particular piece just needs more time.

Only other thought would be nutrients. My nutrients aren’t high by most people’s standards, I keep them near these levels on purpose, but maybe this particular coral likes very low nutrients to shine.

Thanks guys!

 

[Graffiti Spot]

If your running 6 hours or more of halide increasing the photoperiod may not help with anything. Acros supposedly only need 6 hours max and anymore isn't going to help it in any way. Only increasing the strength of the light shining into the tank would make much of a difference from what I know. At least it wont grow any faster, I guess there is a chance a little longer light could help with color but I haven't ever seen it happen from my experience.

 

[jda]

Vivid rainbow does not always color for everybody. I know some seriously good reefers who struggle to get good color out of it, even though it grows like crazy. I am somewhat on that list where I cannot get the purple/blue tips to pop.

I am with Ed. Getting rid of the aips would be job #1 for me.

 

[Reef Dude]

Thanks, jda. In a weird way, it makes me feel better that there are other experiences reefers that struggle with this coral.

Yes, aptasia have plagued this tank for quite a while. Berghia’s cleared them out, but then they re-appear after the berghia’s were gone. Tried berghia’s again... nothing. Tried berghia’s one last time... nothing. Recently added an ORA filefish, but thus far, she seems way more interested in pods and mysis shrimp lol. Joe’s Juice, kalk paste, etc. just makes the aptasia mad so the one I kill turns into 20 new ones forming. I use kalk paste to nail any close enough to touch my corals, and I’m hoping the the file fish start getting a taste for them.

 

[jda]

Peppermint Shrimp from the Florida Keys are what you need. ...and not from other parts of the Gulf or Atlantic... from the Keys. There are many local divers who will ship them to you. While you are at it, get a few emerald crabs for the bubble algae.

 

[Reef Dude]

Thanks for the advice on the peppermint shrimp. I’ve tried them before unsuccessfully to rid the tank of aiptasia, but I was not using pep’s from the Florida Keys. Nice tip... I’ll give them a try.

I already have a crew of emerald crabs in the bubble algae. They’re slowly but surely clearing out the bubble algae.

 

[jda]

This is going to totally be way off in left field, but... I have always wondered if there are more than one "strain" of this going around. I have never cared for it enough to get it from somebody who I know got it from Vivid with a good lineage, so I wonder if the less colorful version that people struggle with is just a bad look-alike? I am nearly positive that this happens with Forest Fire Digi in my area - everybody has it, but I think that everybody has a fake since nearly none of it gets green underneath. There are a LOT of fake Pearlberry corals.

 

[Tallison]

Do you dose any trace elements? I only ask because I was going through WWC 900 gallon thread and saw that they dose Brightwell aminos and Lugols Iodine to bring out some color. I was going to attempt this next week

 

[Reef Dude]

Interesting question about dosing. I actually just started dosing Brightwell’s Iodine (Iodide). I’ll keep you posted on any changes. I only started dosing because my Triton test came back with 0 Iodine. I think this is fairly normal for Iodine to get depleted very quickly, and it’s debatable whether there is a benefit for dosing it. Just thought a I’d try dosing I just to see what happens... no harm in doing so as long as I don't overdose. I didn’t start dosing Iodide just for this coral, but just wanted to see overall if it has any visible benefits. I’ve tried amino’s in the past just for the fun of it, and I honestly didn’t notice any difference in the couple months I dosed. But some people swear by it, so it will be cool if you see some positive changes with it.

 

[Reef Dude]

This is going to totally be way off in left field, but... I have always wondered if there are more than one "strain" of this going around. I have never cared for it enough to get it from somebody who I know got it from Vivid with a good lineage, so I wonder if the less colorful version that people struggle with is just a bad look-alike? I am nearly positive that this happens with Forest Fire Digi in my area - everybody has it, but I think that everybody has a fake since nearly none of it gets green underneath. There are a LOT of fake Pearlberry corals.

This actually crossed my mind too. Like you, I didn’t care enough to verify lineage. The photo on their website looks non-doctored and looks close to what I would expect to see from the Rainbow Delight. I’ll just give it more time... half the fun with some of these corals is waiting to see what they turn into in your own tank.

 

[Reefltx]

Looks good to me, you’ve got a lot of PE. Never see one with that much PE

 

[Reef Dude]

Looks good to me, you’ve got a lot of PE. Never see one with that much PE

Those aren’t polyps.... that’s aiptasia! Just kidding, thanks for the compliment!

 

[Tallison]

Interesting question about dosing. I actually just started dosing Brightwell’s Iodine (Iodide). I’ll keep you posted on any changes. I only started dosing because my Triton test came back with 0 Iodine. I think this is fairly normal for Iodine to get depleted very quickly, and it’s debatable whether there is a benefit for dosing it. Just thought a I’d try dosing I just to see what happens... no harm in doing so as long as I don't overdose. I didn’t start dosing Iodide just for this coral, but just wanted to see overall if it has any visible benefits. I’ve tried amino’s in the past just for the fun of it, and I honestly didn’t notice any difference in the couple months I dosed. But some people swear by it, so it will be cool if you see some positive changes with it.

Yeah WWC is a vendor who swears by dosing aminos and Lugols iodine. I don't know if it would make a huge difference but worth a shot.

 

[Reef Dude]

Yeah WWC is a vendor who swears by dosing aminos and Lugols iodine. I don't know if it would make a huge difference but worth a shot.

Well it’s obviously working for them, so nothing wrong with doing what they do! I saw a YouTube video where Adam at Battlecorals specially mentions Iodine as the one thing he doses. I also think I saw/heard that BRS doses Iodine in their 160.

 

[jda]

There are a bunch of different forms of Iodine, Iodide, Iodate, elemental iodine, organic iodine, etc. What you are dosing and what is tested for might not be the same kind. I would not sweat iodine in any form.