What does a pale brown acropora mean?

[Miami Reef]

My LFS had these fruit loops acropora. They looked beige and pale.

I purchased it a few weeks ago and it got a slight green tint in my care (good).

What does a pale beige coral signify? Brown = excess zoox and pale means…lack of zoox?

Saying “brown” and “pale” in the same sentence sounds like an oxymoron.

So someone explain how a coral can look brown and pale at the same time.

 

[Lavey29]

Browning is typically a light or nutrients issue such as excess aminos.

 

[Miami Reef]

Ps. My LFS keeps their phosphates “very low” and their nitrates “very high”.

I never tested their water.

They had a bunch of fruit loop frags from a customer who wanted to trade. Not sure what system the customer had.

 

[KrisReef]

I heard someone call them Mocha fudge brownies, or brown outs. happens when coral is unhappy, bad light, bad water quality all play a role . Keep your light good and parameters stable and it will return to it's former glory, maybe even better. GL

 

[Rick5]

Historically, many would say browning is caused by excessive nutrients and/or too little light. Nowadays, many (more) seem to think it’s due to too low of nutrients and the overproduction of zooanthele. There are other seemingly plausible theories, as well. I think most also tend to agree that too high of light can also wash out SPS.

Honestly, I don’t think it’s that simple anymore (assuming the coral has the genetics/lineage to produce different colors). I think it can go either way, but I also think a brown SPS is nearly universally an unhappy SPS (again, assuming it actually is meant to/can be a different color by way of lineage/genetics).

I’d run through the usual checklist to make sure you’re providing good parameters, PAR, flow, etc. and wait it out. I think how long it takes to regain color is a function of how badly your LFS irritated the piece.

 

[Sean Clark]

Maybe you just hit the jackpot and scored some elusive ultra rare pale brown super acro. I would put them under radions to ensure they maintain their exquisite color. Once the goni fad blows over you can cash in.