Why Is my sps losing color?

Jakepen · Mar 8, 2017

Tank is one year old, 30 gallon.
Alk 8.5 (just got a doser, trying to get numbers stable)
Calcium 430
Mag 1300
NO3 5ppm
Po4 .3

A month ago I got a few acros from a friend, today they are not as colored as they were when I originally got them. Any ideas why? Tank is lit by two kessil 360s, most pieces recieving around 250-300 par.

saltyfilmfolks · Mar 8, 2017

They othern get stressed after a move.

Oscar47f · Mar 8, 2017

Acropora is one of the corals that can have a drastic change and look completely different in different tanks. As long as your parameters are stable there should be no problems but they are sensitive and don't like even the slightest changes

Rick.45cal · Mar 8, 2017

Sometimes they take awhile to settle in and gain their true glory. What product are you dosing for two part?

Donovan Joannes · Mar 8, 2017

Let it settle. Just continue doing routine maintenance and keep nutrient in check. They will color up once they settled, built their base (encrusting well) and sprout out new branches. I would not worry as long as they don't bleach, melting or no PE at all even after light is out.

Jakepen · Mar 9, 2017

Thanks guys, I'll just continue doing what I'm doing than. Oh and I'm using Randy's improved method of dosing. Also adding trace elements from Red Sea.

McMullen · Mar 9, 2017

Hmmm, young tank with frags. I would stop dosing trace elements. That is unless your using Triton to guide dosing. You should easily be able to replenish 'trace,' in a 30 gallon with WC's. I'm not saying they're causing the problem but you would never know otherwise. Eliminate the possibility and get really great at 'the basics.'

Kennyw43 · Mar 9, 2017

Also u may want to check your phosphates, then to it could be the lights from one tank to the next.

Liquid360 · Mar 9, 2017

If your chemistry is spot on and flow/placement/light is good... try tending to your microfauna!!! Copopods/Amphipods/zooplankton all live food.

Jakepen · Mar 9, 2017

McMullen said:
Hmmm, young tank with frags. I would stop dosing trace elements. That is unless your using Triton to guide dosing. You should easily be able to replenish 'trace,' in a 30 gallon with WC's. I'm not saying they're causing the problem but you would never know otherwise. Eliminate the possibility and get really great at 'the basics.'

How mature of a tank do you think you need to keep sps? I would assume a year is adequate, no? Should be able to replenish, however I don't do water changes that often ha. Also I burn thru alk and calcium pretty quickly, so I assumed the trace elements aren't being consumed quicker than I do water changes to replenish them ha.

Kennyw43 said:
Also u may want to check your phosphates, then to it could be the lights from one tank to the next.

I have, that's what po4 is. Could be the lights, I acclimated them pretty slowly to my lighting.

Liquid360 said:
If your chemistry is spot on and flow/placement/light is good... try tending to your microfauna!!! Copopods/Amphipods/zooplankton all live food.

I have a lot of pods running around the tank, will sps pull them in?

GoVols · Mar 9, 2017

Jakepen said:
Also adding trace elements from Red Sea.

You using the RS a, b, c and d colors?
If so how long?

Liquid360 · Mar 10, 2017

Jakepen said:
I have a lot of pods running around the tank, will sps pull them in?

Not just copepods, but isopods and most importantly zooplankton. These corals are filter feeders and draw their nutrients from the water column. Certain copepods live in rocks like tisbe pods, not entering the water column, while tigger pods live there. And there are other types of pods. So if you're gauging pod population by seeing them on rocks... anyways, it's the live zooplankton that matters most here. The pods they'd consume and the plankton aren't visible to the naked eye.

McMullen · Mar 10, 2017

@Jakepen, there is no exact time frame for when a tank is 'ready' for SPS. Some people have success very early while others greater than a year. Your assuming your replacing trace elements with the rate of consumption. I'm assuming your not. Neither one of us will know without testing, ha! When sensitive coral are not looking healthy I think it's important to critically analyze all husbandry practices, especially additives that are not being tested, ha.

Jakepen · Mar 10, 2017

McMullen said:
@Jakepen, there is no exact time frame for when a tank is 'ready' for SPS. Some people have success very early while others greater than a year. Your assuming your replacing trace elements with the rate of consumption. I'm assuming your not. Neither one of us will know without testing, ha! When sensitive coral are not looking healthy I think it's important to critically analyze all husbandry practices, especially additives that are not being tested, ha.

I may stop dosing to see what that does than. I appreciate the advise, I do however have to say, kind of feels like you are mocking me, with the two "ha"s.

Liquid360 · Mar 10, 2017

I suspect the ha's are just because we've all been through this and not mocking. Mocking would be HAHAHA whereas commiserating would be a ha or two. Or perhaps not. I'm not an expert in interjections.
Ha [emoji4]

Deaf clown · Mar 10, 2017

It's your lights. I couldn't keep colors with kessil 360's.

loglan · Mar 10, 2017

Is your PO4 .3 or .03?

GoVols · Mar 10, 2017

Deaf clown said:
It's your lights. I couldn't keep colors with kessil 360's.

How does Slief's coral colors look under his 10 Kessil 360's?

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1783476&page=77

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1783476&page=80

morpheas · Mar 10, 2017

Have you measured Potassium before? I have had good success recovering color by raising Potassium (when all other levels are in order).

Also, if your phosphate is 0.3 ppm then you might get some browning down the road but @Diesel might be a better expert to answer these questions.

Jakepen · Mar 10, 2017

Liquid360 said:
I suspect the ha's are just because we've all been through this and not mocking. Mocking would be HAHAHA whereas commiserating would be a ha or two. Or perhaps not. I'm not an expert in interjections.
Ha [emoji4]

Well if he was mocking, it could have been deserved. Looking back on my comment, it seems a bit arrogant on my part. I think it's very important to stay humble in this hobby (my tank usually keeps me humble on a daily basis). Sometimes I can feel like I know it all though, and brush off others advice. I'm still a baby in this hobby, and need to remember there are plenty of people on this forum that are incredibly more experienced than myself, and to take their advice.