SPS Color bleh...
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: SPS
Forum Description: This is the place to ask questions SPS corals.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55098
Printed Date: November 11 2025 at 9:02pm
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Topic: SPS Color bleh...
Posted By: rfoote
Subject: SPS Color bleh...
Date Posted: March 17 2012 at 11:56am
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I'm real unhappy with the color of most of my SPS, their polyp extension is great but color is not real vibrant and browned out in some. About my tank; 60G Cube Vertex Illumina LED lighting - think I have more than adequate lighting. 1 MP40 on one side of the tank and a MP10 on the opposite. Reef Octopus skimmer - skims like crazy 9w UV Sterilizer I dose Vinegar, and BRS Calcium and Alk mixtures automated with a Bubble-Magus Doser. All tank parameters are where they should be and stay very steady. I do run Ecobak pellets(maybe I'll pull them?..) I feed regularly and a constant variety, from Rod's Fish food, to Reef Nutrition pods, mysis, phyto, zeovit coral vitalizer, sponge power, pohls extra, amino acid concentrate. Any thoughts or ideas? I'd take pics, but have absolutely no skill taking pictures of the tank. Thanks! |
Replies:
Posted By: BillyC
Date Posted: March 17 2012 at 12:30pm
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Have you checked phosphates with a Hanna? |
Posted By: rfoote
Date Posted: March 17 2012 at 1:17pm
| No I haven't. |
Posted By: Laird
Date Posted: March 17 2012 at 1:48pm
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I'd stop with the vinegar. You might be starving everything. ------------- Indefinite hiatus from sw aquariums. Once I have my glorious return I'll set back up the following. 50 Gallon rimless cube. 180 Gallons mixed reef paradise |
Posted By: Snowsrfr
Date Posted: March 17 2012 at 10:25pm
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How long have you been running the Ecobak pellets? If you've been running them a while and skimming heavily, which you said you were, your phosphates shouldn't be an issue since the pellets feed the bacteria strains that eliminate phosphates. ------------- "A fish tank is not a pet. It's a TV that you gotta feed." - John Caparulo |
Posted By: rfoote
Date Posted: March 17 2012 at 10:46pm
| I've been running them for at least 4 months now. |
Posted By: jaschall
Date Posted: March 18 2012 at 8:13am
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Just a thought how long have they been in this tank. With some of the ones I have got, it takes some time coloring back up after moving from one persons tank to mine. |
Posted By: ReefdUp
Date Posted: March 18 2012 at 9:59am
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Low nutrient tanks (as Laird mentioned you may have) often result in almost "pastel" colors in SPS. SPS need a bit of nitrate and phosphate in order to be vibrantly colored. If you look at European SPS aquariums (that run ULNS), they look very different than typical American tanks (higher nutrient). I prefer higher nutrient for better colors...and less threat of crashing. Also, certain elements are linked to colors. If you are running a ton of carbon/GFO/skimming/etc, you could be removing too much. You may want to look at dosing according to whatever color is lacking (Iron for greens, potassium iodide for blues & purples, potassium for reds/pinks and some blues/purples)
------------- www.reefdup.com Diving since 2009, reefkeeping since 2007, & fishkeeping since 1987 200g, 75g, & 15g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water |
Posted By: Akira
Date Posted: March 18 2012 at 10:37am
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wow thanks reef'd that helped me a ton as i was having the same issue with a sps |
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: March 18 2012 at 10:51am
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I've never seen starved corals turn brown. Brown coloration tends to come from either not enough light or too many nutrients. I would look into the LEDs myself. I'm not sure what color LEDs the Illumina has but if it is the standard white:blue combo that could be some of the problem. People on here will defend the blue:white combo to the death but I promise, it is the worst way to go when using LEDs. When I added in my magenta and UV LEDs my tank looked much better and things are doing great. So you may want to look into the new pads from Vertex. |
Posted By: ReefdUp
Date Posted: March 18 2012 at 12:40pm
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Potassium deficiency can leave corals pale brown, but you're right, brown is usually from lack of light or high nutrients. I really doubt high nutrients are the problem given the vinegar dosing, pellets, etc. But just for shiggles & gits, what are the phosphates and nitrates measuring? ------------- www.reefdup.com Diving since 2009, reefkeeping since 2007, & fishkeeping since 1987 200g, 75g, & 15g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water |
Posted By: rfoote
Date Posted: March 18 2012 at 1:49pm
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Nitrates and Phosphates are at 0, but that is w/out a Hanna checker. Need to order one. I guess brown was probably a bad explanation. Many of them are actually very pale or pastel looking. Yes, with great polyp extension. I think low nutrient may be my issue. I am going to pull the pellets. I've actually already ordered the new pad from Vertex, hope to have it by weeks end. Thanks for all the replies, keep them coming! |
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: March 18 2012 at 1:54pm
I don't know that I would call potassium deficiency "starving" the corals though. I would say the parameters are out of whack at that point. However, I've never seen any proof that potassium helps with colors. I know people have reported it and I personally use it, but I've never seen scientific proof. I also believe there is enough potassium in most salt mixes that regular water changes will replenish any that is used up. However, it does seem the ULNS type tanks do need to dose potassium. In this case, we have vinegar and biopellets being used which seems like complete overkill to me. Therefore, potassium is a likely culprit. I am not arguing here. Just trying to further discuss these things. |
Reef'd Up wrote:Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: March 18 2012 at 1:57pm
| Pale or pastel and Brown are two very different things. If the corals are very light in color, that is usually a lack of nutrients. Time to up the amount of food and amino acids IMO. |
Posted By: rfoote
Date Posted: March 18 2012 at 2:01pm
| I have one acro that I would say is pretty browned out, all the others light/pastel looking. For now I'm going to pull the biopellets, increase feeding and over the next bit add another fish or two.(my wife will be happy about that!) |
Posted By: ReefdUp
Date Posted: March 18 2012 at 6:25pm
I never said a potassium deficiency was "starving" the corals. My point was that ULNS often end up removing...well...just about everything...including food sources and trace elements through bacterial sources and excessive skimming/GFO/carbon/etc. As someone who has experienced a potassium deficiency, there's nothing else like it. I do not believe this is just a case of potassium deficiency, but rather a case of too low of nutrients & trace elements (based on OP's description and no photos). Potassium deficiency has a very noticeable progression from all pinks going in Seriatopora/Stylophora/Pocilloporas, then Monti's fading, and then Acroporas start to lose their blues. Once Acroporas start losing their colors, the "poras" have basically no polyp extension, are light brown, and start to lose tissue. Monti's then start losing tissue from spots that look like burn marks. Acroporas then go almost immediately after Monti's. My potassium deficiency happened several years ago before aquarium potassium test kits or dosing products existed. I had over 75 SPS colonies (over 200 corals total) in a 40g aquarium (more coral than water). I was dosing 300ml per day of alk/ca/mag and was relying on salt mixes for trace elements (5g weekly water changes). For most reefkeepers, low potassium (and therefore other trace elements) should be corrected by water changes, but this wasn't always the case...and it won't always be the case. Again, wasn't arguing that this was a case of potassium deficiency...all I brought up was that potassium deficiency can leave corals light brown. Instead, this is probably the removal of too many beneficial things from the aquarium all contributing to a decline. ------------- www.reefdup.com Diving since 2009, reefkeeping since 2007, & fishkeeping since 1987 200g, 75g, & 15g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water |
Posted By: ReefdUp
Date Posted: March 18 2012 at 6:32pm
http://www.burgerszoo.eu/media/108815/chapter%2016.pdf" rel="nofollow - http://www.burgerszoo.eu/media/108815/chapter%2016.pdf ------------- www.reefdup.com Diving since 2009, reefkeeping since 2007, & fishkeeping since 1987 200g, 75g, & 15g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water |