Help with colors of stylophora

[Alazo1]

The stylophora in the picture below was sold as a "Watermelon Stylo" from BC.
I've never been able to get the reddish color that is on top of the colony to show. The polyps are more greenish and don't let the underneath tissue show. There is a product from KZ called "Stylo-Pocci-Glow" that I thought may help but wanted to see what others may have done.
Has anyone had this problem and what did you do to resolve it. I do not know the par that it's in but it's as high up in the tank as it can be. T5 and led hybrid lighting.


Thanks,
Albert

 

[tbrown]

I was going to suggest more light but it sounds like you can't provide more than you are. The pink is likely the growth tips. Is it growing decent?

 

[Lavey29]

Have you done a recent ICP test to check all your parameters?

 

[Alazo1]

Yes it is a fast grower. I have another colony of the same frag in the bottom corner of the tank that is basically green and the pink is brown due to the lack of light. Right now I am ramping up the t5's to see if it helps.

Here is a picture from the BC website. It is the rainbow stylo. I do not see watermelon on the site so I suppose they are the same.

Rainbow Stylo

Spectacular Stylo

battlecorals.com

 

[Alazo1]

Have you done a recent ICP test to check all your parameters?

I did an icp-ms test on February.


Since then I went back to my old salt (Reef Crystals) and doing weekly wc of about 15%. I have also been dosing a bit of Tropic Marin A and K. I'll be doing another test in a few months and see where the levels are then.

Albert

 

[Lavey29]

I did an icp-ms test on February.


Since then I went back to my old salt (Reef Crystals) and doing weekly wc of about 15%. I have also been dosing a bit of Tropic Marin A and K. I'll be doing another test in a few months and see where the levels are then.

Albert

I found small doses of Zinc really helped my SPS colors.

 

[lakai]

I find stylo's like really dirty water like phosphate above .1

 

[Alazo1]

I found small doses of Zinc really helped my SPS colors.

The tropic marin k that I'm dosing has some zinc in it so maybe that will help in time.
I just got a new box of salt that will last 2 months. I have another icp test ready and will see how the levels are then. I'm waiting because I want the system to have mainly the new salt brand (Reef Crystals). I've used it for years but deviated from it for a while with 2 different salt mixes.

I find stylo's like really dirty water like phosphate above .1

Phosphates are running .06 -.08 now. Nitrates are running around 16. I've been dosing ammonia which is the reason that the nitrates are up. I don't think I want to bring those levels up higher so for now I stopped dosing ammonia.

I think the color on the stylophora is somewhat there. It's just that the green polyps hide the pink color. BTW, the color on my picture is not as red as that (phone pic). It looks greener.

 

[Spare time]

Looks perfectly healthy. It possible it could be that starving the coral close to death could get you the colors you want but obviously that's not great for the coral.