“Not-so green” star polyps!

[fox0521]

Hello!
I had some GSP (I think at least) pop up on some rock I bought off a local fella. The problem, though, it’s not very green! It’s a very pale color, more white than anything.
55 gallon tanks, two AI prime 16 HD’s, good flow. Instant ocean sea salt mixed at home using home ro/di water.

2 snow onyx clowns
Hammer and Duncan are happy, sprouting new heads!

Salinity 1.024
Temp 79.5
pH 8.0
Mg 1410
Ca 455 (not sure why magnesium and calcium run high, I don’t dose!)
Phosphate .25 (can’t get to 0! I even rinse the mysis shrimp!)
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
Thoughts?? Thanks!

 

[Uncle99]

Some GSP is just naturally drab, some are brilliant green.
Likely not anything your doing.

However, we do need some traces of nitrate and phosphate in the water, too little, corals starve, too much, they don’t grow.

A good rule of thumb for nutrients in a tank less than 1 year.
Nitrate 2-5ppm
Phosphate 0.03-.1ppm max

 

[fox0521]

Some GSP is just naturally drab, some are brilliant green.
Likely not anything your doing.

However, we do need some traces of nitrate and phosphate in the water, too little, corals starve, too much, they don’t grow.

A good rule of thumb for nutrients in a tank less than 1 year.
Nitrate 2-5ppm
Phosphate 0.03-.1ppm max

Bummer! I was hoping to be able to get it looking better. Can I place a more vibrant GSP near it? Would they blend together? Hate to kill a perfectly alive creature, but I’d like it looking a little better. Tank is only a couple months old. When my LFS tests my nitrates, they get 2-3. My test goes from 0 to 5 and doesn’t measure in between so it always registers at 0 (crappy API test, need to get something better!)

 

[C. Eymann]

Different species,
the typical vibrant green with purple stolon mat GSP is typically pachyclavularia violaceum/ briareum violaceum where as yours looks similar to briareum stechei or hamrum which in addition to encrusting it can form lobes and tendrils.

 

[JGT]

Hello!
I had some GSP (I think at least) pop up on some rock I bought off a local fella. The problem, though, it’s not very green! It’s a very pale color, more white than anything.
55 gallon tanks, two AI prime 16 HD’s, good flow. Instant ocean sea salt mixed at home using home ro/di water.

2 snow onyx clowns
Hammer and Duncan are happy, sprouting new heads!

Salinity 1.024
Temp 79.5
pH 8.0
Mg 1410
Ca 455 (not sure why magnesium and calcium run high, I don’t dose!)
Phosphate .25 (can’t get to 0! I even rinse the mysis shrimp!)
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
Thoughts?? Thanks!

Don’t appear to be GSP. There are brown star polyps which these appear to be.

 

[Uncle99]

Bummer! I was hoping to be able to get it looking better. Can I place a more vibrant GSP near it? Would they blend together? Hate to kill a perfectly alive creature, but I’d like it looking a little better. Tank is only a couple months old. When my LFS tests my nitrates, they get 2-3. My test goes from 0 to 5 and doesn’t measure in between so it always registers at 0 (crappy API test, need to get something better!)

So, yes you can add, but usually one outcompetes the other. The good coral could be overrun by the bad.
GSP can outcompete almost everything, I would only keep it on a rock on its own so it can’t spread.
I would remove what you have and plant 1 small frag of some great colour stuff
I grow mine on the glass, what you see in the pick is 1 frag, 6 months later. About 18” now.....OMG
Easy to remove from glass, then, toss (sorry) or cut into pieces and glue to a frag plug for sale/trade.