Acro color has been bothering me. Suggestions?

[Jake_the_reefer]

Something that has been bothering me maybe you guys know the answer. 2 of my favorite acros (pc rainbow and red planet) have faded from their original colors and turned basically white. However they are growing like absolute weeds and have their polyps extended.
My parameters are in range of what they should be
Alk 9.0
Calcium 420
Nitrate 2
Phos .01
Temp 78f
Salinity 1.026
Par 300-340

Picture attached is my red planet. It use to be bright pink with green highlights. Now its a faint pink and white

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

Here's a copy of my par map. Acros are on the very top (old picture)

 

[Waters]

If I had to guess, just looking at your numbers, it is your low nutrients. I would try bring up your nitrates to around 5 and slightly increase your phosphates and see if that makes a difference. Everything else looks fine. Is that where you have always kept your NO3 and phosphate levels? How long were the acros in your tank before they started losing color?

 

[melanotaenia]

It is the low nutrients

 

[footgal]

Raise nutrients, make acro happy

 

[Reefltx]

How long is your photo period at max intensity?

 

[rusgum]

KH is too high for your phosphate.

 

[Ike]

1.) Low nitrates are not your problem, and many on this forum think that nitrate needs to be measurable and that the level is important to corals and an indication of available N. However, that's not the case and most coral will readily use other forms of N before using NO3. The regular push on this forum for people to maintain a certain NO3 level is generally misguided

2.) If that PO4 level is from a checker then that is your most obvious problem.

3.) I'd suggest more fish and more high protein foods along with a ramped up CuC to take care of the algae that will start to grow. Don't chase these numbers with liquid additions as it's too easy to screw things up and bottom out N or P when doing so since dosing them has a reactive effect on one another

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

If I had to guess, just looking at your numbers, it is your low nutrients. I would try bring up your nitrates to around 5 and slightly increase your phosphates and see if that makes a difference. Everything else looks fine. Is that where you have always kept your NO3 and phosphate levels? How long were the acros in your tank before they started losing color?

They have been in the tank for about 10 months now and my nutrients have always been like that. The acros lost their color like 4 months ago but have doubled in size within that 4 months. I'm not worried about death because they are growing like crazy just the color bugs me. I removed my skimmer the other day so ill see if raising my nitrates and phos helps me out

 

[Ike]

How long is your photo period at max intensity?

This could also be a factor...

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

This could also be a factor...

I think 8 hrs at peak

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

Yep 8 hrs just checked

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

Here's a shot from today on the coloration (2 different gel filters)

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

Actually I'm convinced its nitrates. I just double and tripple checked my nitrates and they are bottomed out at 0. I will no longer be using my skimmer and I'm going to increase my usage of coral feast. I had to remove all fish yesterday due to a velvet outbreak from a "prequarentined" fish.

 

[melanotaenia]

I have had this happen with red and some pink/purple Acros; when the water is too clean they start to pale out, even if they are growing well and consuming Alk/Ca.

I would just feed more. And feed often once you get your fish back into the tank after treatment. They will bounce back and color back up.

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

I have had this happen with red and some pink/purple Acros; when the water is too clean they start to pale out, even if they are growing well and consuming Alk/Ca.

I would just feed more. And feed often once you get your fish back into the tank after treatment. They will bounce back and color back up.

Would this be considered bleaching? Or is it a lack of coloration since they are healthy

 

[Ike]

Actually I'm convinced its nitrates. I just double and tripple checked my nitrates and they are bottomed out at 0. I will no longer be using my skimmer and I'm going to increase my usage of coral feast. I had to remove all fish yesterday due to a velvet outbreak from a "prequarentined" fish.

Nitrates isn't the problem...

 

[Ike]

Would this be considered bleaching? Or is it a lack of coloration since they are healthy

It's not technically bleaching as we relate it to acropora. Bleached typically means lacking pigment and is usually associated with a stressful event. You're just lacking color

 

[Ike]

I have had this happen with red and some pink/purple Acros; when the water is too clean they start to pale out, even if they are growing well and consuming Alk/Ca.

I would just feed more. And feed often once you get your fish back into the tank after treatment. They will bounce back and color back up.

Yep, and it will also lead to algae blooms, and it will take some time (weeks or months) for corals to recover even after the problem is addressed. The tank will adjust and the algae blooms will subside and you'll need to adjust CuC, but you will have a healthier environment in the end.

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

Yep, and it will also lead to algae blooms, and it will take some time (weeks or months) for corals to recover even after the problem is addressed. The tank will adjust and the algae blooms will subside and you'll need to adjust CuC, but you will have a healthier environment in the end.

So algae starts being an issue dont panic and let things hit equilibrium? Up my cuc as needed?