Acropora Color Troubleshoot

[Brandon McHenry]

Hi all! It's been a while since I've posted on the forum but I've made some changes to my system to try to fix my color issues and I'm still lost. My issues involve what I believe to be pale/lackluster colors on some of my acropora. Don't get me wrong, some of my pieces do look nice but others I believe do not. Some pieces simply have an overall pale appearance while others have vibrant tips but fade into almost white branches.

My system: 150 gallon mixed reef tank (more sps than not) 72x18x27
Sump: 55 gallon tank with 16 gallon refugium(miracle mud, live rock, caulerpa)
Skimmer: Eshopps 150
Lighting: Hydra 52 (x2) 60in ATI T5 (x4 retro fit - 2 blue plus 2 coral plus)
Circulation: Vortech MP40QD (x2 in reefcrest mode 100%)
Carbon: Chemipure Elite (x2 bags)
UV Sterilizer: Coralife 9 watt

Parameters
Calcium: 480ppm (red sea)
Alkalinity: 8.0 dkh (red sea) - (this was lowered over the past few weeks from 11dkh after switching from coral pro salt)
Magnesium 1300ppm (red sea)
pH: 7.9 (red sea)
Ammonium: 0ppm (red sea)
Nitrite: 0ppm (red sea)
Nitrate: 0ppm (red sea)
Phosphate: 0ppm (salifert)

Fish
Melanarus Wrasse x1
Green Wrasse x1
Green Chromi x6
Yellow Bar Chromi x2
Candy Basslet x1
Regal Yellow Belly Tang x1
Hawaiian Yellow Tang x1
Kole Tang x1
Picasso Clown x2
Tomato Clown x1

Feeding
I was informed that I was under feeding my tank and over the past few weeks I have upped my feeding. I feed three times a day with a mix of arctic cyclops, mysis, brine mixed with spirulina, reef pellets, and the tangs get a strip of dried green algae every day. I have also been experimenting with the zeovit products, coral vitalizer, phols extra special, and their high concentrated amino acid. I believe I may have seen some small improvement but not what I was looking for.

Below are some pictures (not the best) of the corals I am talking about compared to some of my better ones in the tank. It seems that the purples and blues are more difficult to achieve than the greens.

If there is any more information that I can provide that may help to come up with a solution please just ask. I appreciate any bit of help that I may receive regarding this issue.

 

[Tahoe61]

Have you tested Potassium or other trace like Iodine?

What % are you running your Hydra at?

Looks like you're doing a bang up job growing acropora, they are gorgeous.

 

[Brandon McHenry]

I do not have a test kit for Potassium or Iodine therefore I do not know their levels in my tank. I rely solely on water changes for their supplementation. I guess its possible that water changes may not be sufficient enough to replenish them in my tank.

My Hydra's are set as follows
50 CW
100 V
100 R
75 G
100 DB
100 RB
100 UV

Thank you for the compliment. Thankfully growing my acropora and other sps have never been a problem. It has just been getting them to be vibrant all the way down to the base of the coral like the green one I posted.

 

[Tahoe61]

Consider turning your CW up and your UV down. My corals pale when I run my UV over 30.

Greens and red come easily, blues and yellow much harder.

How do you like the Zeo supplements, I have been using them for about 1 month now.

I reiterate though, fantastic looking corals. You're obviously a very successful hobbyist, and you know colors in sps take a long time to change/improve and brown out or pale in a day or two. It might be combination of factors, lighting and nutrient, you have adjusted the nutrient issue.

Hope you find your answer.

Following.

 

[frogman_reefer]

Clarification question. You changed salt and food schedule?

1. higher nutrient levels can (not always) change coloration (in my experience, increased coral growth and polyp extension, and slight loss of color). However, with that being said, my corals are no where near as vibrant as yours. I wish mine looked that nice. Want to talk poor coloration, come look at my tank . I'd gladly take those colors.

2. was there any specific reason for changing salts? just curious.

 

[Brandon McHenry]

Tahoe its funny because Ive always heard different things about UV and both higher and lower being better for coloration. As for zeo I'm not sure how much of an impact its had on my tank and situation. I do believe it has increased my growth but as for color the jury is still out. I may not being using all of the proper products to get the best results.

Frogman I did change both. Salt was changed from the red sea coral pro to the regular red sea salt because I was having issues with my sps and the high all that came with the coral pro. Feeding schedule was tripled from what it used to be and no increase in NO3 NH4 or PO4. My system is really good at taking up the extra nutrients which is why I believe at least some of my corals are a little lackluster. I do appreciate all of the compliments. I really wish I could take a picture that more accurately represents my tank because these pictures really do not do my corals justice. The trouble corals do have really vibrant tips but they fade quickly into pale or almost white branches.

 

[Russ265]

imo. the extra feeding should be enough. your stock list is enough to get nutrients in the column and the corals are uptaking what they need while you retain your 0 setting.
you may want to try amino acids to give it a little tweak of what you are looking for on top of your existing regiment.
when i think of pale, those arent it lol. i think a number of us can show you "pale".

looking real good though.

i also switched salt to a lower alk one since nutrients were at 0. the alk change alone during a wc shocked some corals.

 

[Brandon McHenry]

Thank you Russ for the compliment. The funny thing is that I AM using aminos and have tried a wide variety including Red Sea Reef Energy A and B, Sachem Fuel, Acropower and Zeovit High Concentrated Amino Acids with no real results. I guess Im just concerned that some of my branches are white and food/nutrients are the only thing I can think of that may be causing such an issue, unless something like Potassium/Iodine could be an issue.

I know the struggle of a high alk water change too well. LOL

 

[Russ265]

Thank you Russ for the compliment. The funny thing is that I AM using aminos and have tried a wide variety including Red Sea Reef Energy A and B, Sachem Fuel, Acropower and Zeovit High Concentrated Amino Acids with no real results. I guess Im just concerned that some of my branches are white and food/nutrients are the only thing I can think of that may be causing such an issue, unless something like Potassium/Iodine could be an issue.

I know the struggle of a high alk water change too well. LOL

i dont see a paling issue tbh. more of a shading one. albeit, minimal at best.
you could try getting no3 to 1ppm and see if it sucks it up like a sponge, but i am not seeing what you are describing with your pictures.

 

[Brandon McHenry]

Its really tough to represent what Im talking about when I can't take a decent picture. My good corals look meh in the pictures and my trouble ones look better...go figure. As for the nitrate I really don't know what else to feed to up my nitrates. Ive been trying to make them detectable and my system sucks them up like they weren't even there. I could try to up my feeding to four times a day versus three but that may be difficult to achieve seeing as my semester is starting today and ill be out of the house.

As for the pictures here are two more from a different filter that may help to show what Im concerned with. The branches fade from a nice purple to white which just concerns me.

 

[Russ265]

sodium, calcium, or potassium nitrate will get them detectable.

stump remover at lowes is potassium nitrate or you can try seachem flourish nitrogen which has some as well.

 

[Brandon McHenry]

So this is under the assumption that my system is nitrogen limited and we are trying to up the photosynthetic rate of the zooxanthellae? Let the corals feed themselves as opposed to giving them more food?

 

[Russ265]

coral's symbionts give their color.

 

[Brandon McHenry]

coral's symbionts give their color.

Aren't the dinoflagellates brown in most cases, depending on the species of course? It was my understanding that the tissue put off by the cnidarian has pigmentation that can be colorful depending on the population of the zoox. So a bleached coral is white while one with too many zoox will be brown, the balance being somewhere in between.

 

[Russ265]

Aren't the dinoflagellates brown in most cases, depending on the species of course? It was my understanding that the tissue put off by the cnidarian has pigmentation that can be colorful depending on the population of the zoox. So a bleached coral is white while one with too many zoox will be brown, the balance being somewhere in between.

correct. the coral will regulate it depending on the environment. you are describing paling.

 

[Brandon McHenry]

Maybe my use of the word paling may not be correct. I think you used the word fading to describe the transition from colorful tips to white branches so that may be more accurate. Does this still sound like a nutrition problem?

 

[Russ265]

Maybe my use of the word paling may not be correct. I think you used the word fading to describe the transition from colorful tips to white branches so that may be more accurate. Does this still sound like a nutrition problem?

white tips can be a number of things. generally high alk in relation to low nutrients

 

[Brandon McHenry]

white tips can be a number of things. generally high alk in relation to low nutrients

The tips themselves are actually colorful, and quite so. Its lower in the branches where I start to see white tissue. I can try to take some more pics later today when I have more time.

 

[Russ265]

The tips themselves are actually colorful, and quite so. Its lower in the branches where I start to see white tissue. I can try to take some more pics later today when I have more time.

i still think it doesnt hurt to give your system a 1-2ppm surplus of no3.
if you dont notice an improvement within a couple weeks to a month then you can try something else.

your coloration is more than adequate imho

 

[Brandon McHenry]

i still think it doesnt hurt to give your system a 1-2ppm surplus of no3.
if you dont notice an improvement within a couple weeks to a month then you can try something else.

your coloration is more than adequate imho

I will definitely try to bump up the NO3. That was my overall goal over the past few weeks but it hasn't raised. I may try the potassium nitrate to see if that helps. I appreciate the help and compliments.