Coral colors look different in store than at home?

[RaymondL]

So I wanted a blue type colored hammer, and I found a store that had one, so I bring it home and it's bright green. That is no doubt disappointing considering I spent some money on it.

I know this has to do with the type of lights - I'm on an LED fixture if that makes a difference.

What if anything I can do to know what color the coral will look under my lighting - sorry if this is really a dumb question, but I'm sure it's not uncommon?

 

[Kristopher Conlin]

You could ask them to adjust their lights to a more daylight spectrum to get a better idea of the coral color. Pure blu light plays a lot of tricks.

However even with a more daylight spectrum if they have different lights it won't be exact.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

So I wanted a blue type colored hammer, and I found a store that had one, so I bring it home and it's bright green. That is no doubt disappointing considering I spent some money on it.

I know this has to do with the type of lights - I'm on an LED fixture if that makes a difference.

What if anything I can do to know what color the coral will look under my lighting - sorry if this is really a dumb question, but I'm sure it's not uncommon?

You learned a very valuable lesson about light spectrum, and how it's used to manipulate color.

Although even having the same lights and spectrum as the LFS, water parameters play a huge role in coral pigment as well.

I'd guess that the LFS lighting was more on the blue side and your tank lighting is less blue?

There's a reason why coral shows are dark with heavy blue lit tanks. You have to be mindful of that.

 

[PeterC99]

I find many of my corals’ colors look significantly different from LFS or online vendors and have come to believe that lighting is usually not the change factor. Many times the color differences have to do with unique supplements added by LFS/Vendors. I rather buy my corals frags from local hobbyists - and have better chances of matching original colonies’ colors.

 

[Steve2020]

I find many of my corals’ colors look significantly different from LFS or online vendors and have come to believe that lighting is usually not the change factor. Many times the color differences have to do with unique supplements added by LFS/Vendors. I rather buy my corals frags from local hobbyists - and have better chances of matching original colonies’ colors.

If you don't mind me asking, what unique supplements do you believe are being added by LFS/Vendors? I would like to experiment with them to see what they do with color of corals. Must be something different than minor/trace elements, nutrients and amino acids since these already exist in our reef tanks. Maybe not all at optimal levels but they exist.

 

[PeterC99]

If you don't mind me asking, what unique supplements do you believe are being added by LFS/Vendors? I would like to experiment with them to see what they do with color of corals. Must be something different than minor/trace elements, nutrients and amino acids since these already exist in our reef tanks. Maybe not all at optimal levels but they exist.

I don’t know the supplements otherwise I would be using them also!

But I’ve tried the different lighting, different nutrients, and different Alk/Calc/Mg levels with no impact.

 

[VintageReefer]

What lighting was it under at the LFS? Was it led also ?

Chances are your whites are too high. Every LFS Ive been to uses blues only, so, I started running my lights blue only also, with small periods of the day where white goes up to 8% max

 

[Waters]

You could "slowly" change your light spectrum at home which will bring out the blues of the torch.