Does a whiter light lead to browner corals?

[shimps1]

I like to view my tank in a natural color, very white, sunlight kind of. I have my AI Prime 16hd set to ramp up in the morning very white, turning bluer throughout the day, and then ramping down at sunset to an entirely blue/violet spectrum.

Does that white morning lead to browner corals? If it is causing them to lose their vivid colors, I'll stick with blue, but I like the natural sunrise type of color in the morning.

Here's my morning:

And my peak:

 

[xeqtologist]

Whiter spectrum can tend to make coral change color slightly but generally. No. It’s likely a loss of color due to lack of trace elements. You can get an icp test to see what’s going on but usually low strontium or iron is the culprit. Is it all coral or just specific types?

 

[56longroof]

Nope. My tank is under 10k halides and I have alot of color. Just look at pictures of natural reefs. There is color everywhere.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

You have the prime set to 60%, what size is the tank? I have AI Prime on a 15 gallon softie tank, mostly mushrooms and zoa's, set at 80% for 12 hours with 1 hour ramp up and down, so 10 hours peak. Low lighting will turn corals brown, I think you've got your light set too low

 

[Szweier]

I think a lot depends on what coral you’re talking about. I had issues with Mohawk Zoas being a bit brown and by lowering the white light I started to see more of the color I was expecting. It’s still not perfect but it did improve by changing to less white light.

 

[shimps1]

Whiter spectrum can tend to make coral change color slightly but generally. No. It’s likely a loss of color due to lack of trace elements. You can get an icp test to see what’s going on but usually low strontium or iron is the culprit. Is it all coral or just specific types?

Sorry, this is just a question, not a concern. I just added my first corals to my tank this past Thursday, way too early to be worried about color changing. I was just wondering if the running my light whiter it would cause coral browning.

You have the prime set to 60%, what size is the tank? I have AI Prime on a 15 gallon softie tank, mostly mushrooms and zoa's, set at 80% for 12 hours with 1 hour ramp up and down, so 10 hours peak. Low lighting will turn corals brown, I think you've got your light set too low

Tank is only 12 gallons. 16" wide, 15" deep, and 11" tall. Light is 9.5" above water level, water is 10" deep. Borrowed a PAR meter and I have about 120 PAR on my sandbed, 200 halfway up, and about 300 just under the surface. My gut says the light is set too low as well, but the PAR meter disagrees.

I think a lot depends on what coral you’re talking about. I had issues with Mohawk Zoas being a bit brown and by lowering the white light I started to see more of the color I was expecting. It’s still not perfect but it did improve by changing to less white light.

Good input, will keep an eye out for changes.

 

[djf91]

On the contrary, I think it’s blue light only tanks that make coral appear more brown under anything but blue lights.

Here is my display lit by a combination of halides, T5, and LED. I’d say the spectrum is somewhere in the 10-14k range.