How to get these kind of reef colors?

Kyewaku

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I saw a post on facebook of someones reef tank
I love the look of a white tank (over a blue tank) with heavy coral color pop

It looks like this chap is using Kessils, but does anyone know how to achieve this kind of look?

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Bryan68

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Looks like they removed the black vinyl which really brightens things up. Actually just did that to my Waterbox yesterday, much brighter!
 

ZoWhat

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White would be a maintenance NIGHTMARE imo

A white background would show every speck of algae/debris. I think that would drive me crazy having to constantly scrub the backwall clean.

Aquariums highlighted in photoshoots are an ILLUSION.... just like TV commercials for food.

I have yet to have a Big Mac from McDonalds that looks as perfect and delicious as it does on their national commercials.

My Big Macs always look like it was slapped together by an angry 32yr old dude with tattoos on his face, making $8.50/hr

.
 
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andrewkw

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Just keep turning the knobs until you get this colour. I don't think this reef is substantially different from the colour of my own kessil lit tank. Has nothing to do with calcium or other parameter. This tank is simply CLEAN - so it looks better. Doesn't matter if your background is black, blue, clear, pink or any other colour of the rainbow. Keep it clean and your tank will look better. Same with powerheads besides improving performance, regularly cleaning them will make your tank look better overall.
 

Jase4224

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As long as you have plenty of UV/violet and 450nm Royal Blue LEDs you will get plenty of colour pop, then just turn up the whites until you are happy with the look. Of course your corals need to have the colour pigments in the first place with is more to do with parameters and the health of your corals.
 

footgal

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It looks like to me they made the back glass clear and put the tank against a white wall. I put mine against a light periwinkle wall and I think it gives it good depth and shimmer to the water. Algae isn’t actually that bad, I just use a magnetic glass cleaner about once a week. The way they achieved the light is probably a mix of a camera filter and a little more white than blue. Of course, they are still using blue light in order to achieve that color, just less of it than an average tank. Very achievable imo, I feel like if you decide to go this route, after you get your overall algae under control, it’s the same amount of maintenance as any other tank. Good luck!!
 

Brew12

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I think coral selection plays a huge role in what corals look best under blue or white lighting. I prefer running my lighting on the white side. Corals like a Homewrecker or Walt Disney acros would look terrible in my tank. They need heavy blues to shine. Find corals with bright base colors under white lighting, and then keep your tank stable for 6 months to allow the corals to adjust to your parameters and they will color up.
 

omar jawad

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Plus one on removing the black background. I did it with my tank. It’s definitely a labor of love. Lots of scraping the back glass to keep it looking sharp. I spend about 5 minutes a day on the back glass. Here is a picture of the tank.

image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg
 

omar jawad

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The blue is there but the filter I used washed it out.
Plus one on removing the black background. I did it with my tank. It’s definitely a labor of love. Lots of scraping the back glass to keep it looking sharp. I spend about 5 minutes a day on the back glass. Here is a picture of the tank.

image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg
 

Jase4224

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Plus one on removing the black background. I did it with my tank. It’s definitely a labor of love. Lots of scraping the back glass to keep it looking sharp. I spend about 5 minutes a day on the back glass. Here is a picture of the tank.

image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg
I personally don’t like the look of the black back removed but man those three tanks are gonna make an awesome display once they grow out!
 

Backreefing

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To get sps colors like that takes 1 nutrient exactness . And 2 lights LEDs are a must but halides grows them better . Or best yet combine the two .
 

Pdash

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I think coral selection plays a huge role in what corals look best under blue or white lighting. I prefer running my lighting on the white side. Corals like a Homewrecker or Walt Disney acros would look terrible in my tank. They need heavy blues to shine. Find corals with bright base colors under white lighting, and then keep your tank stable for 6 months to allow the corals to adjust to your parameters and they will color up.
Homewrecker looks stupid good with any color light...
 

Dr. Jim

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If you are talking about a blue background when you say, "over a blue tank"....you can spray paint the back of the tank blue. (I also spray paint the bottom of bare-bottom tanks white to simulate white sand). (You just have to be careful not to scratch the back of the tank afterwards, but that shouldn't be a problem once the tank is in place).

In the photo, it appears that the tank is just clear glass and looks blue because of the LED's. So the blue background might actually look nicer in the photo than it really is.
 

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