How to improve SPS color?

[rossco]

So, just a little update, I have brought up my salinity slightly, changed my lights to 11 hour photoperiod (goal is 9 hour)

I have been having very good results running my Radion XR30’s from 7:30AM to 11PM, with the main photo period being 8 hours but having lower level blues from the start until about 10:30, then the main photo period of a modified AB+ program, and then ramping down to low level blues again throughout the evening. They have been running for a year now. I do run just 2 T5 bulbs for 4 hours a day along with the Radions to prevent shading.

I don’t want to clutter your thread with my pictures, but I’ve posted a few FTS this spring in my build thread you can look at. I can send you my schedule to take a look at if you want.

As far as nutrients go, I think you are on the right track. For what it’s worth, I keep my alk at 9 - 9.5.

Adding flow should help. First hand experience, I have had a frag area in my sump for over 10 years. When I first started utilizing it, I just put the frag rack and lights over it and the frags just sat there and looked sad. Even though the display was thriving. I put a MP10 in and they colored up and started growing and thriving.

 

[Cassian]

I have been having very good results running my Radion XR30’s from 7:30AM to 11PM, with the main photo period being 8 hours but having lower level blues from the start until about 10:30, then the main photo period of a modified AB+ program, and then ramping down to low level blues again throughout the evening. They have been running for a year now. I do run just 2 T5 bulbs for 4 hours a day along with the Radions to prevent shading.

I don’t want to clutter your thread with my pictures, but I’ve posted a few FTS this spring in my build thread you can look at. I can send you my schedule to take a look at if you want.

As far as nutrients go, I think you are on the right track. For what it’s worth, I keep my alk at 9 - 9.5.

Adding flow should help. First hand experience, I have had a frag area in my sump for over 10 years. When I first started utilizing it, I just put the frag rack and lights over it and the frags just sat there and looked sad. Even though the display was thriving. I put a MP10 in and they colored up and started growing and thriving.

thanks for the info! if you could pm me your radion schedule, that would be awesome!

 

[wranodj]

Just pick a salt with a lower Alk and do more frequent water changes. You can adjust the sg and alk over time that way, slowly. Your fish must be starving.
Go slow, that tank is new

 

[Cassian]

Just pick a salt with a lower Alk and do more frequent water changes. You can adjust the sg and alk over time that way, slowly. Your fish must be starving.
Go slow, that tank is new

ill consider that. also, my fish are actually very fat and happy. I only have two clowns and a goby, and I was told by my LFS to feed every two days

 

[Cassian]

Luke - Went back and read your initial post. Unless you've a really weak/small return pump, I seriously doubt that it only has 150 gph flow. That'd be a really tiny pump, such as the Sicce Syncra 0.5. What would make more sense is that you have a 1500 gph return pump, and you're probably getting about 1/2 - 3/4 of that rated flow once head pressure is factored in. That's more than enough for a 100 gallon tank.

You initial post doesn't mention anything about in-tank flow. As others mentioned on the thread, this is absolutely necessary for SPS, though you can get away with just the return-pump flow for LPS in some cases. When thinking through this (if you don't actually have in-tank flow), keep in mind that more and smaller powerheads is much better than fewer and bigger powerheads. The reason for this is that there's a limit to how fast the flow can be over even SPS before you're impacting the coral's health, this is even more true for LPS. Most DC-powered pumps like Tunze's Stream, Ecotech's Vortech, and the Maxspect Gyre are easily capable of coral-blasting force if aimed directly at them. And where the pump is not directed, you can have "dead" spots. So you can see that if you had, for example, only one Vortech MP40, you'd have a lot of flow in the general direction of the pump, and not much elsewhere. And if you crank the velocity of the pump to get OK flow "elsewhere", the direct stream from the pump will be way too much.

There's no doubt that more and smaller pumps costs more than fewer and bigger pumps, so there's a trade-off. And at some point you don't want to go completely overboard and populate your tank with 20+ powerheads. Because you've LPS in the tank that will not tolerate really high flow levels, I'd suggest something fairly modest, like starting with 2 Tunze 6040 nanostreams (on sale at the moment), or 2 Vortech MP10s. Don't be fooled by the small size of either of these pumps - they put out massive amounts of flow. And at some point later, you can add two more for a total of 4 - that will easily give you more than enough flow for a 100 gallon SPS tank, and give you 4 flow points to even out the flow field and avoid the blasting/stagnant issue that comes with having only one, bigger pump in a tank.

ok, finally found my pump's box. it is a Mag pump 950 GPH. My tank is a 3 foot by 18 inches to give you and idea of surface area.

 

[Dkeller_nc]

That makes a lot more sense; you probably are actually getting around 500 - 600 gph considering head losses, which should be fine for a tank your size to ensure adequate temperature control and movement of water past mechanical filtration. However, it won't be enough for the actual tank itself; you'll need propeller pumps for that.

 

[Cassian]

That makes a lot more sense; you probably are actually getting around 500 - 600 gph considering head losses, which should be fine for a tank your size to ensure adequate temperature control and movement of water past mechanical filtration. However, it won't be enough for the actual tank itself; you'll need propeller pumps for that.

Ok thank you! I'll consider investing in the Tunze heads you linked me to when I can.

 

[Cassian]

Hi everyone,
I just wanted to give yall an update. it was definitely a Kh problem because all my sps are getting their color back. thank you all so much for your help! im going to invest in some powerheads soon

 

[DesertReefT4r]

Water flow is very very important to sps health. Get some power heads asap.

 

[mshonk]

Water flow is very very important to sps health. Get some power heads asap.

100%!!!!! With the varied flow rate of a sine pattern and less flow at night, my max flow in a 40g breeder without the return is abot 90 -95 times an hour.

 

[Cassian]

100%!!!!! With the varied flow rate of a sine pattern and less flow at night, my max flow in a 40g breeder without the return is abot 90 -95 times an hour.

very nice tank! thanks for the info!

 

[mshonk]

very nice tank! thanks for the info!

Thanks! You sound like you are on the right track. Good luck!

 

[Cassian]

Just got a gyre 130 pump for my SPS corals. 2300 GPH.

 

[biecacka]

What alk are you now keeping your tank at?

Corey

 

[Cassian]

What alk are you now keeping your tank at?

Corey

hi Corey,
my tank is currently at 10, but my goal is around 7-8. im slowly lowering it