Is Acropora shopping just like TINDER?

[MissMolly]

Hi guys,

So recently I have embarked on my acropora journey.

I have RESEARCHED EVERYTHING!

Except one thing: How the acros REALLY will look like in my tank with MY lighting!

First I bought a frog skin - okay it looked pretty and green in the tank.
Then a PC rainbow - okay it looked okay but not rainbow-y, just dark pink, bordering to boring.
Then a tricolor valida - okay it looked kind of nice with the neon polyps but color was faint pastel blue.
Then about 5 high end acros with FANCY names in orange, red and yellow - okay they all looked just pastel pink /pinkish brown. Did I just waste my money?

This whole thing reminds me of chatting with that cute glowy guy with white pearly teeth on Tinder. Then when you meet him, he doesnt look like "himself".

I know that acros will color up differently and you shouldn't expect them to look radiant right away - and also it depends on nutrients and lighthing and flow and.... YES I GET IT.

But when I see old tanks from skilled coral keepers, they ALL look the same. Pastel-colored!!! Dominated by cream, pale pink, brown, pale blue - and then the green and strong purple that actually looks like the ones you buy from pics (yay!).

First three pic: This is how acroporas are typically presented (This is just an EXAMPLE picture. I have NOTHING against these vendors, I haven't even bought from here)
The rest: How acropora ACTUALLY look in your tank. This is what I think acros look like in MANY pics and videos I see from real tanks.

Don't get me wrong I still love acros and I love the real tanks. But does it really matter then what fancy named acros we buy if they all end up looking pastel to the human eye in our tanks? (again of course they have different needs and you should always be mindful about that so choosing from this is important).

What are your thoughts?

 

[LovinlifeinGuam]

Have you tried adjusting the settings for your light to make them "pop" more? The pictures are taken under lighting that makes them as visually appealing as possible and generally edited (to some extent at least) since they're for advertising purposes. Honestly, I tend to believe a lot of vendors actually take pictures under different lighting than they grow the corals under. Why not buy from shops where you can see them in person before purchasing?

 

[Reefer Matt]

Online coral pics, especially on social media, are often over saturated to sell the coral. I prefer to buy in person, but even then acros can shift after being in my tanks for a while. I suggest finding vendors that you trust with their representation of the coral, and buy from them.

 

[MissMolly]

Online coral pics, especially on social media, are often over saturated to sell the coral. I prefer to buy in person, but even then acros can shift after being in my tanks for a while. I suggest finding vendors that you trust with their representation of the coral, and buy from them.

But they all look the same? I think online vendor need to use all the filters and tricks to sell because all the others are doing it. Who wants to buy the boring pale one when you can buy the candy color from another source?

 

[MissMolly]

Have you tried adjusting the settings for your light to make them "pop" more? The pictures are taken under lighting that makes them as visually appealing as possible and generally edited (to some extent at least) since they're for advertising purposes. Honestly, I tend to believe a lot of vendors actually take pictures under different lighting than they grow the corals under. Why not buy from shops where you can see them in person before purchasing?

My corals are pretty new in the tank so I don't expect them to show all the rainbows just yet, but lighting def makes a difference - just not THAT big of a difference. It's more when I look at pics from established tanks - they all look the same! Patels, pastels and pastels. And nowhere NEAR the online vendor pics where I see no pastels at all.

Being a girl, I like pastels, don't get me wrong.

 

[VintageReefer]

Vendor pics typically taken in all blues to show you max potential of the coral.

Some vendors like tidal gardens will show lighting in multiple spectrum

This is not an acro, but just to show what just 5% white does…

Blues/violet/uv - 40%
White 5%

Same as above, but white 0

 

[Viking_Reefing]

There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors going on. Im
In Europe and it seemed to be less of an issue here than in the states for whatever reason.

I “fixed” one of the pictures for you to look more like it would on social media hehe

Vs

 

[VintageReefer]

I keep green pretty vibrant

But other things….
Arrived nice

And now….

It did arrive colorful and matching the online pic. So the color loss is on me. But yes they can arrive looking good and matching photos

 

[MissMolly]

Vendor pics typically taken in all blues to show you max potential of the coral.

Some vendors like tidal gardens will show lighting in multiple spectrum

This is not an acro, but just to show what just 5% white does…

Blues/violet/uv - 40%
White 5%

Same as above, but white 0

Of course lightingprofile matters a ton! But when I look at a WIDE variety of tanks with dif lighting profiles, they STILL don't look that different from each other. It's still a pastel -landscape. If blue, many acros just dissapear except the luminosuent details.

With all do respect, I think your cyphastrea is a bad example. It looks amazing in both pics!

 

[MissMolly]

There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors going on. Im
In Europe and it seemed to be less of an issue here than in the states for whatever reason.

I “fixed” one of the pictures for you to look more like it would on social media hehe

Vs

hahahah I love this! This is the Tinder pic I'm talking about!!!

 

[MissMolly]

I keep green pretty vibrant

But other things….
Arrived nice

And now….

It did arrive colorful and matching the online pic. So the color loss is on me. But yes they can arrive looking good and matching photos

Mmm not that big of a dif from when it got to you to now I think? It was pastel pink/brownish - only thing you lost was that teal towards the buttom. But still a muted color...

 

[MissMolly]

I keep green pretty vibrant

But other things….
Arrived nice

And now….

It did arrive colorful and matching the online pic. So the color loss is on me. But yes they can arrive looking good and matching photos

and your lighitng is very different from pic 2-3. Just look at the tricolor (maybe?) in the background.

 

[VintageReefer]

Of course lightingprofile matters a ton! But when I look at a WIDE variety of tanks with dif lighting profiles, they STILL don't look that different from each other. It's still a pastel -landscape. If blue, many acros just dissapear except the luminosuent details.

With all do respect, I think your cyphastrea is a bad example. It looks amazing in both pics!

Thank you !

I keep lps dominant but dabble with some acros

I like a vibrant tank…

Working on reducing the shelving. I promise. Have a bunch in grow out, have a bunch that’s sold and on shelves for observation until ship date.

no editing here, this what she looks like

 

[Doctorgori]

Heck …This isnt the first post along these lines, wont be the last…
Just my opinion but…
Acros have changed the hobby for good or bad. “ Color chasing” drives all manner or product sales from Red Seas “Trace Colors” product lines to thier $450 4 head doser required to deliver the stuff…
. Kudos to Tidal Gardens for multi- spectrum product display…
Just one opinion but I think all TOTM or contest phtos should be shown under 5500K or “natural daylight” anyway…
My take: dont buy a acro booger over $60 and Keep expectations low

 

[VintageReefer]

and your lighitng is very different from pic 2-3. Just look at the tricolor (maybe?) in the background.

I showed it in different lighting to show - nothing colors it up like it originally was.

It’s healthy and growing branches, polyps out. Just lost the multicolor effect. Maybe needs more par?

 

[xiaoxiy]

Give them some time to settle in and fully color up. Most rainbow tenius' though will look kind of grayish green under white light, and only pull colors under blues. That being said, there are some tenius' (walt disney, homewrecker and SCOP) which look great under whiter lights too.

For example, here are some of the frags in my system, under whiter lights. The yellow and blue/green tenius's are Walt Disney and SCOP. The grayish green one is a rainbow tenius from battle corals.

 

[fangelillo01]

Most of the pictures are zoomed in Macro shots that are edited to show how they look under deep blues. Shipping causes them to fade out. Once in your tank they could color up the same or color up somewhat different from their picture. Check out the vendor parameters for lighting and nutrients. I kinda like the unknown of what they will look like.

 

[MissMolly]

Thank you !

I keep lps dominant but dabble with some acros

I like a vibrant tank…

Working on reducing the shelving. I promise. Have a bunch in grow out, have a bunch that’s sold and on shelves for observation until ship date.

no editing here, this what she looks like

beautiful! But my best bet is that all the green acros look amazing in your tank and the other ones just gets blasted out by the blue.

 

[MissMolly]

Most of the pictures are zoomed in Macro shots that are edited to show how they look under deep blues. Shipping causes them to fade out. Once in your tank they could color up the same or color up somewhat different from their picture. Check out the vendor parameters for lighting and nutrients. I kinda like the unknown of what they will look like.

Yeah super edited just like the pics on tinder :smiling-face-with-tear:

I'm not looking particualry in my own tank. It's new frags. I look towards established tanks. They all look pastel-y and I bet they have their nutrients and lighting in check.

 

[MissMolly]

Give them some time to settle in and fully color up. Most rainbow tenius' though will look kind of grayish green under white light, and only pull colors under blues. That being said, there are some tenius' (walt disney, homewrecker and SCOP) which look great under whiter lights too.

For example, here are some of the frags in my system, under whiter lights. The yellow and blue/green tenius's are Walt Disney and SCOP. The grayish green one is a rainbow tenius from battle corals.

Not thinking too much about my own tank here. When I look at established tanks thay are all pastels and browns and greens... Nothing like the acros you see in the sale pics.