Red plant not so red

Colgan10

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Anyone have any advice. I have a couple frags if it in my tank and it stays a fluorescent light green color sometimes gets a pinkish hue to it. It’s currently up towards the top of the tank could by just because it’s a small frag but just wanted people’s input.
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Epic Aquaculture

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Need more info on parameters, but just by looking at those pics I would guess that your NO3 and PO4 are at 0 which is too low. My next guess would be that the lighting is too strong. Please list NO3, PO4, ALK, MG, CA, type of lighting, and PAR level that the frags are at. Also how long has the tank been set up?
 

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A lot of times coloration has to do with lights and/or nutrient levels. So question is what kind of lights do you have along parameters of your water!
 

lemonade

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I agree with others above. High lighting, and low no3/po4. I have a frag in 650 par and my no3/po4 stay very low and that's what it looks like.

Here's mine
E2445D41-F4D0-447D-9E20-20C6E562FDA2-1.jpeg
 
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Colgan10

Colgan10

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Need more info on parameters, but just by looking at those pics I would guess that your NO3 and PO4 are at 0 which is too low. My next guess would be that the lighting is too strong. Please list NO3, PO4, ALK, MG, CA, type of lighting, and PAR level that the frags are at. Also how long has the tank been set up?

Tank is a Red Sea xl300 36x26x26 the tank is 8 months old. I have always used metal halide Radium before but getting back into the hobby after living in Hawaii for awhile. I have three kessil a360x and two reefbrite xho blue on the tank my par value at the top where they are at is around 450 before I added the xhos But we’re this color even before the xho. I have been dosing nitrate and phosphate Since I have a barebottom and have to dose to keep nutrients up. Nitrate is 4.5ppm and phosphate .07. My calcium reactor keeps my calcium and alkalinityvery stable I’ve been at 9 dkh consistently 480 calcium. I’ll be honest I don’t know mg levels but I do have remag in my reactor

might need to recheck par after adding the xhos but I honestly don’t feel like my par values with the three kessils was that high
A lot of times coloration has to do with lights and/or nutrient levels. So question is what kind of lights do you have along parameters of your water!

three kessils a360x and two reefbrite xho blue read above for my parameters. Thanks.


I agree with others above. High lighting, and low no3/po4. I have a frag in 650 par and my no3/po4 stay very low and that's what it looks like.

Here's mine
E2445D41-F4D0-447D-9E20-20C6E562FDA2-1.jpeg
yea I don’t think my par is that high what kind of lighting do you have. I rented a par meter from brs before adding the xhos and my par readings were never that high and the coral hasn’t changed color since adding the xhos
 

Epic Aquaculture

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For a Red Planet, 450 PAR is pretty high. I would move it to the bottom of the tank, then slowly raise it over the course of a few weeks once you see it start to darken up. It can definitely do well in 450, but I wouldn't start it there. Your other parameters look good, so that would be my first move.
 
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Colgan10

Colgan10

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Those three frags have been there since I put them in the tank that was back in May. I would have thought that would have acclaimed by now they are encrusted onto the live rock so I can’t really move them at this point. I might cut a frag ans place lower to see if that makes a difference.
 

Joedubyk

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Mine is in 250 (ish) part and is deep reed/purple with some green hues. I agree, It gets lighter if I put it higher. I also run higher nutrients. Honestly, id keep dosing nutrients.
 

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If you haven't checked your PAR since adding the ReefBrite XHO's I highly suggest you do so. Your PAR is probably a lot higher than you think.
I was really surprised at how much PAR my ReefBrite actinic strip puts out.
 
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Colgan10

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If you haven't checked your PAR since adding the ReefBrite XHO's I highly suggest you do so. Your PAR is probably a lot higher than you think.
I was really surprised at how much PAR my ReefBrite actinic strip puts out.

Yea I prob should I’m running all my kessils at 100 percent I might need to back them down now
 

SamMule

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I added one 36" strip to my MAX250 and started burning corals. I'm down to 3 bulbs in my T5 fixture now, and am still well over 500PAR at the surface.
 

lemonade

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Yep, I have an 8 bulb t5 with ReefBrite XHOs. I actually fried my original RP colony when I added the XHO's. Took almost a year for what was left to acclimate to the spot its in now in that much light.
 
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Colgan10

Colgan10

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I added one 36" strip to my MAX250 and started burning corals. I'm down to 3 bulbs in my T5 fixture now, and am still well over 500PAR at the surface.
Yep, I have an 8 bulb t5 with ReefBrite XHOs. I actually fried my original RP colony when I added the XHO's. Took almost a year for what was left to acclimate to the spot its in now in that much light.
Wow that’s crazy! Yea I bet my par jumped for sure then. I’ll have to recheck par I need to just buy a par meter instead of renting one. I prob do need to scale down the intensity of my kessils now Might bump them down 10 percent and see if that helps.
 
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Colgan10

Colgan10

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I just backed my intensity down to 90 which is a 10 percent decrease. Same light cycle tho. I will monitor and see if I see any improvements.
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Colgan10

Colgan10

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Yep, I have an 8 bulb t5 with ReefBrite XHOs. I actually fried my original RP colony when I added the XHO's. Took almost a year for what was left to acclimate to the spot its in now in that much light.

Do you think a 10 percent decrease in intensity would be enough or should I start there and decrease from there in about a week?

I added one 36" strip to my MAX250 and started burning corals. I'm down to 3 bulbs in my T5 fixture now, and am still well over 500PAR at the surface.
 

lemonade

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I wouldn't change too much honestly. 10% is probably good enough for now you will need to give it time at least a month or more to see changes. If they are growing and have PE I would just give it time. If they look the same in month, lower the intensity another 10%. Get PAR values if you can.
 

SamMule

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You were having issues with this before you added the XHO's?
I'm inclined to believe lighting was not your issue. However, the addition of the 2 XHO strips was probably a large jump in PAR. (And shock to the system) Likely, compounding your issues.
Of course, without any PAR readings, this is all purely speculation.
Everyone always says "Consistency is the key to success"
Personally, I would like to have some numbers to use as a baseline before I started changing things.
Collect as much data as you can and put it up here. There are some very knowledgeable folks on this forum that can at least get you pointed in the right direction.
 
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Colgan10

Colgan10

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You were having issues with this before you added the XHO's?
I'm inclined to believe lighting was not your issue. However, the addition of the 2 XHO strips was probably a large jump in PAR. (And shock to the system) Likely, compounding your issues.
Of course, without any PAR readings, this is all purely speculation.
Everyone always says "Consistency is the key to success"
Personally, I would like to have some numbers to use as a baseline before I started changing things.
Collect as much data as you can and put it up here. There are some very knowledgeable folks on this forum that can at least get you pointed in the right direction.
Considering I’ve been reefing for 20 plus years and this was my past tank
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I feel like I understand a decent amount about keeping and growing corals. I get that consistency is key trust me but under the three kessils it wasn’t cutting it most corals have colored up since the addition of the xhos and I feel like all my parameters are the same as I have always ran the new factor is lighting which in the past 8 months have found leds to be very frustrating horrible growth and color even tho par values when tested were all within the recommended range. Some of my coral are colored fine but seems like many corals under my leds seem to shift to a color that is not normal to the coral usually pale fluorescent green. I’m about to get the radium mh t5 fixture back out of storage but like some aspects of the leds so trying to figure out what is up. 7D21BD9E-E7AD-4864-A7A6-D57C3ADEA795.jpeg
 

lemonade

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If anything add some t5 to the LEDs. Having quality lighting is something that can't be overlooked. Not saying the kessils aren't quality. But T5 give excellent results every time.
 

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Red planet is a lower light acro, at least for it to be red. It gets greener with more light.
Here is mine high to mid tank. Bottom of the tank is redder.
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