Why do my corals not look like in pictures

[OriginalUserName]

So my blue bucket comes in today how should I lower my alk I plan on doing 2 waterchanges a week

That's pretty much what I did. Just try and lower it slowly.

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

Should I dose my normal amount

 

[OriginalUserName]

Should I dose my normal amount

I was running my alk at about 10 and wanted to move to 8. I just made sure to try to let the DKH drop by .1 or .2 a day. For me that meant tapering off dosing while doing the lower alk salt water changes.

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

How did your corals do at 10 compared to 8

 

[OriginalUserName]

How did your corals do at 10 compared to 8

I'm not getting anymore tissue death on my SPS. My nutrients were also too low though so it was likely a combination. Zoas and LPS don't seem to have noticed at all. I have decided that high alk levels are for people that really know what they are doing. I need the buffer for my inevitable mistakes.

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

I’ve had the same issue with my sps!

 

[happyhourhero]

You can really only use a salt with a lower alk content if your tank has low demand.

I would get as much input as you can from as many people as you can before making your choice of what to do.

I am just telling you what I would do if I was you.

Also, there are times when a coral might not make it for whatever reason and the best course of action is to leave things stable and let it die. Altering everything to save one is a tragic mistake I have made and it set my Reef back months and almost had me stepping away from the hobby. Go slow and make calculated decisions.

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

Thank you

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

Right now I’m dosing 15ml a day by hand

 

[reefrider777]

Your PO4 are high as the target is .03-.05ppm. At .3 you are 10x's higher than the target. High levels of PO4 will inhibit the calcification of Calcium Carbonate. I would work on lowing your PO4's. The tissue on the dayglo looks like alk burn from unstable alk. Not 100% but just an observation.

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

It’s 0.04 sorry for any confusion

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

I use Red Sea year kits and Hanna checkers

 

[Rslinger]

Your alk is to high for low nutritianants. You need to slowly walk it back down towards eight. Start dosing a small amount less and keep walking it down. I wouldn’t change salt. You have been dosing it that high. It’s not because of the salt.

 

[Servillius]

All of my WWC pieces have come in looking just like the photos but understand they use a professional photo setup and heavy blues.

Any cyphastrea I have added usually nearly die completely and then regrow and are super hardy. I don’t know what the deal is with those but that’s how it has been for me.

Given the limited information we have, this is probably the best answer. Cuphastrea tend to take a long time to settle in and can be very particular about location. Try a spot where about half the drag is actually getting shade then see which side grows first.

I would be interested to see a fts and some other coral pics to make a better guess.

 

[gcarroll]

It could be any of the things already noted. But mostly it's because many of the photos you see are 'fakes'. Maybe not photshopped, but certainly lit and photographed (oversaturated) in a way to accentuate appearance. I have seen many tanks in person that looked nothing like their photos.

Says the guy that obviously has never been to WWC!!!

 

[Jrainey312]

I feel the same way about my corals ;Facepalm

 

[Servillius]

Says the guy that obviously has never been to WWC!!!

WWC is danged near flawless at representing a frag honestly.

 

[James w Lewis]

Dude, number one it takes forever for a piece to gain the coloration you see in the pics. Two, they often use blue lighting to take the pics and they touch up the pics. I have a lot of cornbreds acros and they never look like his pics unless you turn off all white lighting. I will give you that i do everything the old fashioned way and do water changes instead of adding stuff but my **** grows.

 

[ca1ore]

Says the guy that obviously has never been to WWC!!!

Says the guy that believes his own eyes. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence - and photos ain’t it! The VAST majority of the corals I have seen in person don’t measure up. Are there exceptions, maybe; is WWC one, maybe. But I’ll not believe it until I see with my own eyes.

 

[HolisticBear]

But I’ll not believe it until I see with my own eyes.

If you have the opportunity to drive down to Reef-a-Palooza in two weeks, you can judge with your own eyes as WWC, JF, Unique, and a few others will be there. As a caveat, if it's like last year, almost every vendor will be usings Kessils on the bluest setting