Coloring up SPS

[noodleman]

I found these two statements in article 4 to be pretty interesting:type:

"The capture rate of the small polyped coral was 36 times greater than the large-polyped coral!" :eat:

"However, for the first time it was shown that feeding results in calcification rates 50-75% higher than in control corals (not fed). It was also found that feeding does not affect the light-enhancement process of photosynthesis on calcification. To make these results completely understandable, if corals can feed on zooplankton, they will calcify 50-75% faster irrespective of light levels provided."

 

[Pseudo]

Humans can live on water alone and no food for 26-38 days living off the fat stores inside the body, but we thrive if fed

Feeding corals does not enhance color but does give the coral energy to grow and facilite color change.

Kasei

 

[noodleman]

too bad this thread isn't titled "how to make my sps calcify" :lol2:

 

[Pseudo]

It's all in the same vain so this thread is still relevant. Who wants a colorful coral that never grows ?

Kasei

 

[Pseudo]

Enhancement of coral growth and color through chemical additions.

There are many ways to accelerate growth in corals. Lighting intensity, maintaining higher than normal Alk and calcium levels for higher calcification rates in sps. Higher flow rates also contribute sps growth patterns and growth rates.

Color on SPS corals can be changed by a few of the same ways but also in coral placement(higher in the water column for higher light absorbtion, higher water flow rates and orientation of coral will effect how the coral color will show on the encrusted bases and branches (shading).

Certain additives have shown to "enhance" coral color (Potassium, Iodine, strontium and Bromide) to make them lighter or darker depending on what you are using and dosages. Always remember additions of any of these chemicals can cause adverse effects in aquaria (build-up) if not regulated properly or not absorbed my the corals fast enough. You are dosing the whole tank and not target feeding with chemical additives.

Zeovit tanks are a good example of color enhancement through nutrient poor tank and additions of bacteria and elements to further the color scheme of SPS. I have never used this method so I will defer to other who have (MSHUR who has had tremendous success with this method is one)



Kasei

 

[Pseudo]

Color changes in SPS due to Lighting Spectrum.

The color spectrum plays an important role in coral coloration. Different kelvin bulbs will change the way corals color up. Certain sps are from different levels of the reef (deepwater acros, shallow fringe reef sps and so on). They are used to differnet spectrums from the sun due to the saturation of light through water. But different wattages of the same kelvin bulb will give you different results. A 175W 20k bulb has a different PAR rating than a 1000W 20k bulbs. Here is where intensity comes in.


Kasei

 

[Pseudo]

Food additions (coral feeding)

Does the addition of food or target feeding SPS help in color change ? This is debatable. No, direct feeding of sps does not change the color of the coral. Yes, direct feeding of SPS helps relieve the dependency of the coral on it's zooxanthellae for energy, making the corals production of zooxanthellae less, thus making the coral appear a different color. SPS also absorb nutrients in the water column through the cell structure of the "skin". This also happens when the coral is stressed and it expels its zx or it dies off (not good). Browning" in SPS = Increase in CSD ("cell specific density").CSD refers to the number of zooxanthellae per host cell. This can be caused by high nutrients in the tank. SO just to make this simple... Color is NOT determined by zooxanthellae !

Ok this is getting complicated... What we really need is a IF-->THEN-->YES-->NO system in order to finally figure out how this all works.

I will work on that

Kasei

 

[Pseudo]

I wont say that this is a conclusion but a valid Observation of all things in my tank(s) over the years.

Clean tank, Great lighting (higher PAR level and spectrum) Water changes and supplemental dosing (dont go overboard with snake oils) good husbandry. All of these will contribute to a low nutrient tank (not starved) that will have COLORED UP STICKS !


Can I close the thread now Rich ??

Kasei

 

[Spracklcat]

FI agree with the advice to feed heavily/keep a large fish load. Soem of the most healthy SPS tanks I have seen have been kept this way, contrary to the "low nutrient" method. Joe Burger (www.cnidarianreef.com) had an AMAZING tank, and I think a lot of the reason was that he was culturing phyto and rotifers and feeding heavily. When he broke down his tank this year some of his corals were so large they had to be donated to the aquarium.

All of which has nothing to do with color though--

My first question, especially pertaining to SPS is wht do you consider good color? Most people would say the fancy bright blue/pink/purple colors, rather than the boring brown. The boring brown colors are from large quatities of active zooxanthellae in the tissue, and these corals will probably grow faster given good food/light. in contrast, many of the pigments that are so pretty are there as UV protectors: the coral produces them in response to "bright" light to protect the tissues (at the expense of growth--limited supply of energy will go towards growth or UV pigment production, but not both well). This is not to say that the bright specimens will not grow, just that they will probably grow more slowly. When people grow corals for sale, they often keep them under low K bulbs for the bulk of their life, where they grow brown, but rapidly, then a few weeks before sale they put them under high-K bulbs to "color up".

What does this mean in terms of husbandry to produce color? I would tend to think higher K bulbs, and lots of them (this is why you see better color with MH), and feeding to make up for the decrease in photosynthetic activity.

Christine

 

[SlamaJama]

great stuff KC....good read.... wonder if it should be posted in the solby article thread or (cleaned up, lol) and stickyed for easy refrence...

 

[meschaefer]

I have a SPS colony that I picked up from a member who was leaving the hobby. When he gave it to me he told me that it A. Nana, but it was in horrible condition. It was a dark brown, had no ployp extension and I generally thought that it would not make it.

When I placed it into my tank one of the branches broke off. I placed it on a plug and put it in the back of my tank on the far side from where the main colony was. Five months later, and the body of the main colony is light brown, but the tip have gotten a deep purple. What is interesting is that the frag, has also changed color. The body is light brown turning to bright green with deep purple tips.

Same coral + same tank/paramters + diffrent position in the tank = different colors

I will take some pictures tonight and post them.

 

[jackson6745]

wow Jackson, where can I buy your book. It must be filled with such clever observations as "Eric Borneman is an @$$." Clearly you have a grasp of the subject far surpassing any of us mere mortals. Are you a politician by any chance, because I'm pretty sure you just reitterated what I said about tank parameters as if I was wrong in saying the same.

You're taking this the wrong way. Regurgitated Borneman crap is not practical for hobbyiests like you, me, and everyone else on this site, at least not for this topic. I do have that green Borneman book (Aquarium Corals) BTW:shhh: I want to discuss YOUR observations on SPS colors and anything you have done to tweak them. There are many little "tricks" to get that deeper color, lighter color, or less brown color. This is what I would like to hear and what would be useful to most SPS keepers.

PS Don't get pissy with me, it's only corals.

 

[cali_reef]

You're taking this the wrong way. Regurgitated Borneman crap is not practical for hobbyiests like you, me, and everyone else on this site, at least not for this topic. I do have that green Borneman book (Aquarium Corals) BTW:shhh: I want to discuss YOUR observations on SPS colors and anything you have done to tweak them. There are many little "tricks" to get that depper color, lighter color, or less brown color. This is what I would like to hear and what would be useful to most SPS keepers.

PS Don't get pissy with me, it's only corals.

Dude, you are getting it all wrong, all you need is a little of the black magic powder he is using.

they can get to a decent size if they are healthy. I used the Marc Weiss Blackpowder a few times and right after I started using it I noticed these guys all over the tank as well as some other freaky stuff popping up out of nowhere.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

Meschaefer what you experienced with the frag is not an uncommon occurrence. It is easier for a small colony such as a frag to receive the nutrients it needs than a larger one with greater needs. Placement in the tank plays a roll but it is known that at different size corals will calcify at different speeds. For farmers certain corals do have a "sweet spot" where the frag is just the right size for optimal growth over time. I sometimes mess with frags of SPS that break off during shipping in the bag and see what they do in different places in the tank (light, flow, size, etc.). The differences in growth pattern are sometimes very noticeable.

Rich,
I'm not getting pissy with you. I posted information that I saw as relevant. I didn't attack anyone, I didn't discredit anyone, and I didn't post anything that most of us don't already know to be true. I didn't "regurgitate Borneman crap" at all. The only thing I repeated was the wild avg. SG and temp. that I believed was in his book. Working with the volume of corals and fish that I do I have an accelerated learning curve of hands on experience. Not to mention I work with some people (in store and out) who have been in the business since undergravel filters were the next step in technology and some of us were not even a thought in our parents heads. I'm tired of being bashed almost every time I post it's ridiculous on a hobby forum when we are all here for our mutual love/ fascination with saltwater tanks. Those that do know me in person know that I am more than capable with both fish and corals and for those that don't I challenge you to come by the store and see me. Come in and check me out, then you can bash me all you want for working in an LFS.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Dude I'm not gonna bash you but I will say that most times when you post there seems to be a healthy conversation of differing opinions that's all. While I am not that knowledgable on SPS and I am still learning I am using this and alot of other threads to get up to speed on keeping these beautiful animals. I agree that Borneman is a bonehead, for a few reasons, one in fact is because he talks out of his ass on some things without doing the research he needs to do before speaking (It's better to be quiet and have people think your an idiot then open you mouth and remove all doubt). I also agree that each reefer has their own way of doing things that might not be exactly the same as the next reefers way but they get the same results, if you know what I mean. Again I will state this there is a 99.999% chance that I will never set foot in your store because it isn't in my area but I am sure you and your friends and co workers have vast knowledge but agree to disagree and all will be good. Now I am gonna step off my soapbox and start reading again.

 

[jackson6745]

LFSmaineguy you should explain your system.
You use PC's and have nice colors which most guys would love to do. Well, how do you get your results? What are your water parms, feeding, supplements etc..?......

 

[loismustdie]

It's better to be quiet and have people think your an idiot then open you mouth and remove all doubt

:lol2:
That's perfect. He is an a$$ though.
This is a difficult topic. Most people I know don't know why they have or don't have good color.
Nutrition... many will tell you that SPS look best when they are about to starve to death. I feel feeding is key to color and growth, but all nutrients not consumed need to be removed. I let PO4 get away from me and all I had were browns and some greens. FWIW, while I do like salifert calcium, magnesium and alkalinity test kits, their phosphate is off. If you are using this kit and have the slightest hint of blue, your PO4 is too high. We corrected my PO4 issue though and now I've got the blues and reds and pinks I've been looking for.
Right now, I'm running my DSB tank kind of like the BB method. High flow, over skimming, heavy fish load, nutrient addition, but aggressive nutrient removal. (DSB method advises you severely limit any additions of nutrients and have very limited fish) Seems to be working for me at the moment.

 

[ShaunW]

Chris, how did you remove your PO4? Just wondering?

 

[loismustdie]

First, big water changes.
next, I used 2 phosban reactors with enough phosban for 400 gallons.
Now, I use the same 2 reactors with only an inch or 2 of phosban in them, alternating months that I change media.
I'm not impressed with the longevity of Phosban. I've been told that Phosban is good at removing high levels quickly, but once your levels are down, switch to Rowa for long term maintenance.
I also still feed heavily, I'm just more disciplined in what foods I feed.

 

[prattreef]

You are all forgetting the method preferred by some of the biggest vendors in the industry---Photoshop!!!! Sorry couldn't resist. RD