Corals change color... please help

[aussiefishy]

Hello i have a 50 gallon tank SPS/CLAM. dimension 36X18X18...

i have 250W HQI coralvue ballast and bulb 10000K. calcium/alk are all good (470ppm/9dkh respectively). i bought a acropora frag that was white/bright purple in color and now in my tank it turns brown.. and the next thing i see is another frag of purple monti is turning brown too.. however green/red specimen are doing fine... any reason/thoughts ??

the detail specs are as follows :

50 gallon 36X18X18.
euroreef ES5-3
33 gallon sump with 20 gallon Refugium build in
Q1 6000 1500 gph with squid.
coralvue 250W hqi 10000k ballast and bulb
T5 NO antinics with moonlight, reverse light cycle in sump.
(10hr HQi, 12 hr Antinic, 7 hr reverse fuge light & moonlight)
3-4 inch oolite sandbed.
70 lb Fiji/tonga LR
feed marinesnow/brineshrimp
20 gallon H2O change bi-weekly.
chemical supplementation = CaCl(liquid calcium), pro buffer Dkh, warner marine Mg supplements.

water parameter:
NO3, PO4 = 0 (salifert)
Calcium = 480ppm
alk = 8.5-9 dkh (salifert)
sal 1024.5
temp 82-83.6F

inhabitants:

2 acroporas
monti caps and digitata
toadstool leather
stat polyps
pinapple corals
deresa clam

6 damsels
1 maroon clown

thank all. :wink:

 

[SnowManSnow]

are you feeding the things in any way? Lots of ppl like to feed photoplankton of some sort to some sps's and the like.

A stupid question, but it isn't algae that is covering the coral is it? Are the polyps still extending?

If the problem corals are new they may be in shock to your diffent lighting setup.. according to what they were use to.

Have you noticed any stringgy brown stuff coming from them?

Also, on the acropora make sure there is a pretty good flow around it.

I may have just missed it.. but what is the total wattage of your lighting setup..? I saw 250MH and T5.. how much T5?

Temp may also be just a tad on the high side IMO

Good luck with it!

B.

 

[aussiefishy]

i am feeding them marine snow every night and day.

the temperature is a little high but i don't think that is the problem... the acro/monti are still extending polyps feeding, no brown jelly disease.

in your experience, will it change color once they settle in?? 8O

 

[hillbilly]

Blue and purple colored acros seem to need more intense light to keep their bright colors. You might try moving them closer to the lights, lowering the lights if possible, or replacing bulbs if you've had them for a while. If you only have one MH light on that tank, you may not have enough intensity to hold the purple color. They also need high flow. Acros don't like nutrients in the tank either, or swings in temp., or change of anykind for that matter. I noticed you have monti caps in the tank. How's your mag. levels? These things really eat up your mag. levels when they start growing. Could be low even though you add supplements, using up more than you add. Every tank is different, but my tanks do better when I change smaller amounts of water weekly(10%). Often it takes several week to regain color once they turn brown, provided they like the conditions. If not, they are likely to stay brown and grow slowly. Good luck!

 

[PinkFloydReefer]

I would really refrain from feeding Marine Snow that often. The stuff has given myself and my clients more problems than not. If you want to feed your tank anything try Dt's and do it every few days. That constant buildup of additional organic compounds in your tank cannot be good for the water quality.

As far as yours SPS corals go. Make sure they are FAR away from your softies as they cant win in that battle. Also make sure they have good flow and are high up in the tank. Most of the time I see the SPS bleech out totally and then die. If its brown I bet its just adjusting, but I may also not have a full grasp of your problem either. Best of luck!

 

[aussiefishy]

thank you for your help guys & gals

so is 1 250W in a 18inch height tank not enough for acro to retain color?

the bulb is relatively new (from september 2004). and they are showing signs of feeding and growing... but the purple species are brown only...

as for nutrient buildup, i have carbon+phosguard in water 24/7 plus a overdriven skimmer (rated for 90, i have a 50 gallon, on 24/7) plus refugium... but thanks for the advice. i will add the product less frequently.

about flow, can all of you answer my question posted on my other thread about powerheads???

thanks a million! :lol:

happy new year

BTW, i bought 2 rose BTA, a yellow plate coral and a clown tang for boxing day!!! 8)

 

[ChrisRD]

How long has this tank been running?

Are the acro frags from wild colonies or were they taken from captive colonies?

 

[middletonmark]

How long have these been in the tank, as well?

Personally, I'd discontinue feeding them as there are many things likely already in-tank that would feed them just the same without adding nutrients.

IMO, the light is fine. More flow might be good. But it's nutrients that are the issue here. I'd make sure your skimmer is clean + working well [make sure good airflow thru venturi] ... but I have a Bullet 2 [rated 150-250g range] on my 58 - hard to have too much skimmer IMO on a SPS tank.

I'd look into what the TOTM/experienced SPS'ers are feeding their tank and read about it. I've had far better success after I quit feeding my corals and just fed lightly to my fish ... better growth and color as nutrient levels in the tank were lower.

I'd wonder about the phosguard too ... did you test phosphates, or why the media?

 

[aussiefishy]

i put phosguard+carbon in water all the time because i want to get rid of unwanted organics and phosphate... :? is that right thing to do?

the tank has been setup since start of october.... it is a bit new. i changed water twice, each 20 gallon...

the frags are in for about 3-5 weeks now.... still quite new, but their tenticles are out every night/day 8)

i agree that water flow is too low.. i am planning to buy the 2X seio 620..

i feed the corals with marine snow because i saw their tenticles come out at night feeding... so i just do what LFS told me to do...... i stopped feeding ever night after last week and i change to feeding every week.. is that right??

the frags i have i am not really sure if it is wild or captive... why?

i really want the purple to come back again!!! help/ 8O

 

[middletonmark]

It's still fairly early in the tank's life, and the corals in your tank to worry much about it IMO.

As for the polyps at night ... many reasons for that, one of which I tend to like is for gas exchange. Lots going on underneath those polyps ... polyps are not only for feeding.

 

[ChrisRD]

I agree with Mark. Also, it's not uncommon for new SPS to lose color - sometimes it returns in time, sometimes not, but it can take months. IME captive frags tend to be more "colorfast" than wild corals...

 

[aussiefishy]

will the 2X seio 820 be too much for a 3 feet tank??

i have very fine argonite..... on the bottom

 

[hillbilly]

With a tank that's 3' long and 18" deep, my thought was maybe 1 250w MH was being spread a little thin, thus losing intensity. I've always went by 1 lamp for every 2'. Am I wrong?
I think stony corals would like 2x Seio in the tank. The fine sand might be blown around some. I've never used them, so I'm not sure how strong they really are.