Garf Bonsai help

[Ryno]

I am looking for some help with my Garf Bonsai. I can't get it to turn purple. I have two frags one on each side of the tank. One is a little higher than the other but they are both a light tan color with bright green polyps and not at all purple. They are both growing and have doubled in size over the last 9 months. Here are the specs:

They are halfway up in a standard 90 gallon under 2 x 250 watt radiums driven by m80 ballasts.

strong flow on both.

salinity 1.026
nitrates 2.5
phosphates .018
Alk 7.7
Cal 430
Mag 1325

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[JMar101786]

I have 2 different versions of the bonsai coral (encrusting and thin branching) - both purple and green

Salt - 1.025
Nitrates 5 - 10
Alk 9
Calc - 440
Mag 1375

- I only use brightwell products - personal preference, tried others and have not found one that gives me the same results I get with my brightwell products

- I am using Gen 2 Radion Pro running at 55% on the radiant color preset - They start the day cycle at noon and shut down at 11

- Lights are roughly 12" off the water and one bonsai is 5" below surface the other is 12" below surface.

- Flow comes from a steady alternating pulse between 2 mp 40's set to go no more than halfway on the max flow setting

My tank is the Red Sea Reefer 450

 

[Ryno]

What do you keep your phosphate level at? I have wondered if my nitrates are a little low?

 

[Ryno]

The only thing I dose is Kalkwasser in my ATO and potassium once a week after my water change

 

[JMar101786]

if you look at the brightwell salt - it has a lot infused already in it.

I dose very little amounts of the following :

Brightwell Magnesium
Brightwell A
Brightwell B

As for Phosphates - they are near 0 but there is a little bit in there. My goal is 0 but I can never get it down to 0 naturally

 

[JMar101786]

I do weekly 25 Gal water changes from my sump

 

[JMar101786]

Here is some coloring from my tank - few different corals

some were taken with a DSLR and some were with my phone.

 

[Ryno]

Nice. Does anybody else have any suggestions?

 

[Josh]

I think your coral is probably fine.

Can you do 10-20% water changes every week for 4 weeks and report back? If nothing is dying then I would say your tank is doing fine. If you still want to see more growth with the Garf just give it high light and maybe more indirect flow but it looks pretty good so far. Remember every tank different and struggling to match someone else's experience is not worth it.

 

[mguili1947]

Get Alk up to 9

 

[Ryno]

Nothing is dying and actually everything else looks pretty good color/growth wise. I just have seen some really nice colonies of Garf's Bonsai that were a deep purple and mine is not even close. I know there is a lot of discussion on this coral because I've looked around online but I just wanted to hear first hand from someone that has personal experience keeping it purple. Thanks.

 

[Ryno]

I change 10 gallons per week using Reef Crystals salt.

 

[Ryno]

Does raising alkalinity help with coloration?

 

[hbrochs]

I have two garf bonsai frags/colony in my tank. One is bright purple, mounted high and getting good flow. The other is larger and on the sandbed, and its gotten pretty brown. I think the brown one wants more light, just don't have the right real estate in my tank.

 

[Mattl22]

Josh that's great advice

Your Corals look amazing wish mine where half as nice keep up good work


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