Sps color

[RayAllen]

Guys and Gals

As most of you know ive never been much of a SPS guy, but..

I have a couple of SPS corals. Monti Cap and a Purple digi. I havnt had them long, maybe 2 months or so. Both I got with Pale color and a little on the brown side. They have both shown great growth espesially the cap probably a 1/4" or more. Both have beautiful colored polyps.

I want to color them back up. Weekly water changes with Ro/di 0 TDS water, New ATI T5 Bulbs. What more can I do. Ive not tested for phosphates or calcium, do not have either test kit. As mentined they are growing just not coloring up. No idea how long this process normally takes considering ive never really kept sps...

[ducati996]

My digi was like that for months look at it after being awsy a few days and wow the color was awesome all of a sudden

[Southern Flame]

I use chromoplex and my sps has colored up tremendously with the LEDs especially since we placed them higher in the tank

[Big_Pun]

with sps you need to watch nitrates and phosphates, 0 trates is great but you gotta toe the line on phodphates. sps will grow and look fine with high nutrients in water but get that brown color. dosing potasium, strotium, or some kind of trace elements helps out.

welcome to swing by and we can talk sps lol. too much to type but its not as hard as people think.

[rockmp]

Hey Ray I have all the test kits if you want to borrow them you are more than welcome to. Just give me a call.


Thanks
Mark
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[Roo&Lis]

I never got good color till I switched to LEDs and upped my water changes. Not sure if was the intense lighting or the constant refreshment of minerals. I have noticed if I slack off on water changes the color will dull a little.

[Big_Pun]

I never got good color till I switched to LEDs and upped my water changes. Not sure if was the intense lighting or the constant refreshment of minerals. I have noticed if I slack off on water changes the color will dull a little.
what happens is the blues in leds really cause the bio florescence to "pop" some look better under led and some look better under t5/mh(in my experience) this is do to wavelengths in lighting the bio fluorescence react too. the biggest thing ray is stability of your system(as long as parameters and temps don't constantly swing) and nutrient export whether its through water changes or use of bio-pellets and gfo.
equipment has changed a lot lately lots of smaller gear for small tanks. do you plan on adding any new gear like reactors? you bring by some water and i can test everything see where your at and if you need to dose anything or add new gear.

[RayAllen]

Chris I run a BRS reactor at the moment but only have Carbon in it. Need to order so more GFO. Not sure if I like the GFO, seems to give off a lot of dust into the aquarium because it has to tumble constantly.

Thanks Mark, I may hit you up to borrow a test kit or two soon.

[Big_Pun]

if you rinse it well and the water flow is just enough to "simmer" its usually fine. i havent run carbon in a year, from what ive read the high cap carbon or any carbon in general works too well and takes out all kinds of thing including stuff thats needed in our tanks.

[RayAllen]

Rockmp/Mark let me borrow his test kits.

My readings

Mag 1200ppm
Cal 310 ppm
Alk Meq/L 3.5 Dkh 9.8
Phosphates are practically at zero

Still need to test my nitrates but with my weekly water changes I know that will be a good reading

With the above readings I know that my Mag and Cal readings are both low and I need to bring them up... especially for the SPS in the aquarium.

[Southern Flame]

I'm right around the corner from ya if ya wanna test your nitrates and all the other stuff Nitrites ammonia ph

[Southern Flame]

O crud if even drive the .5 mile down the road to ya lol if ya want

[rockmp]

Ray I would not worry too much about the magnesium. You need to raise your calcium slowly.


Thanks
Mark
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[RayAllen]

Thanks Mark, I will put a doser together soon and rise it slowly. Im sure they will start to color up then as well.