Coral colors (lack of)

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

I am wondering about my corals. Most of them have no color or very pale. They have been this way for a while.

I have had my wellsophyllia (open brain) for 3 years. It used to be bright green and purple. Over the years and its been sometime that the purple is gone. The green has faded. The coral looks OK and the feelers come out every now and then.

What is the proper care it? Feeding?

My lighting is good - 250W MH 14K, and 2x95W VHO Actinics.

I do not feed my tank because of no fish and thats a whole story together because the LFS's are horrible up here.

[Wiskey]

I do not feed my tank because of no fish and thats a whole story together because the LFS's are horrible up here.

You feed your coral?

I bet this is a big part of it accually, you need some nutreants in your system for the corals, look at all the threads about "SPS Bleaching". Plus that brain doesn't need that much light, the more food it has, the more light it can use accually.

I would start with fish, then with food, then with feeding the corals that will take food misys directally, and I bet in very short time it will all turn around.

People with SPS tanks are starting to figure out that the best way to run a tank is High import, high export, and the same goes for LPS and Softies IMHO.

Whiskey

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

I would love to have some fish but the LFS dont carry anything good for my tank. Damsels or tangs, angels, triggers.

I like the idea of high export but how do you achieve that? I cant see how the Euroreef ES5-3 is going to do that. Maybe I need a stronger skimmer?

[Wiskey]

Hold up, Ill be back, I am going to go look at your tank specs, then try and find a picture and some dementions on that skimmer. I don't know Euroreef's line too well.

Whiskey

[Wiskey]

How are your mushrooms doing? Was your Pink Cap that color when you got it, or was it Oringe?

Whiskey

[mg]

try live aquaria if there are no good stores near you. I have heard very good reviews from local reefers and they have decent prices as well as a 14 day guarantee which they stand behind. The downside is you don't get to see before purchase to make sure it has nice coloration and patterning and more importantly is eating.

[Wiskey]

Oh ya, you can export heavy with that skimmer, just make the pipe a little longer and that sucker will skim wet all day long. If I could do it with a turbofloater, you can do it with that .

I definitally think you NEED food in that tank, I would bet that is where your problems are comming from, feed the corals (the LPS ones that can eat), feed the fish and they will love you for it.

Whiskey

[Wiskey]

PS, it's not the export you need to work on right now though, you seem to have that down, it's the import.

Whiskey

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Thanks,

That cap was always pink. That retained the color. The rest haven't.

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

I updated my tank specs as well.

[Wiskey]

Originally Posted by Your tank specs

Calcium (ppm):350

Thats low, it should be about 440 to be in ballance with your 10.8 alk.

I really think this is a food thing, your lighting is not excessive, not enough to bleach IMHO, accually some run 2*400W on the same size tank.

Whiskey

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Been trying to get the CA levels higher with not much luck. Keep increasing the bubbles per sec on the CA reactor.

[Wiskey]

That will increase both CA and ALK, you need to dose CA to bring it into ballance independentally then use the reactor to keep them up.

Look for some supplimnet in a LFS that only boosts CA, use the chem caculator to tell you how much you need and dose it, slowly.

Whiskey