Help With Deepwater Acro

[Myka]

You have not mentioned the use of a protein skimmer, what protein skimmer are you using, and what size is the tank? Providing more information about the rest of the tank will really help. If you can post a full tank photo that could be of great assistance as well.

In order to get great coloring of any corals there are many determining factors. Lighting is usually easy to provide. The biggest factor is water quality - all aspects: stability, the availability of good nutrients, the lack of poor nutrients, clarity, etc. SPS corals are particularly sensitive, and many people cannot achieve great, colorful success with them.

As far as water goes, it needs to be pristine. High nitrates are a sign that the water really isn't up to par. Steady "big three" dosing is imperative (calcium, alkalinity, magnesium). A carbon source is often a big help to improve water quality - be it vodka, Fauna Marin, my personal choice Zeovit, or an abundance of other products, and in my opinion should be a part of any SPS system (albeit there are those more experienced reefers that prefer the "challenge" of doing it differently). In a healthy reef tank you should not get detectable nitrate or phosphate. Imo, your high nitrates are at the very least contributing greatly to the issue. I also take high nitrates as a sign that your tank isn't as healthy as it should be, and there my be other issues as well.

You may find that simply dosing Zeovit Coral Snow and ZeoBak together (as per directions in the Zeovit guide) will greatly improve your water quality. Many people don't understand that you can use just a few additives, you don't need the whole line of products to make a significant difference. The use of the above mentioned products is my recommendation to you.