Need some help with browning out sps

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

What is the temp? Also, how long is the light on?

Good points Brad

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Browned out is too much zooxanthellae in the coral tissue

Care to explain how this happens ?

I understand corals can excrete their zoox when under stress, but how do they end up with too much ?

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by gregzz4

Care to explain how this happens ?

I understand corals can excrete their zoox when under stress, but how do they end up with too much ?

Essentially too much food. Either in the form of nutrients or too much light, or more likely a combo of both. That, coupled with temp can cause a "bloom" of zoox to grow. Kinda like any other algae in a tank, just inside the coral tissue.

Nutrients are made available through too much feeding, lack of dilution, excessive spots for binding it (detritus within the rock, deep stagnating sand, etc). Nutrients then are hard to measure as they're aren't freely available in the water column, but leach from the various sources to feed the zoox. Too long of a light cycle and higher temps can then amplify their uptake and growth.
I've always found that the best way to tell you have too much zoox is the amount of fluorescing the corals give off under actinics. You'll notice a lot of glowing green from the browner corals, which is something that typically a fully blue piece of SPS won't give off. In my tank for example, the only corals that "glow" under the actinics are the ones that are naturally green. Not an absolute rule, but a pattern I've observed over the years.
To keep the colors I have now, I've minimized the rock in the tank to promote detritus removal, I keep a very shallow sand bed, temps below 80 (but above 76 to promote growth), large and frequent water changes and a nutrient export system (zeovit). I also keep my lights on full for no more than 7 hours.
Unfortunately there isn't usually a single thing that you can change, but more of a synergistic combo of all these things to bring out the colors.

[04V10]

Hey guys,
I'll get some shots of the tank tonight. As for the lighting, they turn on and begin to ramp up at 10:30am. They are brightest at 5:00 then ramp down and are lights out at 11:00pm. I'll get the exact run points when I get home from work.

As for the live rock, I've got 20lbs in there with ~2lbs of sand.

[fishytime]

What kind of HOB skimmer is it?... There is really one that is worth spending money on IMHO.....my guess would be nutrients

[04V10]

It's an eshoppes skimmer rated for a 75 gal tank. I'd have to get the model number when I get home. Makes some awesome skimmate though.

[ScubaSteve]

Mmmmmm... doesn't strike me as nutrients. I know it was asked before and I might have missed the answer but how long are the lights on?

Brown doesn't just mean nutrients (My nitrates are at 10 ppm and I've got great colour). It can also mean stress (think of having extra zooxanthellae as stocking up on fat for a disaster). This could mean:

-Not enough light
-Not enough flow
-High temperatures or temperature fluctuation
-parameter fluctuations (in particular salinity and KH)
- Or they're simply just not in the right spot.

Have you tried moving them to a different location?

[gregzz4]

Thanks for the great info Brad
With that and what Steve added, I hope I don't ever have to figure this kind of issue out

Good luck 04V10

[Aquattro]

Came across an interesting thread of experienced and successful SPS keepers. Have a read, but come back here, k?

http://www.reef2reef.com/forums/gene...lyp-stony.html

[04V10]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I am going to try a bunch of things, slowly of course..lol. First I am going to try and move the lighting up every other week and increase it to see if I see any positives. Second, I'm going to try and use some phosphate remover, as I do have a bit of bubble algae like I said, so we will see if it is that. However, first before the phosphate remover, I am going to start to suppliment a bit and bring up some of my params. AFter this I will try moving it. I started it being on the sand and then moving it to where it was after acclimation, so no I haven't moved it at all. However, the flow, like I said is nice and turbulent where it is, and my one other SPS, which is basically 1" beside it is flourishing with color and polyp extension. Ooh, and first of all, I'm going to decrease the temp a bit and run it at 78o, instead of 80.

I'll keep you guys posted as to my results in the next while, however it might take some time. Thanks a bunch for all the suggestions and advice.