Boring coral colours

[danzing]

How do you improve on the color quality of my corals? I know it's got alot to do with lighting' but what am I doing wrong currently I have 1-400 watt XM 10K MH lamp with 110 watt HO actinics. the growth is fine but the colors are boring brown and green. One of my Favites used to be white with yellow centers but is now faded to and boring brown and green center what happened?

[kien]

It would be nice to know much more about your system. How big is it, what do you have for filtration/nutrient reduction, water flow, tank inhabitants (fish and corals), what are your parameters (Alkalinity, Calcium, Magnesium, Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, Phosphates, etc..). There are so many parameters and variables that come in to play. Lighting is just one of many.

[danzing]

My tank is 90 gallons display, 20 gallons sump/refuge, my protein skimmer is a Berlin turbo, the ammonia is 0 the nitrites are 0. The nitrate are 0 and the phosphates are 0. I don't know the real measurement of alkalinity but my tests often result in normal range. The calcium is 450ppm. The Magnesium is normal. My water flow is very well, you could almost say I over did it with the water flow. I have 2-kordrilla3 pumps 2-maxi jet 1200 pumps 1-Seio 850 pump,1-mag drive pump 500 return from the sump and finally the 450 nano pump return from the UV sterilizer. I have only 6 fish currently in the tank and they are 1-Blue hippo tang, 1-Yellow tang, 1-Coral beauty angel, 1-False percula clown fish, 1-Baniggi cardinal and finally 1-Royal gramma. The coral collection consists of 3- favites, 3- acros, 1- birds nest, 1-Galaxy coral, 4- montipora digitata,2- zoas, 1- padodia and finally 1- aussie acro

[kien]

Do you run carbon at all? Is it just this one coral that you're not happy with or pretty much all the corals? Alkalinity is just as important as Calcium. I'm not sure what your test kit defines as "normal" but I would get an exact reading with a test kit that will give you a number.

[danzing]

I'm not really sure what you mean by carbon use? Do you mean active charcoal carbon? The test kit is from Red Sea, it tests for alkalinity and PH. I always thought it was a great product, simple to use. For the alkalinity the test shows me a colour green which means normal Alk. Also not all of the coral is dull. A majority are. Like I said before the one coral (brain coral) I bought at the LFS was a beautiful white with yellow center, now it's a dull brown with green center. And the Padodia was a yellow colour and now it's a light green. The Zoas of one species was a dark yellow and now it's a dull tan. How and why do they change colour like that drastic?

[Bloodasp]

I was looking at red sea alkalinity tester. They simplified it too much. You only have low, normal and High.
Anyway, The carbon he said is an activated carbon.

[Marlin65]

Corals adjust to the way the tank runs I have more than one tank and in one tank the same piece will be completely different than in my other tank.
Usually brown means the nutrients are too high.

[aquajeep]

doubt its the lights i have similar lights except a 14k mh lamp instead.my colors dull a bit only when my actinics fall out of spectrum after about 10 months.

[andestang]

+1 Also are you using a RO/RI unit ? I would cross check you readings for nitrates & phosphates I would doubt that they are at zero

Originally Posted by Marlin65

Usually brown means the nutrients are too high.

[whatcaneyedo]

I dont know of any white photosynthetic... anything. White means it was probably stressed and bleached and now that it has gained back some zooxanthellae algae it is showing its true color.

You confused me for a minute with the 'Padodia' but I think you mean pagoda?

How old is your tank?

How reputable is your fish store? I've seen some places that sell a lot of stressed and even dyed corals that are un-natural yellows and pinks but then if the coral survives it reverts back to its healthy browns and greens.