Ok i have a couple of corals and anemones And i started to notice that they arent there true color like off Green i have a Green star Polp that is brown. and it seems like what ever i get loses color. What could be the problem i am using 2 Mh 250w and two antic Vho. Is there anything i can add or do to help
Corals & Inverts True Color
- Thread starter Galantra
- Start date
What size is the tank?
Where are the corals placed?
Could they be getting too much light? Or, not enough?
How old are your MH bulbs?
What's the flow like in your tank?
What supplements do you consider 'needed'?
Could you list your water parameters?
In other words, more info please...
Where are the corals placed?
Could they be getting too much light? Or, not enough?
How old are your MH bulbs?
What's the flow like in your tank?
What supplements do you consider 'needed'?
Could you list your water parameters?
In other words, more info please...
Well lets go down that list it is a 90 gallon they are scaterd across the tank. Not sure if it is too much the MH are on for 6-7 hrs and the antics are on for 8-10 . The bulbs i can say one is very new like weeks and the other is about two months old . I use on the tank Purple up Kent Essential Elements and Marine S.A.T Right now the sump is off so i am using the Aqua clear 110 and another filter filled with live rock rubble i do feed the anenomes dried shrimp
Nitrate 40
Nitrite 0
AK 300
Ph 7.8
Sal 1.028
Amonia .25
Ca 350
here is some photos
Nitrate 40
Nitrite 0
AK 300
Ph 7.8
Sal 1.028
Amonia .25
Ca 350
here is some photos
Where to start.....
Nitrates too high! Need to be less than 20 and preferably less than 5.
ph too low! Needs to be 8.1-8.4.
SG too high! Needs to be 1.023-1.025.
Ammonia too high! SHOULD BE ZERO!
Did you let the tank cycle?
Nitrates too high! Need to be less than 20 and preferably less than 5.
ph too low! Needs to be 8.1-8.4.
SG too high! Needs to be 1.023-1.025.
Ammonia too high! SHOULD BE ZERO!
Did you let the tank cycle?
my tank has been for some time i was told that i could go up too 1.030 my Nitrate is back down to 10 as well my amonia
Specific gravity should not be as high as 1.030. That's just too high. Even at 1.028 you're probably stressing your tank's inhabitants. It's best to keep it no higher than 1.026. I'd lower it slowly towards 1.025... over the course of 3 - 5 days if possible.
A pH closer to 8.3 would be more ideal, but 8.0 is still ok in most cases and 7.8 isn't all that bad if alkalinity is high enough.
Your alkalinity -- is that 300 ppm CaCO3 equivalents? If so, that's quite high. 150 - 200 ppm CaCO3 equivalents is considered a desirable range for alkalinity.
You may want to raise your calcium up a little closer to 400 ppm. 350 ppm is kind of on the low side. It's quite possible that the calcium is low due to your alkalinity being so high.
What's the time difference in your nitrate readings? If it was merely a day or two between readings and you didn't perform a very large water change or took some other unusual action to lower them, it's highly unlikely that the nitrates in any tank would go from 40 ppm down to 10 ppm in such a short period of time. It's more likely that at the time the 40 ppm reading was measured that the tube was contaminated, or that one or both of the readings weren't taken properly (it happens -- we all screw up a test kit measurement from time to time). Are you using liquid test kits?
Let's talk about your supplements... I don't know what Marine S.A.T. is so I can't comment on that. However, I would not buy any more Purple Up if I were you. Purple Up is one of the biggest rip-offs in the marine hobby if you ask me. Sure, it can help raise the levels of all those things it claims to supply, but simply maintaining proper calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium levels will do more for coralline algae growth for a far lesser price. Kent Essential Elements is another questionable product, IMO. If you're keeping up with a regular 10 - 20% weekly water change schedule, you are replacing all the trace elements at that time at a lower price. This hobby costs enough as it is... none of us should be wasting our money on so many of the gimic products that are out there.
If there's any issue with your lighting, it would be that your corals were not properly aclimated to the light they are receiving where they are currently placed. If any of them in the upper 1/2 of your tank were added recently and came from tanks with less light than what you have, they are probably struggling to make the adjustment to your lighting. I'd suggest positioning any recent additions that are currently in the upper part of the tank lower for 1 - 2 weeks, then slowly reposition them higher in the tank until they are where you'd like them. The catch is that some of them may not like being near the top of the rockwork, as the lighting may just be too intense for them to thrive placed there.
A pH closer to 8.3 would be more ideal, but 8.0 is still ok in most cases and 7.8 isn't all that bad if alkalinity is high enough.
Your alkalinity -- is that 300 ppm CaCO3 equivalents? If so, that's quite high. 150 - 200 ppm CaCO3 equivalents is considered a desirable range for alkalinity.
You may want to raise your calcium up a little closer to 400 ppm. 350 ppm is kind of on the low side. It's quite possible that the calcium is low due to your alkalinity being so high.
What's the time difference in your nitrate readings? If it was merely a day or two between readings and you didn't perform a very large water change or took some other unusual action to lower them, it's highly unlikely that the nitrates in any tank would go from 40 ppm down to 10 ppm in such a short period of time. It's more likely that at the time the 40 ppm reading was measured that the tube was contaminated, or that one or both of the readings weren't taken properly (it happens -- we all screw up a test kit measurement from time to time). Are you using liquid test kits?
Let's talk about your supplements... I don't know what Marine S.A.T. is so I can't comment on that. However, I would not buy any more Purple Up if I were you. Purple Up is one of the biggest rip-offs in the marine hobby if you ask me. Sure, it can help raise the levels of all those things it claims to supply, but simply maintaining proper calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium levels will do more for coralline algae growth for a far lesser price. Kent Essential Elements is another questionable product, IMO. If you're keeping up with a regular 10 - 20% weekly water change schedule, you are replacing all the trace elements at that time at a lower price. This hobby costs enough as it is... none of us should be wasting our money on so many of the gimic products that are out there.
If there's any issue with your lighting, it would be that your corals were not properly aclimated to the light they are receiving where they are currently placed. If any of them in the upper 1/2 of your tank were added recently and came from tanks with less light than what you have, they are probably struggling to make the adjustment to your lighting. I'd suggest positioning any recent additions that are currently in the upper part of the tank lower for 1 - 2 weeks, then slowly reposition them higher in the tank until they are where you'd like them. The catch is that some of them may not like being near the top of the rockwork, as the lighting may just be too intense for them to thrive placed there.
ok i totally understand you know. I was using the dip test with some liquid testing kit. I will double check my reading once again later. But I always wondered what was the right numbers for each. I been going to my local FS and he is always telling me its ok. So what should all my reading be at or around so that i could have this written down . Also with supplements what product should i be getting and using I am unsure and constantly getting told this one is better. What things should i get? my lighting i knew that it could be an issue but i did adjust them to them by keeping them blocked for 4-5 days to get adjusted but i never placed them on the lower part of the tank just placed them where i thought they would look nice and place a egg create above them. I do appeciate the info you gave me and has open my eyes more.