|
|
|
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 11/3/2006 3:05:34 PM
Posts: 42,
Visits: 136
|
|
Hi, Anthony:
Two weeks ago, I upgraded my lighting from 4 X 96w pc to 6 X 39w T-5 Tek light for my 46g tank. The PC worked fine, but as I ventured into SPS world, I realized some of the SPS corals were turning brown or just losing its color. I assumed that the PC was not sufficient enough so I upgraded the light fixture. The tank condition is well within ideal range, PH 8.2, nitrite, nitrate, and ammonia are all 0, calcium 400, alk 3.5.
With the new T-5, some of the corals are gaining its color back. However, I recently purchased a SPS bali colony from my lfs that was placed directly under 250w of MH. In just a few days, the coral slowly loses its luxurious color, and its neon polyps are getting less and less neon by the day. Is this due to lack of light or shift in light spectrum? With most of hobbiest and vendors using MH with a wide variety of bulbs with different intensity and spectrum (from 6500 to 20K), I am frustrated with watching colors of coral shifting in my tank. Is T-5 not sufficient enough for keeping nice colored SPS? Should I purchase deeper color corals hoping it'll be able to keep some of its color?
Also, I have purchased corals from MH tanks that used 20K bulbs, and the color of the coral is just totally different when placed in my tank. One turaki looked blue/green in the MH tank, but grey with only a hint of green in my tank. It is just very disappointing and frustrating for not getting what I thought I was getting. I have seen many tank of month that are lighted by T-5 lighting and the corals glows in their tanks, how come I cannot keep a simple bali colony from losing its glow on the very top of my tank, only 7-8 inches from the light? All of my corals are thriving in my tank, but the color shifting is really bothersome.
Are there any articles or books that explan how the lighting and light spectrums affects corals? For example, does corals turn brown due to too much light, too little, not right spectrum, etc? Also how does 6500 to 20,000K bulbs affects corals and how do I determine what light spectrum does the coral needs? Do corals like bluer light or closer to daylight? I have tried to research but always got lost in the lighting forums. I have asked experience reefers of some of the lighting questions but always seems to get different answers largely due to their limited knowledge of lighting that they have never experienced.
Sorry for so many questions. Thanks for your help.
|
|
|
|
|
Group: Moderators
Last Login: 11/19/2009 1:09:50 PM
Posts: 4,172,
Visits: 2,691
|
|
| I want to help you my friend... but the question is literally impossible to answer based on the info given (if even possible at all). The topic is enormous... "why corals are colored X and/or why they change." We'd have to address topics of exact species used, their range(s) on the reef, production of FPs in response to UV (from excess or lack of?), nutrient levels in the tank, etc. Anyone that advises you without even knowing the exact species you are talking about is doing you a diservice. The whole matter is made worse by us (aquarists) keeping a wide range of species found over an extremely wide range (of light and water flow) from the reef (if even from the same ocean at al) in unnatural garden reef displays less than 1m deep and under severely standardized physical conditions. We simple cannot say "sps corals" need "beand X" lamp and anything you find from any reef will live in the same 24" of water and look pretty  Again... I really want to help you here my friend. But its impossible to say under these circumstances. My advice is for you to first try to hone your display to a very natural and narrow range of species that are phsically more compatible. You will want to set up a biotope (see the biotope threads listed in the sticky "Fav links" atop this forum... look under "discussions" in that thread). Then you can begin to address the lighting issue based on qualities of light in that niche compared to known spectral data on aquarium lamps (see Joe Burgers fabulous threads on Reefcentral... Joe's handle there is "JBNY") as well as the articles of Sanjay Yoshi on advancedaquarist.com There are also some incredible lighting threads over at reeffrontiers.com... very discriminating on discussion quality/data/citations. If all of this is too much to interest you, my advice then for a standardized garden reef aquarium is to get a DE 250 watt 10k K lamp of known quality (again... see Burger and Yoshi measurements/findings) and use one per 50 gallons of display less than 30" deep for 6-9 sq. feet of surface area with a good reflecter (parabolic). Under such lighting you will find that more corals than not maintain an attractive color. You will need to change carbon weekly and/or run ozone... weekly water changes too to maintain water clarity and quality for optimal light penetration at depth. kindly, Anthony
. Anthony Calfo
|
|
|
|
|
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 11/3/2006 3:05:34 PM
Posts: 42,
Visits: 136
|
|
Thank you for your reply.
I guess I have greatly underestimated the complexity of my question. I'll search though the websites you have posted and hope to clear my head a little better. 
|
|
|
|
|
Group: Moderators
Last Login: 11/19/2009 1:09:50 PM
Posts: 4,172,
Visits: 2,691
|
|
| no worries my friend... it is a very common question and desire of aquarists to know this. And although complex in nature to analyze, it makes for very interesting reading as you dig deeper into the issue. If you pursue it, I promise you you will be amazed! Hmm... as a bit of an aside, let me suggest you read my recent (late last year) article on Flourescence over at reefkeeping.com (link is in my article list under "articles" in the "Fav links..." sticky atop this forum. I think you'll find it a pleasant read, but there is some address of color coloration of course there, and most of all... the bibliography where the real gold in most any good article is. kindly, Anthony
. Anthony Calfo
|
|
|
|
|
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 11/3/2006 3:05:34 PM
Posts: 42,
Visits: 136
|
|
I believe I have read that article. However, I'll have to go back to it and look at the references. That's the part I normally skip...
Thanks.
|
|
|
|