Acropora Question

[7digits]

I have a blue tip stag that has turned brown. Is it a lack of lighting? I have 4 x 24 watt T5's in an 18 inch deep tank. Right now the frag is sitting about 8 or 9 inches deep. Should I move it up some? I've had it for 3 weeks. I read somewhere that it is normal and the color will return. Is that true or do I now have a brown tip stag? I just got a green slimer today. Is it gonna be a brown slimer soon?

Tank stats:
29g w/ 5g hob fuge - skimmer combo
Temp - 78
SG - 1.025
dKh - 9
Ammonia - Undetectable
Nitrate - Undetectable
Phosphate - >0.5 I think probably due to this Walmart RO water. The DI takes out phosphate right?
Calcium - 440

[ToddTT]

What are you feeding your tank? Tons of info here (7 parts):

Reef Food by Eric Borneman - Reefkeeping.com


I'd run a Pura filter pad, or more likely this:

PURA PhosLock

They do not leech phosphates back into the water over time, so it's hard to misuse them. And the latter works fast.

I'm more of a fish guy... so take my advice with that in mind.

[metalhead]

I have a blue tip stag that has turned brown. Is it a lack of lighting? I have 4 x 24 watt T5's in an 18 inch deep tank. Right now the frag is sitting about 8 or 9 inches deep. Should I move it up some? I've had it for 3 weeks. I read somewhere that it is normal and the color will return. Is that true or do I now have a brown tip stag? I just got a green slimer today. Is it gonna be a brown slimer soon?

Tank stats:
29g w/ 5g hob fuge - skimmer combo
Temp - 78
SG - 1.025
dKh - 9
Ammonia - Undetectable
Nitrate - Undetectable
Phosphate - >0.5 I think probably due to this Walmart RO water. The DI takes out phosphate right?
Calcium - 440

I'd say they're definitely not getting too much light... I'd try moving them up some if I were you. I also agree with Todd on the Phos-pads, good idea and they do work well. You may also want to test for magnesium just to make sure there's not a big defficiency there.

Alk and Ca look good so it leads me to believe that it's a lighting problem, or at least in regard to the acros. Do you keep any other types of coral and if so how are they doing? Are you using carbon?

How old are the bulbs and what kind of bulbs are you using. Also, what type of fixture are you using and does it have individual reflectors for each bulb?

[Ninong]

I have a blue tip stag that has turned brown. Is it a lack of lighting?

Acropora corals require strong lighting to maintain the best coloration but most of them can get by with moderate lighting after a period of adaptation. You just won't have the coloration you were hoping for. Lighting is not the only thing that determines color but it is number one on the list. Other factors include water chemistry (calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, pH, etc.) and water currents. Strong water currents are required if you want the best coloration.

I have 4 x 24 watt T5's in an 18 inch deep tank. Right now the frag is sitting about 8 or 9 inches deep. Should I move it up some?

If an Acropora coral is losing coloration, moving it up should help.

I've had it for 3 weeks. I read somewhere that it is normal and the color will return.

Sometimes it's normal. The shock of having to adapt to a new environment can cause a coral to expel zooxanthellae. The color will almost certainly return if you provide the coral with optimum conditions, including intense lighting.

Is that true or do I now have a brown tip stag?

A brown coral can still be a healthy coral, it just won't look "pretty."

I just got a green slimer today. Is it gonna be a brown slimer soon?

Acropora yongei can adapt to a wide range of light but it prefers intense light. You would need intense light to get a deep green coloration. Maybe you'll end up with a pale yellowish-green coloration?

Tank stats:
Phosphate - >0.5 I think probably due to this Walmart RO water. The DI takes out phosphate right?

Yes, the DI takes out phosphate that might have passed through the R.O. membrane. Ideally you want to keep the phosphate below 0.03 ppm. Your other parameters are fine but you didn't mention magnesium. You want to keep that around 1300 ppm.

If you want brilliantly colored Acropora corals, you're going to have to provide strong water currents and strong lighting to go alone with excellent water quality.

[7digits]

I will get the phoslock in there on my next payday. I will also try moving them up. I will get a magnesium test kit also. I also have a frogspawn that is doing well. 2 duncan polyps that I think is about to be 4. They have huge polyps compared to others I have seen. A galaxea that is growing nicely. A few zoa and paly frags that are growing nicely. I have some anathelia that I really don't care about too much, and a small elegance that seems to be recovering after I banished the starfish that I found attached to it's skeleton 2 mornings in a row. Thanks for all the info.

[7digits]

Oh yea, I've been target feeding phytoplankton 3 times a week. My light fixture is an AquaticLife 4 x 24 T5 with 2 actinics and 2 I think they call them Daylight 700, 2 moonlights, and built in timer. They came with the fixture I got off of Chasman. I've had it for 3 months. I've been thinking about changing the bulbs to 10,000k's.

[Ninong]

Oh yea, I've been target feeding phytoplankton 3 times a week.

What have you been targeting with the phytoplankton? Acropora corals do not consume phytoplankton. The phytoplankton, if it is live and of the appropriate size and density, will benefit any clams you may have in your aquarium. It is also a benefit to azooxanthellate soft corals but you don't have any of those. Dead phytoplankton cells are not nearly as beneficial as live phyto in spite of the advertising claims. This has been proven by actual lab tests by more than one research institution.

Phytoplankton is a good thing. It just won't do anything for your Acropora corals. They eat zooplankton, not phytoplankton. They also consume organic particulate matter that happens to pass their way, as well as bacterioplankton. And all corals take up nitrate directly. If you don't have any clams or azooxanthellate corals in your aquarium, a little phyto every now and then is still beneficial because copepods eat it.

One product that I found beneficial is Cyclop-Eez. The frozen form is better but, if you can't get it frozen, try the freeze-dried form and just soak it in a small cup of tankwater (or R.O./D.I. water) for a few minutes before adding it to your aquarium. It doesn't take much of this stuff because the individual copepods are extremely tiny and 1/4 teaspoon of it will spread all over your tank. Turn off the pumps if you don't want it to end up all over your sump. Cyclop-Eeze is a highly nutritional aquacultured freshwater decapod copepod. This is something that many fish will also go crazy for, expecially fish that eat zooplankton. If a lot of it ends up floating on the surface, just stir the water around a little with your hand or a large wooden spoon. It's very easy to see as it's a VERY bright red.

There are other products that you can buy that will benefit Acropora and other SPS. Many of the frozen foods are specifically designed to feed corals as well as fish. The particle size has to be extremely tiny, like oyster eggs for example.

Althought I have never tried it myself, I have read a lot of good reviews on another board about Rod's fish and coral foods and it looks like he has now gone commercial: Rod's original formula. That product will feed everything in your tank. Many people rave about it. Looks like Rod now makes a product he calls Coral Blend.

[7digits]

thanks Ninong, I will get some cyclop-eeze that you recommended. I was misinformed on the phyto. Liveaquaria said phyto or zooplankton so I went with phyto. You are far more experienced than me and I will always follow what you recommend. Thanks for setting me straight.