question about colors

[Miri]

my question: some of my corals have been losing a bit of color, how can i bring it back?

i've got at least 6 watts per gal over my corals which is more than enough since its only a 10 gal uni system. I tested everything and the only thing out of balance is my iodine but i've always had a hard time maintaining the iodine because its such a small tank and last time i overdosed and killed a lot of stuff.

 

[Miri]

ps. would marine snow or some phytoplankton help??

 

[Tarasco]

More information would be helpful:
What kind of corals are losing their color? What color were they before, and what are they now?
What exactly are your lights?
More about your system, including powerheads, pumps, temeratures and inhabitants will help.

 

[Miri]

my branch hammer and open brain are both losing their green color. They're just not as bright as they used to be, they used to be a bright bright green, almost neon and they're just kinda fading into a dull green. I have an actinic and daylight power compact bulbs over it. Each are 32 watts a piece so total wattage is 64 watts.

temp is usually around 78-79 degrees. i have a rio pump, its only a 12 gallon uni which in essense is more like a 10 gal tank, its got plenty of circulation. i have 2 Humbug Damsels, fire shrimp, 2 hermits, and a snail.

My branch hammer is about mid tank, open brain sits at the bottom on the sand.

 

[Tarasco]

It is possible that the change in lighting from the store tank to what you have had an effect on the coloring of the corals. You do have a decent amount of light in there. I would suggest that you stop dosing iodine, I think that with a tank that small, you're going to have problems keeping it at a level that you want. Hopefully you're doing water changes consistently, that should help you replace trace elements. Sorry I'm not more helpful.

 

[ReefLady]

Prime example of why WPG isn't a very good benchmark. It's more about intensity. Those LPS corals like a fair amount of light, and i would say 2x32 is good enough but definitely on the low side long-term. Which means you most likely won't see the brightest coloration from your LPS under this setup, but they should survive anf grow, probably slowly though.

Also make sure there's not a lot of surface buildup, that stuff blocks quite a bit of light.

Travis

 

[Dingo]

I agree with Travis. Your light is adequate for survival and probably growth, but believe it or not, 64 watts of light over a 10 gallon tank is not considered anywhere near a high lighting level. It is enough for softies and many LPS to live, but not enough to prevent many corals from browning out.

 

[caja]

96 watts would be more acceptable for a broader range of possible tank inhabitants that you may be considering. your corals will thank you. however if you plan to go the sps route, there are a few, like montipora that will do well under PC's, but acros would need halide lighting.