Browning Acros

[Jorgens]

Ok, I got 9 in last Tuesday 3-6. A couple of them are starting to turn brown. I have 3x250w 10k . There in pretty high flow on the sand bed for now for light aclimation. I was going to start moving them up this coming week.

What are the major contributors in acro DIS-coloration?

trAtes are a bit high at 20 but working on getting them down. everything else is 0 Alk 11 Calcium 440 ph 8.4 .025 salinity

thoughts?

I feed a mush that has phyto and zoo in it as well as clam juice. Its got mysis/oyster and shrimp for the vish and the whole lot is soaked in garlic/viatimins.

 

[Warnberg]

I understand if you want color go to a 12K or higher spectrum bulb...

 

[blue_eyes53813]

Acros are very touchy. Its really hard to tell what the problem could be. But when they turn brown it usually isnt good. How are the other ones doing?.. I would try to move the browning one up or into higher flow and see what happens..

 

[JFK_Jr]

High nitrates are not good for SPS... could be the culprit... if not by itself, at least contributing. What is your phosphate level at?

I would not add any more SPS until you stabilize your situation with the nitrates.

 

[Snelly40]

SPS can be so so so so sensitive to the high trates, id try and get them down

 

[Jorgens]

PO 3/4 is undetectable

I'm def a rookie with SPS but you all gotta know me by now...jump in with both feet

 

[brian_e]

it could just be th estress of a new tank when i had sps mine would color change when stressed but most always come back at some time or another
even bought some that where brown that ha dnice color 6 months down the road

 

[mps9506]

Browning of your acros doesn't by itself mean bad or good health. I had brown acros that grew and had great polyp expansion etc. They just were ugly brown, didn't like the light or flow or something in my tank.
However I would work on getting those nitrates down. That will stress the coral and lead to more serious problems (white acros are a much worse issue than brown acros).

 

[Jorgens]

excellent! Thanks guys.

 

[DaddyJax]

Nitrates are a definate factor in the browning as well as organic phosphates(no test kits available). Test kits test for inorganic P04. You are putting alot of nutrients in your tank with your "mush" and this to me could be the cause. Sps are very sensitive to nutrients when they break down and dont get removed quickly. What skimmer do you have and what other forms of filtration do you use?

 

[SueT]

I wouldn't worry about acropora turning brown. They usually do this acclimating to a new system. I have had frags that brown out on me but they always turn back to the original color or morph into a nicer color than they were. I would definitely get the trates down though. 10k is a perfect kelvin for keeping acropora under. Especially if their reeflux. LOL.. Now that'll show you some colors.

 

[Jorgens]

TrAtes came back down pretty quick. there at 5ish already. Still working out the bugs on my closed loop so i hope the flow will help them as well.

 

[SueT]

thats great, you might consider moving them up into better lighting as I think they should be ready for some good lighting. Do you know what lighting they were under previously??

 

[Jorgens]

they we're in a frag tank under 250w 20k's no not too much difference there. I'm looking forward to aquscaping them this weekend into place. I was just hoping to have the loop working. still some small kinks. I may scrap it and get a new sump that can handle the 3000gh. Frustrated on that but im not a plumber. and people here have been most helpful with my problems.

 

[chads29]

edit

 

[blue_eyes53813]

Do you have any pictures Jorgens? I would love to see the acros... I just reread my post and I was thinking oh gees I jumped on that one wrong... A couple months ago I tried to save an acro that was at the lfs behind some rocks , it had great color but was starting to turn brown.. It was already to far gone. I was thinking of that coral when I posted the post up above. Acros are very sensitive and hopefully they do good for you.

 

[prow]

most of my acro's changed colors when first added. usually brown/tan most have come back. but like mps9506 said i have some that grew fast with good polyp extentions and everything but never got there there colors back. i still have one that has not colored up, but it is growing like crazy and has been forever just no color. all others colour up but just this one doesnt. i even have another coral of the same genus that colored up but not this one go figure. maybe its just depressed and needs a psychiatrist instead of a chemist or biologist:rollingey

 

[mps9506]

most of my acro's changed colors when first added. usually brown/tan most have come back. but like mps9506 said i have some that grew fast with good polyp extentions and everything but never got there there colors back. i still have one that has not colored up, but it is growing like crazy and has been forever just no color. all others colour up but just this one doesnt. i even have another coral of the same genus that colored up but not this one go figure. maybe its just depressed and needs a psychiatrist instead of a chemist or biologist:rollingey

And on the same note I've had some that I fraged out that got wonderful coloration once I fragged them out and they got into friends tanks. Different conditions bring out different colors.

And one note on the red bugs, some of my acros got those really bad a few years ago. The result was bleaching and STN on the infected colonies. But do keep an eye out for em.

 

[Jorgens]

that was the first thing i looked for as I saw Bily's post about them. I still don't have a QT set-up. I don't seem to have the room so I do invite my own deamons l will admit that. I scraped the closed loop for awhile and just put a more powerful pump in the return. I'm still going to ues the extra 4 inlets with some valves to help flow direction. I should get about 3000gph turn-over and enough velocity for them. the fish we're havin a hard time swimming when I went balls out.as for pic...i sure do have some with actinics only tho....

for some reason my camera will not pick up flourscent greens. or flourescents of any color really. Or they just do not photograph well for me....

 

[SueT]

those are some nice frags.. I bet you'll have no problem with them coloring back up for you. Care to mention where they came from?? They are very nice..