coral color

[kona]

Every time I buy a coral, the color always seems bleak relative to the color I observed at the LFS, despite similar, if not better lighting. Is this because the coral has changed environments? Is this psychological - namely that I'm more impressed when I see the coral for the first time at the store? I could understand a long-term degradation of color if my water quality was different/worse, but how so suddenly?
Here is an example of a galxea coral i just bought. I looked like grass when I saw it at the LFS, but this is how it looks now!

 

[kona]

Oh, and I know that it hasn't fully extended yet. But only the very tips of the extensions look green, and the rest of it looks brown. Here's just another pic for the hell of it - at night with the sweeper tentacles.

 

[promisetbg]

Perhaps they have 20 K bulbs or alot of actinics?What type of lighting do they have?And what kind do you have?How old are your bulbs?What about placement...they probably had a shallow tank there..or ???
It looks real healthy.

 

[kona]

i have 2, 65 watt 50/50 PC bulbs....not much, but I think sufficient for a 10 gallon nano.
and the LFS had it in "low light, low current." I only saw a single 50/50 PC bulb in their tank.

 

[speg]

Ask what kinda bulbs they have them under. Also how old are your bulbs?

 

[kona]

i just changed my bulbs after about 7 months of operation

 

[yosemite sam]

Coral color isn't dependent only on lighting. Some of it may be differences in the color of your bulbs with that of your LFS, etc., but water quality plays a huge part in coral color as well. Do you use a skimmer? How about RO/DI water?

 

[kona]

no skimmer (no space)
yes RO/DI water.
If it was in fact the water quality, would the difference in color be that readily apparent? -- within a day of having placed it in the tank?
Here is another picture - further extension. Looks almost completely brown!! I could have sworn that at the LFS, the tentacles were fully green, and not just the tips!! Why is that?

 

[yosemite sam]

Part of it may just be in your mind. Also, bulbs of different wattages and different manufacturers will still look slightly different even if they're the same color temperature (10K, 20K, whatever).