My LR is losing all it's color

[kcobain111]

Hello again heh i got some live rock sent to me and i also bought some from my LFS is it normal that all the oranges and reds and pinks are going away? right now the rocks are cycling my tank as well as curing....

 

[joker_ca]

DO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT SALINITY, BECAUSE IF ITS LOWER THAN WHAT IT SHOULD BE THOSE COLORS WILL BE GONE, ALSO WHAT KIND OF LIGHTS ARE YOU USING?

 

[rubberduck]

yep need some info :joy:

 

[clarkiiclo]

There will be some die off but you need to check your water parameters.

 

[kcobain111]

i'm using the lights that came with my fishtank originally i asked on this site and everyone said the plain 18 inch florecents will be good enough....my salinity is good right now
Are there any bulbs like the coralife one's or something i should get?

 

[kcobain111]

i'll be getting a halide bulb setup once i'm ready but i'd like to keep the rocks nice for now if possible at the cheapest way without lacking as in not so cheap i'm trying to cut anything out

 

[mudplayerx]

Go buy a calcium test and some calcium supplement. If your calcium in your water is low then no macroalgae can grow, and may even eventually die.
Trying to grow macroalgae without sufficient calcium can be compared to trying to build a house without lumber.

 

[snipe]

LR can loose the color for many reasons. Shipping, Calcium, Cycling of the tank, Poor lighting. there is alot to be taken into to grow something so simple lol. The brown covering is probly brown diatom.

 

[kcobain111]

Anyone think this is good enough to sustain a 55 gallon tank with any corals i want? as well as help my rocks out?
One 150 watt 10,000K double-ended HQI metal halide lamp
Two 65 watt True Actinic 03 Blue square-pin compact fluorescent lamps
Two 1 watt Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow 470nm LED lamps
One external HQI metal halide ballast with on/off switch, 12-foot lamp cord and 6-foot power cord
Two on/off switches and two 12-foot power cords (one for two True Actinic 03 Blue compact fluorescent lamps and one for two Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow 470nm LED lamps)
Sleek, anodized black-aluminum housing
Highly-polished reflectors
Built-in cooling fan
Acrylic compact fluorescent and glass lens covers
Mounting Legs included

 

[snipe]

For a 55 gallon tank "they are 48 inches or 4 foot you need 2 metal halide bulbs" it is recommended 1 bulb for every 2 foot of tank length and I would say you would want 2 175watts to 2 250watt bulbs I dont think 150 would be enough to reach down into the tank.

 

[mudplayerx]

Snipe is right, you would need two. They only have to be 150watt though. I have anemones and corals with two 150watt HQI's and everything is thriving and growing.