SPS additives for color?

sickboy

sickboy

Active Member
I have a Bali Green Slimer that was green when I got it months ago, but it has just turned a bland color since i have gotten it. The polyps still come out, and are green. The hydno and green digitat I have in the tank are both green, and every other coral has pronounced color. And the slimer has grown downward onto the plug but not upward (that I've noticed anyway).
Is there something i should be using as an additive to color this coral up? I currently use Kent 2 part as supplement and Red Sea Coral Pro for salt. I don't have recent params, but I've had hair algae problems that would skew the results anyway. I have 156 watts of T5s on a 38 gallon. A friend said he had trouble with sps colors until his tank was a year old, but that is approaching very close (I think I'm at 10 months) and I haven't seen any improvement in the coral.
Like I said, he isn't dying as he has grown and the polyps still extend, but aren't Bali Green Slimers supposed to be really green?
 
john,jr

john,jr

Member
Originally Posted by sick boy
http:///forum/post/2927899
I have a Bali Green Slimer that was green when I got it months ago, but it has just turned a bland color since i have gotten it. The polyps still come out, and are green. The hydro and green digital I have in the tank are both green, and every other coral has pronounced color. And the slimer has grown downward onto the plug but not upward (that I've noticed anyway).
Is there something i should be using as an additive to color this coral up? I currently use Kent 2 part as supplement and Red Sea Coral Pro for salt. I don't have recent params, but I've had hair algae problems that would skew the results anyway. I have 156 watts of T5s on a 38 gallon. A friend said he had trouble with sps colors until his tank was a year old, but that is approaching very close (I think I'm at 10 months) and I haven't seen any improvement in the coral.
Like I said, he isn't dying as he has grown and the polyps still extend, but aren't Bali Green Slimmers supposed to be really green?
If your lights are as old as your tank they are loosing their spectrum and this could be the problem.
 
gatorwpb

gatorwpb

Active Member
Definitely supposed to be a yellow/green depending on the lighting you have. Yellow for 10k white-colored tanks and green in 14k-20k blueish tanks.
Sps will somestimes get a good encrusted base before starting to grow in height.
It sounds like you shouldn't be dosing anything for extra color. It could be the age of your bulbs, but it could be you have high nutrient levels, especially phosphates. If you have hair algae, nitrates and/or phosphates could be high which would certainly affect the color of most sps.
Here's my green slimer. you can see the encrusted base growing into the zoos to the left. Its a very fast grower and the color is electric under the MHs, actinics and even my moon lights.
 
sickboy

sickboy

Active Member
Thanks for the responses. I actually just changed out the bulbs in the fixture, it is 2 10Ks and 2 460nm. I wondered about the phosphates and nitrates, but I can't get a reading on them b/c of the macro and micro algae. But thanks, I will keep waiting.
And that picture is awesome, I hope mine starts growing like that!
 
spankey

spankey

Member
Well you asked about additives. I dose Prodibio and Zeo products..... Zero Trates and PO4 and feed the fish twice a day.... Of course I have a good skimmer to pull the gunk out as needed...
Here is my slimmer......

 
sickboy

sickboy

Active Member
Originally Posted by spankey
http:///forum/post/2928630
Well you asked about additives. I dose Prodibio and Zeo products..... Zero Trates and PO4 and feed the fish twice a day.... Of course I have a good skimmer to pull the gunk out as needed...
What Prodibio products? Biodigest? Or do you use the entire reef kit?
And for Zeo products? Do you use like a Zeolite filter media?
 
gatorwpb

gatorwpb

Active Member
Thanks Noob and Spanko. It is certainly a very fast grower.

and Noob, one day that frag will grow up to be like mine lol
 
spankey

spankey

Member
I currently dose Prodibio Bio Digest and Bioptim.
Zeo I dose Coral Vitalizer, Amminos and Sponge Power.
I also dose Potasium, Vitamin C and Iodine.
 
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