Where o' Where did my Coraline go?

[ouchthathu]

OK, so the tank has been setup for a few months and I am starting to notice that certain strains of the coraline (specificly the green ones) are starting to turn white. Why? How can I keep it from going white?
I have 4x65w Power Compacts that run 8hrs a day. 20% water changes every 2 weeks. Fish Only, No corals and no supplemental dosing. Red & Purple coraline variants are doing fine, Orange and green are fading fast...

 

[who dey]

you got a skimmer? how old are your bulbs? how many fish and what kind of filtration, Coraline can go white sometimes but usually returns soon after

 

[ouchthathu]

Skimmer.... yup
Bulbs are 2 months old
2 Damsles,
1 Blenny
20-25 Hermits
3 Emerald crabs
5 Pepermint shrimp
1 Coral Banded Shrimp
and a whole lotta snails (40+)
Filtration is wet/dry
In addition to the sump return there are 2 MaxiJet 1200s in the tank for water circulation.

 

[who dey]

check your calcium should be 400ppm if not start adding

 

[bang guy]

In my experience the Purple and Pink Coralline with simply outgrow the Green under flourescent lighting.

 

[who dey]

i agree w/bang dude. i had some green but now almost every rock is covered with pinks, purples and reds. you say your not adding supplements, i strongly suggest adding calcium if you wanna keep your coraline growing healthy

 

[ouchthathu]

Thanks... guess I need to go pickup a testkit for calcium now

 

[bang guy]

And ALK... Calcium is useless if ALK is low.

 

[mbrands]

Originally posted by WHO DEY
i strongly suggest adding calcium if you wanna keep your coraline growing healthy
Dosing will probably help, but to steal an old addage often used here, don't add supplements for things you aren't testing.