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#1
08/18/2007, 11:59 AM
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sps brown, need brighter lights?
I have a mixed 150g mixed reef and SOME of my sps are not coloring up. My nutrients are low, near zero thanks to a larger refugium. For a long time now I assumed the reason why some of my sps were remaining brown was because my reef was mixed with a variety of soft corals etc. I run carbon and replace it weekly to help reduce any chemicals produced by the softies.
Lately, I have been wondering if the problem may be more caused by a lack of light. I run 175w iwasiki MH with VHO actincs. Would increasing to 250w color up these sps corals better? The corals that are brown is a tri color acropora and a milli. I have a birds nest that is a dull pink at best. I also have a staghorn that is brown with a bluish hint around the edges. All these corals are growing and other sps are colorful (green slimer, blue slimer, monti's) Thanks, Greg |
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#4
08/18/2007, 07:04 PM
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I think on a tank that large that you would be better off with 250 or even 400 watters if you really want to color those babies up
__________________
I may not have morals but I definitely have standards |
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#5
08/19/2007, 10:07 AM
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2 months ago I started running 2 110w URI actininc VHO's and the increase in colors is amazing. Prior to this I was running only 400w 65K Iwasaki's. I have great growth, now I am at the begining of great color.
I don't know how those not running actinics do it, have great color that is.
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I go by Ping on all other Forums |
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#6
08/19/2007, 11:29 AM
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Quote:
__________________
I may not have morals but I definitely have standards |
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#7
08/19/2007, 01:44 PM
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Re: sps brown, need brighter lights?
Quote:
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#8
08/19/2007, 01:57 PM
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lighting would help, but that's the "easy" way out. it's the water...params, flow, and stablilty.
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red|house|blog "i like bubbly, and i love animals - so it works out well" "there are a lot of people out there who think they have a modern house simply because they have alot of steel in it" |
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#9
08/19/2007, 02:33 PM
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I am running Pheonix 14k 250's in lumenarc III Reflectors, and the 175w 15K Iwasaki's are supposed to have more par output than these!!!
Maybe a better reflector would solve your light problem? Might be a bit cheaper? |
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#10
08/19/2007, 07:04 PM
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The Iwasaki's have around 70 PAR and I was considering getting the XM 10000k 250w, Sanjay say's these have a PAR around 130. The downside is they are not as "blue" as the Iwasaki's.
I have the 250w ballasts in storage, I thought when it was time to replace my lamps I would buy the 250w at that time. It really won't cost me anymore other then the increase in electricity. I feel pretty confident in saying that my reef is very stable. My water tests support that. Flow I believe should be decent. I run two SEIO 1500 gph in addition to my returns. Although not on "wavemakers" the flow is gentle and full. |
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#11
08/19/2007, 07:34 PM
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How long are you running your lights for every day? Acros can "brown up" as a defense to photo periods that are longer than are required to fully charge their xooanthelle. Essentially a defense against sunburn. Are the ones that are brown near the top of your tank?
__________________
When in doubt ride a bike. |
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#13
08/19/2007, 09:15 PM
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Aside from the lighting, which is important and all, what are your parameters in the tank.
Lighting is not the only thing that is responsible to coloration its also a stable environment, limited fluctuations on parameters. My uncle runs a 190 with 3 175w XM and 2 Actinic supplement and his colors pop. So the whole thing about watts per gallon is overrated in my opinion. Get what works for you, but before you do, make sure the tank and its inhabitants are happy. |
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