Color Changing Corals

JBOD77 · 02/28/2006, 05:36 PM

In a 29 gal tank lit by a Current Sunpod 14k HQI MH fixture I recently added a piece of purple encrusting Montipora and a leather of some sort (sinularia??) that was snow white at the lfs. After 2 weeks in my tank the Monti is a med. to dark green color and the leather has neon green coloring in the tips where the polyps are. Both corals are healthy and have good extension but have changed color. Is it poss. that the 14k is to much blue light and if so, would changing to a 10k be ok considering that the fixture uses 6 blue leds for an actinic source. Thanks to all!

steve the plumb · 02/28/2006, 05:46 PM

Corals will change colour under 20 k bulbs aswell as 14k bulbs.Brown turns green.I find the coral gets a nicer colour change under that spectrum.

JBOD77 · 02/28/2006, 05:48 PM

ok brown turns green but purple and white???

reefgeek84 · 02/28/2006, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JBOD77
In a 29 gal tank lit by a Current Sunpod 14k HQI MH fixture I recently added a piece of purple encrusting Montipora and a leather of some sort (sinularia??) that was snow white at the lfs. After 2 weeks in my tank the Monti is a med. to dark green color and the leather has neon green coloring in the tips where the polyps are. Both corals are healthy and have good extension but have changed color. Is it poss. that the 14k is to much blue light and if so, would changing to a 10k be ok considering that the fixture uses 6 blue leds for an actinic source. Thanks to all!

Corals change color all the time. Light (intensity, color, par etc.) effects this most. In the ocean corals are not nearly as colorful as they are in our tanks. So yes they can change color and they do.

JBOD77 · 02/28/2006, 06:59 PM

ok so can i get them to turn back to their original colors by changing the spectrum like to 10k?

reefgeek84 · 02/28/2006, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JBOD77
ok so can i get them to turn back to their original colors by changing the spectrum like to 10k?

Maybe, but that science has not really been figured out. There are other things that affect stress, water params, etc. You could try that, you might give them some time, they may change back with the current light set up.

JBOD77 · 02/28/2006, 09:22 PM

thanks for the help!

02/28/2006, 05:36 PM	#1
JBOD77 Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: OYSTER BAY, NEW YORK, USA Posts: 176	Color Changing Corals In a 29 gal tank lit by a Current Sunpod 14k HQI MH fixture I recently added a piece of purple encrusting Montipora and a leather of some sort (sinularia??) that was snow white at the lfs. After 2 weeks in my tank the Monti is a med. to dark green color and the leather has neon green coloring in the tips where the polyps are. Both corals are healthy and have good extension but have changed color. Is it poss. that the 14k is to much blue light and if so, would changing to a 10k be ok considering that the fixture uses 6 blue leds for an actinic source. Thanks to all!

02/28/2006, 05:46 PM	#2
steve the plumb Moved On Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 3,664	Corals will change colour under 20 k bulbs aswell as 14k bulbs.Brown turns green.I find the coral gets a nicer colour change under that spectrum.

02/28/2006, 05:48 PM	#3
JBOD77 Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: OYSTER BAY, NEW YORK, USA Posts: 176	ok brown turns green but purple and white???

02/28/2006, 06:59 PM	#5
JBOD77 Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: OYSTER BAY, NEW YORK, USA Posts: 176	ok so can i get them to turn back to their original colors by changing the spectrum like to 10k?

02/28/2006, 09:22 PM	#7
JBOD77 Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: OYSTER BAY, NEW YORK, USA Posts: 176	thanks for the help!