what does it mean when LPS look great and SPS are pale/brown?

rwb500 · 03/23/2015, 06:18 AM

I think many of us can agree that coral appearances are often the best way to tell what is going on in the tank. What does it tell you when LPS are doing extremely well and looking great, but SPS are pale and brown? Could this be a sign of too much dissolved nutrients? Or perhaps too little, and the lps with their big tentacles are the only ones getting enough particulate food to compensate?

toothybugs · 03/23/2015, 06:21 AM

Not knowing details, I would guess you have higher nutrients in the water, lower light levels, and lower flow. Maybe a little instability.

Without more info, those are, of course, just guesses.

CHSUB · 03/23/2015, 06:25 AM

imo, it means conditions are less than ideal, but the LPS's can tolerate the sub par conditions better than the SPS's.

rwb500 · 03/23/2015, 08:09 AM

thanks guys. yeah, i was thinking that there was probably not enough info to say anything definitive. but its good to hear of things that this would make you suspect (low light, high nutrients, low flow).

Spar · 03/23/2015, 10:16 AM

what is your NO3 and PO4? once i up'ed those a little my SPS colored up nicely.

what is your tank size and lighting choice?

d2mini · 03/23/2015, 10:18 AM

High Nutrients.
What are your nitrates and p04?
And what is your Alk level?
SPS in higher nutrient systems tend to like a higher Alk and they like a lower Alk in low nutrient systems.

rwb500 · 03/23/2015, 04:16 PM

thanks guys. you can see how this could suggest either high or low nutrients depending on how you interpret it. unfortunately, my test results are equally confusing. I read zero for nitrate and OK for phosphate (Hanna) but I definitely have algae growth. I'm just going to focus on stability and good husbandry and if things don't get better I'll start a thread about my specific situation.

Spar · 03/23/2015, 04:59 PM

What was the 'ok' po4 reading?

Definitely need to get your no3 up over 0, very important. no3 of 2-5ppm is going to get you good results. Feeding more should get you there.

rwb500 · 03/23/2015, 05:14 PM

it was 18ppb P on the Hanna meter - 0.05 PPM PO4. I had written a scale on the meter in which this was right in the middle of the "OK" range (I have .03 as ideal and .10 as bad). Do you agree with that scale?

I have actually been dosing a bit of nitrate. I dosed it slowly and got nitrate to be barely detectable with Salifert, so about 1-2ppm. I also dose a little bit of vinegar. Dosing the nitrate obliterated some cyano I had, as expected. now i am getting some green algae growth.

perhaps I have too much phosphate even though the nitrate is OK.

Spar · 03/23/2015, 05:27 PM

That po4 range is good, preferably closer to the .03ppm mark. What does the vinegar do for you? Isnt that a nitrate reduction method?... I forget what it is for.

rwb500 · 03/23/2015, 05:31 PM

yeah it stimulates bacterial growth by providing carbon. it removes N better than P. By adding nitrate I can further drive bacteria growth to remove more Pl. I did that and it seemed to work great but then I noticed the corals looking even more pale and I backed off the vinegar dose. Now I'm just doing lots of small water changes, feeding well but not a ton, and hoping to restabilize everything.

it doesn't help that I had been a bit lax with the water change schedule and I also let my salinity creep up without ever checking it.

PhaneSoul · 03/23/2015, 05:51 PM

spot feed your sps more. get the coral to feed the zoox instead of the zoox feeding the coral

rwb500 · 03/23/2015, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhaneSoul

spot feed your sps more. get the coral to feed the zoox instead of the zoox feeding the coral

thank you. this is actually exactly what I was going to do while things are obviously out of whack.

03/23/2015, 06:18 AM	#1
rwb500 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Atlanta Posts: 1,694	what does it mean when LPS look great and SPS are pale/brown? I think many of us can agree that coral appearances are often the best way to tell what is going on in the tank. What does it tell you when LPS are doing extremely well and looking great, but SPS are pale and brown? Could this be a sign of too much dissolved nutrients? Or perhaps too little, and the lps with their big tentacles are the only ones getting enough particulate food to compensate?

03/23/2015, 06:25 AM	#3
CHSUB "Certified Hobby Expert" Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Miami, Fl Posts: 2,038	imo, it means conditions are less than ideal, but the LPS's can tolerate the sub par conditions better than the SPS's. __________________ Goniopora Police _________________ building a 60"x36"x30" peninsula reef...follow at "NEW TANK BUILD" on reef discussion forum! http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2110638

03/23/2015, 10:16 AM	#5
Spar Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Plano, TX Posts: 2,517	what is your NO3 and PO4? once i up'ed those a little my SPS colored up nicely. what is your tank size and lighting choice? __________________ 450g Mixed SPS/LPS Reef (MH/T5/VHO)

03/23/2015, 10:18 AM	#6
d2mini Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 10,344	High Nutrients. What are your nitrates and p04? And what is your Alk level? SPS in higher nutrient systems tend to like a higher Alk and they like a lower Alk in low nutrient systems. __________________ -dennis Elos Diamond 120xl \| Elos Stand \| Radion G4 Pros \| GHL Profilux Controller \| LifeReef Skimmer \| LifeReef Sump Photos taken with a Nikon D750 or Leica M.

03/23/2015, 04:59 PM	#8
Spar Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Plano, TX Posts: 2,517	What was the 'ok' po4 reading? Definitely need to get your no3 up over 0, very important. no3 of 2-5ppm is going to get you good results. Feeding more should get you there. __________________ 450g Mixed SPS/LPS Reef (MH/T5/VHO)

03/23/2015, 06:21 AM	#2
toothybugs In Memoriam Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: The smallest county in Illinois Posts: 1,986	Not knowing details, I would guess you have higher nutrients in the water, lower light levels, and lower flow. Maybe a little instability. Without more info, those are, of course, just guesses.

03/23/2015, 08:09 AM	#4
rwb500 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Atlanta Posts: 1,694	thanks guys. yeah, i was thinking that there was probably not enough info to say anything definitive. but its good to hear of things that this would make you suspect (low light, high nutrients, low flow).

03/23/2015, 04:16 PM	#7
rwb500 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Atlanta Posts: 1,694	thanks guys. you can see how this could suggest either high or low nutrients depending on how you interpret it. unfortunately, my test results are equally confusing. I read zero for nitrate and OK for phosphate (Hanna) but I definitely have algae growth. I'm just going to focus on stability and good husbandry and if things don't get better I'll start a thread about my specific situation.

03/23/2015, 05:14 PM	#9
rwb500 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Atlanta Posts: 1,694	it was 18ppb P on the Hanna meter - 0.05 PPM PO4. I had written a scale on the meter in which this was right in the middle of the "OK" range (I have .03 as ideal and .10 as bad). Do you agree with that scale? I have actually been dosing a bit of nitrate. I dosed it slowly and got nitrate to be barely detectable with Salifert, so about 1-2ppm. I also dose a little bit of vinegar. Dosing the nitrate obliterated some cyano I had, as expected. now i am getting some green algae growth. perhaps I have too much phosphate even though the nitrate is OK.

03/23/2015, 05:27 PM	#10
Spar Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Plano, TX Posts: 2,517	That po4 range is good, preferably closer to the .03ppm mark. What does the vinegar do for you? Isnt that a nitrate reduction method?... I forget what it is for. __________________ 450g Mixed SPS/LPS Reef (MH/T5/VHO)

03/23/2015, 05:31 PM	#11
rwb500 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Atlanta Posts: 1,694	yeah it stimulates bacterial growth by providing carbon. it removes N better than P. By adding nitrate I can further drive bacteria growth to remove more Pl. I did that and it seemed to work great but then I noticed the corals looking even more pale and I backed off the vinegar dose. Now I'm just doing lots of small water changes, feeding well but not a ton, and hoping to restabilize everything. it doesn't help that I had been a bit lax with the water change schedule and I also let my salinity creep up without ever checking it.

03/23/2015, 05:51 PM	#12
PhaneSoul Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 949	spot feed your sps more. get the coral to feed the zoox instead of the zoox feeding the coral