intensity of colour of corals

[shoelevy]

hey guys, take a look at the exceptionally gd colour of this 2 hammers

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/index.php?...opic=26208&st=0

i'm sure many would have came across hammers or frogspawns with varying intensity of colours

that is to say some reefers can maintain very gd colours while others can't and unfortunately, i belong to the 2nd class...my hammers and frogspawns although colour up nicely, are still not as nice as the ones in the picture or in some of the tanks of other reefers

question is what affects the intensity of the colours of these corals?

what would cause the colour to fade or brighten up?

would it be lights? 2x250W should be enough?

would it be the presense or absence of a crucial trace element/s that needs to be dosed or would it be feeding?

hope to receive more from comments from all with relevant knowledge!

thanks

[Clownfish]

seriously the color is subjected to under wat type of lights r on when photographed...

dun noe bout LPS, but SPS do hav more intensed colors under more intense lightings...

My guess is as long as the LPS is healthy, it shld hav gd colors, in order to bring out its colors, actinic supplements shld do the job well

btw, hammers n frogspawn can survive under 150W MH, not to mention 2X250W

[xpert1974]

a bit confused by yr statement. frogspawns can survive under 150w not to mention 2x250w????? did u actually mean that they cannot survive under 150w not to mention 2x250w???

[alexgan]

Nice color coral is depend on where the coral from.....you cant compare a Batam coral and Sulawesi Coral?......Actinic light also play very important part in coral color.....Personally, i used those cheapo blue FL light that you can buy at any lighting shop to see my coral color....

[shoelevy]

a bit confused by yr statement. frogspawns can survive under 150w not to mention 2x250w????? did u actually mean that they cannot survive under 150w not to mention 2x250w???

wat he means is if they can survive under 150mh then they sure can survive under 2x250W so i shouldn't worry bout my lights

[shoelevy]

seriously the color is subjected to under wat type of lights r on when photographed...

dun noe bout LPS, but SPS do hav more intensed colors under more intense lightings...

My guess is as long as the LPS is healthy, it shld hav gd colors, in order to bring out its colors, actinic supplements shld do the job well

btw, hammers n frogspawn can survive under 150W MH, not to mention 2X250W

actually, what got my interested in this colour intensity issue is not jus the photo

its also because since i bought it a mth ago, its colour has never been as intense as when it was at the shop

so pls do not refer back to issues such as skills of photography or where the coral was harvested from because i'm comparing the same coral, a mth back and now

there's an actual loss in intensity as observed by me

[kareen]

When lighting is not an issue....how's about your water quality? Is your water quality as good as the nature seawater in Great Barrier Reef? Next, the kind of food it is feeding on. Are they as nutrients as in the wild? If u tell me, the above is not an issues in your tank, then this is a mystery.

[shoelevy]

eh kareen...who of us here can claim our water to be as gd as and as nutritious as sea water......if can then its not in our home...its in our dreamz

[Guinness]

It's not all about lighting (but then I guess that has been said b4). Just looks at the tank featured in 'tank of the moment'. It doesn't even run on MH.

There really isn't a magic formula that will ensure favourable results. Some corals really do not enjoy strong lighting at all. Those hammers mentioned at the beginning of the thread certainly do not like too strong light.

Have a look at all the amazing tanks in this forum. You will get an idea of where other people have positioned various types of corals and if they do well ( HEHEHEHEH so you could say i have been borrowing ideas from everyone )

[shoelevy]

thanks guiness

[patrick123]

Yeah...I also notice that my luminuous green hammer is not as nice as it used to be. I'm using 150w MH. So I think must be husbandary skill plays a big part.

If someone can advise whether we can nurture it back to the original color?

[RAV-65]

Sometimes I realise that when I change water, the LPS seems to do better, maybe it's the amt of DOC in the water dat's affecting them...

[bubble_gum]

i think trace elements especially iodine and food plays and important part too....

[RAV-65]

i think trace elements especially iodine and food plays and important part too....

normally iodine for softies I tink...

For food, feed a little cyclopeeze, GP and phytoplankton can liao lor...

[shoelevy]

y does food play an important part in bringing out the colour?

cos i read from a book that these corals rely mainly on light and not feedings

[RAV-65]

I tink in the absence of much planktonic foods in the water in the tank, food would be good for the corals... As for whether it has an immediate/direct impact on the colour of the coral, I'm not sure, but it definitely keeps the coral healthier....

Juz my $0.02...

[shoelevy]

thanks

got a pm from one lao jiao telling me wat to do

will try out wat he said

in the mean time...all with similar problems or comments to contribute can continue posting here!

[kareen]

Food does contribute to the health of corals....read it from a book that says a big percentage of corals DOES NOT GET ENOUGH food from just photosynthesis.....

Water parameters affect as well......

Shoelevy, yes.... all of us are here to learn how to master that art, isn't it?

[patrick123]

thanks

got a pm from one lao jiao telling me wat to do

will try out wat he said

in the mean time...all with similar problems or comments to contribute can continue posting here!

Wow.. so secretive have to PM somemore. Can PM me also? Coz I'm having the same problem.