"Browned Out" SPS

[andy]

Anyone have any tips for nursing browned-out coral back to colorful health? I got a nice colony and a couple of frags at the meeting, and they need TLC

[reefgeek84]

Lets see some pics of them...I am curious what I missed out on? Just make sure your levels are all really good and keep good light and flow on them and they should make a come back.

[Reefin']

some brown out from too much light.....id say experiment a couple months in one spot....then move..

[andy]

Dang, you meant here isn't just a pill I can drop in the tank? :(
Just kidding ;)

[impur]

I would say about half way up to start and see how things progress. If it gets some color move it up a bit. If not, lower. I bought a brown out from Sean a year ago and it started getting some nice color. Then the acro worms got it :(

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P4200005.jpg


You can see the yellow and purple tips coming out
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P6060015.jpg

[reefboy]

i use reefsolution and DT's and about a month to color back up but thats just me also have never had new corals brown out on me.

[H20cooled]

Depends on the color. Is it a dark brown or a light brown. If its darker then I would lightly feed the fish and NO coral food also make sure you are skimmer good cause you need to reduce the excess nutrients. If it is a light brown then go the other way. Is a hard line to balance on, but if you watch the tank and corals you'll know...

[SnowboardKid26]

so if i have light brown out, on MOST of my corals, then your saying that I'm underfeeding my tank? I'm confused because I bought 3 frags of SPS from shawn about a week ago. A purple rim green cap, an a. pulchra, and a bleached out blue mille. The blue mille is turning kinda a darker brown, but I was figuring that to be the zooanthelae comming back. The pulchra i noticed is starting to brown this morning, and the Cap, which didn't look good when I bought it but it was the only piece he had, is starting to turn more green, but the rim is more brown than purple.

Thoughts???

SBK

[H20cooled]

Its not an exact science and you have to observe the coral for a while to see, but in general a lighter color body tends to mean less nutrients and a darker color more. As an example I bought a nice SPS colony from a store a while ago. It had a slight pink tint to it and green polyps, I knew from talking with the store owner that it will be a nice lite pink, but it had browned out. After about 3 weeks in my tank it has lightened up quite a bit and then pink is really starting to come out and that even with it being on the sand bed in my tank.

Rich

[andy]

Here are my "brown-outs" --

http://reef.eldersign.org/images/DSC_7227.jpg


http://reef.eldersign.org/images/DSC_7228.jpg


http://reef.eldersign.org/images/DSC_7230.jpg

[reefgeek84]

Did you get those from Fanta-seas? what did you pay for each?

[andy]

Yes, $5 each for the two frags (one of them is a double ;)) and $15 for the colony.

[SnowboardKid26]

mine look more like the second and third pics. the top looks like it isn't going to make it bro.... thats just from my limited SPS experience though...

[andy]

Yeah, he's definitely the runt of the litter. I have faith in him though, he's a fighter ;)

[reefgeek84]

Yeah, he's definitely the runt of the litter. I have faith in him though, he's a fighter ;)
I would try to frag the some of the pieces that still look to be somewhat healthy.

[andy]

Really... Hmmm, not good. I'll keep a close eye on it, and will pick up some gel CA tomorrow...

[H20cooled]

On that first one you might want to consider fragging it, there looks like some RTN. As for the other 2 they both look healthy and should color up nicely with some time in your tank especially the last one which looks like its ready to explode with color.

[andy]

I fragged it last night, and got 4 decent-looking (but rather small) frags off it. Of course I dropped one of the LR shards with 2 of the frags glued on. Of course, I dropped it down the *back* of a LR pile. Of course, both frags broke off the LR shard and couldn't be seen. And, Of course they were the 2 healthiest-looking ones (censored)

Hopefully, the 2 survivors will do well. Man, I can be uncoordinated DOH!

[Ed Hahn]

Its often ideal for members to label which lighting(wattage, Kelvin of bulb), where coral was located in flow when trading. If you do not see this on bag please ask the person that is selling frag to explain. A coral will sometimes go into shock from transport (change) and take about 30 days to recover.
I hope this helps,
Ed