Mitchell Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 My green bird nest has gotten really light in color the past couple weeks. It has also grown a lot in the past couple weeks. Is it ok? Here is a picture of my coral when I got November 27th: Here is a picture I took of it December 18th: Here is a picture of the coral I took yesterday: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoobtoSalt Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 looks healthy to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefSafari Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Looks good to me, Nice Job!!! Great growth and good polyp extension, I think it looks happy, wish mine grew that fast, pretty cool, thanks for sharing....(rock2) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchell Posted January 2, 2011 Author Share Posted January 2, 2011 Is there a reason its turning white, or does that just mean its happy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoobtoSalt Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 just looks like it has more polyps coming out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchell Posted January 2, 2011 Author Share Posted January 2, 2011 just looks like it has more polyps coming out. No, the hard part of the coral has gotten lighter in color. Especially over the past week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefSafari Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 No' date=' the hard part of the coral has gotten lighter in color. Especially over the past week.[/quote'] Any change in lighting? Has your Alk and other parameters stayed ok? Has anything changed in the past week that you can think of? It could be bleaching a bit, but I am not sure what it could be from, looks like good growth and looks othewise healthy.....interesting(scratch) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchell Posted January 2, 2011 Author Share Posted January 2, 2011 Any change in lighting? Has your Alk and other parameters stayed ok? Has anything changed in the past week that you can think of? It could be bleaching a bit, but I am not sure what it could be from, looks like good growth and looks othewise healthy.....interesting(scratch) Yeah its weird. My monti cap and clam that I have had for almost as long as the bird nest are still normal color. The only thing I have checked recently was my ph and phosphate. Ph was 8.3 and my phosphate was 0 (it was .25 before adding my phosphate reactor 2 weeks ago). I added a blue stag, green slimmer, pink millie and a coral I can't remember the name of last sunday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefSafari Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Yeah its weird. My monti cap and clam that I have had for almost as long as the bird nest are still normal color. The only thing I have checked recently was my ph and phosphate. Ph was 8.3 and my phosphate was 0 (it was .25 before adding my phosphate reactor 2 weeks ago). I added a blue stag' date=' green slimmer, pink millie and a coral I can't remember the name of last sunday.[/quote'] I would check your Alkalinity, Salinity, maybe Magnesium and Calcium...I know Saltwater Fantaseas charges I think $1.00 per test or something like that, its well worth it to know. I would at least check your Alkalinity.... Keep us posted, I wouldn't be super alarmed at this point, I would continue to monitor it, as long as the polyps are out I would feel ok about it....if its loosing color AND the polyps aren't comming out, I would get concerned. Hopefully more expereinced SPS/Birdsnest keepers will chime in here, take what I say with a grain of salt, as I am fairly new....(laugh) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchell Posted January 2, 2011 Author Share Posted January 2, 2011 I would check your Alkalinity, Salinity, maybe Magnesium and Calcium...I know Saltwater Fantaseas charges I think $1.00 per test or something like that, its well worth it to know. I would at least check your Alkalinity.... Keep us posted, I wouldn't be super alarmed at this point, I would continue to monitor it, as long as the polyps are out I would feel ok about it....if its loosing color AND the polyps aren't comming out, I would get concerned. Hopefully more expereinced SPS/Birdsnest keepers will chime in here, take what I say with a grain of salt, as I am fairly new....(laugh) I have my own test kits, I have just been lazy and haven't tested. I'll check my alk, calcium, dkh, nitrates tomorrow. Yeah I am not worried, it is growing really well and even if it dies I only spent $5 on it. Edit: Wouldn't my monti and other corals have problems if it was a problem with my water quality? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beckie Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Good growth and nice extention, I always know if my alk drops because my birds nest look a little lighter. I would check that first. Beckie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandinga Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 The color is related mostly to light. Different intensity lights will change the pigmentation of the zooxanthellae, altering the coloration greatly. Looks good though, for the most part.In Stylophora coral, you will typically get alot of vertical growth, but the base won't grow as much as an acropora species will. Your coral is exhibiting good vertical growth, get that frag off the plug and onto the rock itself. cut the plug itself as short as you can, so as you don't interrupt the current growth of the coral. then Get some crazy glue and set her down. see examples below; With good stability, in 12 months a small frag will look something like this; the nipple on the top of the rock is where the pinky-nail size frag started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finch6013 Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 I think your coral looks great. If the skin were bleaching or had rtn your polyp extension would be poor and you wouldn't have seen that much growth. That Birdsnest looks just like it should in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longiotti Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 it might be a little high in the tank. that is why it looks like just the parts that the light is shining on are a little whiter. then again it could just be the picture. I would double check your water temp. after you check your water temp check it again. do this with 3 different temp gauges too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epicenter Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I am no expert here but I think I heard you say the coral is new to the tank, maybe your lighting is to intense for the coral. In my experience if I start corals lower in the tank & get them use to a more intense light they are less likely to bleach. Other than that it looks good to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchell Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 Yes it is darker where it doesn't get as much light. I have had it since mid November, but it just started to change color the past couple weeks. I recently added some other corals, but not the bird nest. I did change my bulbs to much higher par bulbs about a month ago, but I acclimated them to the new light. I am using a 216 watt t5 ho light that does not have individual reflectors and the bird nest is about 8 inches away from the bulbs. My temp never fluctuates and is always at 80.1 I have 3 different thermometers and I have never seen them at anything but 80.1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchell Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 Well my coral has gotten even lighter in color but wow has it grown a ton in two weeks. My coral a month ago My coral two weeks ago My coral today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SydtheKid Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 It looks fine to me... But, then again, I am not an expert like the other guys!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef165 Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Could be any # of things, did you get to checking you alk, cal, and mag yet? since it is 8 inches from the bulbs I would lower it a bit for sure. I have a BN that changes collor every time I move it, I have it under T5's and if it is shaded it turnes a purple green, under direct light turnes green and high in the tank it turnes a very light almost white green. I would put it about 1/2 way down into the tank and give it a couple weeks to see if the collor comes back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerv503 Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Looking at pic1 to pic3 your sps coral looks healthy and thriving. I wouldn't worry all polyps are opening and the color bright blue. Healthy! Vin "Keep On Reefing" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandinga Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 polyps changed color. looks healthy and growing. You will see corals change like this when you put them in a new environment. Darwin was full of sh#@, organisms dont take thousands of years to change, they change what they can in a short period and adjust, or they die. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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