|
12/06/2017, 08:40 PM | #1 |
Registered Member
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 78
|
Is there a reason my most successful coral colonies are the same color?
Hi all.
I've had my tank for about a year and a half. During that time corals have come and gone, and some have been much more successful than others. There is a very obvious pattern though, and I'm wondering if there's a reason, or if it's just a coincidence. Every single one of my successful sps corals are purple. I have a couple purple montis, and a couple purple stylophora. I have tried growing other montipora that are green for example and they don't do nearly as well. I have also tried growing acros of other colors but I won't count those since I haven't really grown any successfully. It's a little frustrating, because I feel like my reef is kind of monotone right now. I am wondering, could there be a reason for this? Like does my lighting feed these coral colors more effectively or something? |
12/07/2017, 11:00 AM | #2 |
Grizzled & Cynical
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Stamford, CT
Posts: 17,319
|
Hard to say. Did you try something like the bali green slimmer? It's, well, green; and really a pretty easy SPS to keep.
__________________
Simon Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones! Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs |
12/07/2017, 11:42 AM | #3 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 20,050
|
Its possible I guess..
Many times coral coloration will change depending on the tank they are placed into and the lighting/elements,etc.... It could also just be your own personal preference dictating it subconsciously to you..
__________________
Who me? |
12/07/2017, 11:44 AM | #4 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 10,344
|
Probably just coincidence.
Sometimes coral will shift color if conditions aren't optimal, but I haven't experienced not being able to keep certain color corals, especially greens. Those always seem to be the most common, easiest. True blues and true yellows are rarer. But purples, reds and greens should all be equally doable and found in easier to keep corals. Try red plating montipora. And for green, another easier one (for me anyway) is ORA Frogskin. Big and bright.
__________________
-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. |
12/07/2017, 01:12 PM | #5 |
Team RC Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: NY
Posts: 17,749
|
I'd believe this. There are patterns in nature where certain colors appear more frequently at different depths. That could play in to your success in terms of specific colors.
Also, from a spectral perspective. There are definitely lights that favor one spectra over another. Corals have color because of different responses (reflection or florescence) to different spectra of light. If your light is skewed to a specific spectrum that purple corals favor, there you go...
__________________
Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman) |
12/07/2017, 04:14 PM | #6 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Spokane, WA
Posts: 416
|
While all corals can become more vibrant or 'shift' slightly, I've really only seen actual large color shifts in acropora. Most likely, your lighting is causing the perception of coral color to your eyes rather than changing the coral color itself. Just my guess, I could easily be wrong.
|
12/07/2017, 05:18 PM | #7 |
Best eel owner in the US
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 149
|
Is there anything that would cause a starburst polyp colony to loose it's green hue (this happened to me and though the coral looks healthy enough the brown color isnt very good looking).
__________________
Current Tank Info: My house is a fish tank Current Tank Info: 125 gal reef tank 50gal Fo 50 gal Mixed reef |
12/08/2017, 12:17 AM | #8 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 78
|
Quote:
|
|
|
|