Corals turning almost white - Page 2

whatcaneyedo · #11 09-11-2011, 11:26 PM

I'm thinking that your lighting has a lot to do with your problem as well. Watts per gallon doesn't mean anything. Most people stopped believing in that in the 90's I think. What you want to look for is intensity and spectrum. Regular output T5 bulbs like what you've described are meant for freshwater tanks or maybe fish-only saltwater tanks. However the vast majority are marketed for freshwater period. If you want to sustain and grow coral you need (high output) HO T5 bulbs, metal halides or LEDs.

You also want to target full strength seawater which is 1.025. 1.023 is a little bit low.

How much flow do you have? You said 'high' but that can mean different things to different people. So how much in terms of gallons per hour?

reefwars · #12 09-11-2011, 11:31 PM

well would depend on the height of the tank, yours are only 18w t5's so not overly powerfull and you could easily get away with softies and lower light lps but sps prob wont do well unless near the top of your tank and nems require high lighting...they may live but they can do better.....to give an example in my last 20g i had a 250 metal halide (extreme mind you)and i was able to keep anything i wanted and had no colour issues at all, you would do better with 39w or 54w t5's or a 150w halide. its just my experience that lights that are border line strong give borderline results ,they may work for some stuff and may not for others depends on the coral.lights are only half the story though water parameters have to be spot on ,some corals can tolerate bad water while some slowly die off or die off right away again depends on the coral.

whatcaneyedo · #13 09-12-2011, 01:01 AM

How long is the tank? You said it was a 20gal so I'm guessing its only 2' long.

CandyCane · #14 09-12-2011, 03:29 AM

I was told on many website to keep salt lower for corals and in the 1.025 for fish tanks. Yes the are high output T5's they are ordered from big als specially and they are meant for corals. However since I havent replaced the bulbs since I bought the light used maybe it could just be time to replace them?

reefwars · #15 09-12-2011, 03:40 AM

less salt would be better for fish not so much corals the key is to not have to high a salinity or one that fluctuates....1.025 is ideal

when they say on big als website the lights are good for corals they are being pretty basic as it is good for corals but if you want to keep corals that demand higher lights then theyre not the best

another thing is to remember is big als will tell you anything to sell you anything....its something we all have learned...they just dont give good advise as their workers arent really experienced

whatcaneyedo · #16 09-12-2011, 04:00 AM

Websites are great for opinion but poor for facts. Put your faith in books written by scientists and industry experts.

"There is a similar range for acceptable salinity, but it is a narrow band, around 35 to 36 parts per thousand (ppt). At normal reef temperatures temperatures, this is a specific gravity of about 1.025 - 1.026."

p15 Marine Invertebrates by Ronald L. Shimek, PH. D. 2004

This must be the light? http://www.aquaticlife.com/products/286#1 I don't think I've ever seen 18" HO T5 bulbs for sale before. Does Big Als sell replacement bulbs in their store? I don't see them on their site. The recommended replacement schedule for T5s is up to every 6 months I believe. I personally don't follow that with my own fixture but I'm sure some people do.

Is your 20gal only 20" long?

Aquaria · #17 09-12-2011, 04:33 PM

That can't be the fixture cuz thats what I got( a 4bulb t5ho at that ) and my coral are not bleaching my ponci is fine and my borneman nem moved from the top to the sand now if the bulbs are old they should be replaced at least once a year as for salinity yes 1.025 is for reefs anything lower is fish only also I used to shop at big ALS when I lived in Alberta and yes te will tell you whatever u wanna hear so long as u leave with there products aquarium illusions and blue world are deff the better choices if u want good advice ( red coral wasn't open yet so i have nothing to say about them)

Aquaria · #18 09-12-2011, 04:37 PM

Also big ALS only sell IMHO cheap bulbs I would spend the little extra buying brands like ATI, KZ, and guiseman( wrong spelling)

CandyCane · #19 09-12-2011, 05:12 PM

http://www.current-usa.com/lighting/nova-extreme-pro

its model 1083

blacknife · #20 09-12-2011, 07:13 PM

Its funny how the "cheap" bulbs cost more at the big box stores than the premium bulbs do at the ma And pa stores. I had older bulbs and a high ratio of daylight bulbs and my Coraline was all bleached. Slowly changed out to new bulbs and more blue and everything looks better.

My tapadroid has my back