John, maybe you can help with this. I have some halymenia that was deep red with flaming orange tips when I got it. Now it's all faded and pink. What conditions and lighting does it need to get that flaming look again? It's under high lighting (80w of T5 - 10k and actinic) which is my suspicion on the lack of color. How should I place it or attach it in the tank to get it to color up nicely and grow out?

hi dhaut...it could mean a lot of things...going south..too much light...(probably not to little light)... here is a short article on my site I wrote that may help steer you, it is near the bottom...will get back to you...server lag...and they are usually good...have to email them now...

lol, that was like some transmission from deep space.

Lol.

I was thinking about getting some, next time herper has some, I would also like to know what kind of light keeps the flaming tips lol

http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?option=c...9&Itemid=57

new growth is usually the trick. not this summer but the one before we had some awesome colored halymenia. dark red/purple bottom, red, orange, and then yellow tips. awesome...wasnt around this summer, but honestly i didnt put enough effort into the dive spot.

Gray is dominant and if one of the parents was gray, she will be too eventuall So her color is gray
Gorgeous photo

Mine got stressed from shipment and the Orange growth tips died, then it started to fade to a pinkish shade in my 2 Ghetto 10g's when they got overrun with algae and got "out of balance".
I broke the Halymenia in half and put one half in my 10" cube Pico under PC lighting and kind of in the shade and it is totally coloring back up.
I think part of the reason it is doing better is that that tank is just in much better shape overall.
However from my own experience and from talking to mnherper, it seems to do better under lower light.

ah! you bumped over my black friday sale.

Good thing I like you Weetie. Usually when reds lose their color the lighting is too bright. It depends on the species of halymenia though, as well as the strain. We find halymenia in high light conditions, but for reds in general, you should start with less light (bottom, shaded placing) and then move them up.

But...
but....
but......
I was trying to help!!!!!


Ok, how bout this----

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REEF CLEANERS IS HAVING AN INSANO CRAZY BLACK FRIDAY SALE, BUY FROM THEM
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I'd guess that it was either too much light or the wrong spectrum. What light is it under D?

I am just kidding you


This was from awhile ago Fosi. I doubt he is following it. Try pming him, but sometimes he comes through here.

Whoa! So it is.

wat?

Hey D,
I have reduced mine to a lower light area and it is rapidily regaining it's dark red color. Originally I had it shallow under some insanely bright 6500K PC's. It turned almost pure yellow. I moved it out of that tank into the bottom of my sump under 40W of T-5 and put it in a shaded area and it is coloring right back up.

Seems like I had more growth under the 6500K but I am seeing better colors under the T-5's (one 10K and one Actinic)

-Prof

see I told you he comes through here. what happened dhaut?

well, I had the same experience as Prof. One of my 20" T5's died and I had the algae off to the side being lit by 40w of T5. It's flaming red now after a week. So it's definitely a light thing. I'm going to replace the bulbs in the other T5 with all actinic to see if the haly will retain color still.

http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?option=c...9&Itemid=57

the article is probably outdated by now, and sort of based on a misunderstanding on how algae really grows, but that bottom area under lighting was my best understanding of it a few months ago.

Acanthophora spicifera is one of those algae that are highly variable from lighting intensities. Some are red, others yellow and sometimes brown and even green. Not just species variations, the same plant can make this transition in a short time. Some of the Hypnea sp are like this too. Gracilaria will change in color sometimes, but usually the changes are variations of the macro. Gracilaria tikhavie is like that. That same species comes in 3 different shapes and colors at least, there is something like 20 different varieties of that species.

So, would you say this was accurate?

IMO, it was just too much. I'm sure spectrum plays a role, but spectrum hasn't changed in my case. There's still the same ratio of 10K to Actinic. Just the intensity is different.

So that'd be a "yes"?

I'm going to put my foot up your ass.

I don't know you that well, D!

lol!

yeah, that is why i had mentioned it in my first post.

Oh snap!

haha.

I had nothing else to type and I am OCD about getting the last reply on a thread