Do I need more light? Browning problems on some corals!

[Michael_Price]

Hello everyone, Its been a while since I've posted here! Looking at my old pictures, I see now I obviously have a browning problem. So I went to google of course to get to the bottom of it! And got only some questions answered. I have done a ton of forum searches and see that a lot of post about LED's and what not are many years old, and always seem to turn into an argument about "Why you should switch back to MH Lights" Well now that were all in 2017 and know that Coral can in fact thrive under LED's (And some of my corals have almost doubled in size!) lets start a modern conversation about lighting on Shallow Nano Tanks. Perhaps someone has a great link I can read on for this? 

 

So here is my question, I am running my Orbit Marine Pro LED at 85% Blue, and 16% white. After some reading, I think I need to raise it up. Browning coral is from too little light and zooxanthellae builds up to feed the coral in place of light correct? And with more intense light, the zooxanthellae will release, and the coral will Color up "Like a Tan" to protect it in a way from the light from what I'm reading, is this also correct? 

 

I ask because recently one of my SPS has started bleaching, so I thought it was too much light. so i turned it down about 5% But it is browning... so now I'm thinking its too little. Its also barley grown. However my Octospawn LPS coral has almost doubled in 4 months, and my Plate coral (An sps) and GSP is also growing. So I was under the impression i had enough or possibly too much light...

 

So all I'm after here, is lighting information. More White, more blue? How does this effect Color/Growth & zooxanthellae? I want less brown! 

 

I start with 1 hour blue from 0% - 85% over a 30 minute Ramp up, and it runs for 7 hours and ramps back down over 30 minutes to 0%. (Total of 8 hours blue)
And my Whites I run 15 minutes after the Blue lights start, and over half an hour ramp to 16%. Then run for 6 hours and ramps back down to 0% over 30 minutes. (Total of 7 hours white)

 

How many hours do you run your lights? What pattern do you run? Blue first then white then blue? Start with white, finish with blue? What are your Light Programs/Percentages? Lets talk LED lights & Coral!

 

P.S. Since everyone always ask about Water conditions, 

I keep my tank about 77-78 Degrees 
My Salinity is - 0.025 
My calcium is - 415-430

Alk - 9
Nitriates - 0 

Nitrates - 0.5

Phosphates - 0 to 0.5

Running Carbon, and Chemi Pure Elite & Skimmer. 

But Please, lets not turn this to a "Water conditions topic" etc. I see almost all the other lighting post turn away from the lighting  

 

For more information on my build, check out my Build Thread in my signature. 

 

 

[ReefWeeds]

The white isn't high enough. The orbit Marine won't burn corals - I would turn it up for sure. 

I would run them for 10 hours but go up to 9. With ramp ups for 1/2 hour and down for half hour. 

[ReefWeeds]

And the reason many turn away from lighting is because generally higher nutrients will also cause browning.

[Nano sapiens]

Zooxanthellae density often increases when the lighting is lower, and they are brown in color.  At the same time, the coral pigmentation is reduced (note that more intense lighting = more pigmentation...up to a point) which means the brown of the zoox is more visible through the coral tissue.   Same browning can happen when nutrients are higher.

 

Different corals have different tolerances to light intensity.  If the SPS are browning and the LPS look fine, then a slow ramping up of intensity would be indicated (or the SPS should be placed higher up in the tank with the current light settings).

 

Basically, sufficient intensity of the appropriate wavelengths (those that stimulate photosynthesis and promote coral pigmentation without causing excess photoinhibition, aka 'Full Spectrum') over a certain period of time (typically 6 hours) and a ramp-up of blue/violet light before and after of 1 - 2 hours would suffice (total lights on for 8 to 10 hours is actually sufficient...some like to go 12 hours which is fine as corals are adaptable).  

[pal]

Local club have a par meter?  Dana Riddle talk is interesting.  

 

[Michael_Price]

1 hour ago, stellablue said:

The white isn't high enough. The orbit Marine won't burn corals - I would turn it up for sure. 

I would run them for 10 hours but go up to 9. With ramp ups for 1/2 hour and down for half hour. 

10 hours a day? I am fine with this, as thats just more time I can stare at it when I'm home . Ill slowly up the percentage and time over the next two months. 

 

1 hour ago, stellablue said:

And the reason many turn away from lighting is because generally higher nutrients will also cause browning.

I know ha ha, but I have been focused on water purity for the past few months and finally got it all right. so I know thats not the problem, and wanted to keep the topic on lights & the effects on coloration . As we all know, (For the most part now days) high phosphates and other things can effect color majorly as well. 

 

1 hour ago, Nano sapiens said:

Zooxanthellae density often increases when the lighting is lower, and they are brown in color.  Same can happen when nutrients are higher.  At the same time, the coral pigmentation is reduced (note that more intense lighting = more pigmentation...up to a point) which means the brown of the zoox is more visible through the coral tissue. 

 

Different corals have different tolerances to light intensity.  If the SPS are browning and the LPS look fine, then a slow ramping up of intensity would be indicated (or the SPS should be placed higher up in the tank with the current light settings).

 

Basically, sufficient intensity of the appropriate wavelengths (those that stimulate photosynthesis and promote coral pigmentation without causing excess photoinhibition, aka 'Full Spectrum') over a certain period of time (typically 6 hours) and a ramp-up of blue/violet light before and after of 1 - 2 hours would suffice (total lights on for 8 to 10 hours is actually sufficient...some like to go 12 hours which is fine as corals are adaptable).  

Sounds likes time for me to up my Power & Duration. would it be safe to up my percentage and time over the period of about 6 weeks? 

 

1 hour ago, pal said:

Local club have a par meter?  Dana Riddle talk is interesting.  

 

Watched the first 5 minutes, looks like great information. I'll have to watch the whole thing when I get home!

[Nano sapiens]

2 hours ago, Michael_Price said:

Sounds likes time for me to up my Power & Duration. would it be safe to up my percentage and time over the period of about 6 weeks? 

 

Generally, ~5% intensity increase/week is the recommendation.  However, for my lighting and system, I find that around 3%/week is best.  

 

Maybe one week of intensity increase, and the next week 5% duration increase, then another intensity increase, etc, etc.  At any rate, 'slowly' is the best policy and pay close attention to any odd coral changes/distress (which would indicate that you are proceeding too rapidly).

[Clown79]

The sps going brown but lps growing is  a sign that the lighting is insufficient for sps. 

 

In tanks like the orbit or aquamaxx the sps need to be up high and at full. even then the long term success isn't always high.

 

I had sps under my aquamaxx and they did great for quite a while but then started losing colour/going brown. At 100% blue and 60% white they just went downhill. 

 

My lps was doing great and still are.

 

Nothing else was wrong in my tank.

 

The only thing was possibly light because my 15g with the same sps species under an Ai Prime not only was full of colour but growing rapidly.

 

I really believe for sps lighting is especially important and of course parameters and their stability.