[meschaefer]

I have a SPS colony that I picked up from a member who was leaving the hobby. When he gave it to me he told me that it A. Nana, but it was in horrible condition. It was a dark brown, had no ployp extension and I generally thought that it would not make it.

When I placed it into my tank one of the branches broke off. I placed it on a plug and put it in the back of my tank on the far side from where the main colony was. Five months later, and the body of the main colony is light brown, but the tip have gotten a deep purple. What is interesting is that the frag, has also changed color. The body is light brown turning to bright green with deep purple tips.

Same coral + same tank/paramters + diffrent position in the tank = different colors

I will take some pictures tonight and post them.

	SPS Small Polyped Scleractinians - Sometimes known as Small Polyped Stony corals. These are hard corals that have extremely small polyps. They are typically on the difficult side and require Metal Halide lighting or dense Power Compact or T5 arrays. These corals are prized for their rareness and ability to be easily fragged into multiple colonies.

[jackson6745]

Quote: Originally Posted by lfsmarineguy wow Jackson, where can I buy your book. It must be filled with such clever observations as "Eric Borneman is an @$$." Clearly you have a grasp of the subject far surpassing any of us mere mortals. Are you a politician by any chance, because I'm pretty sure you just reitterated what I said about tank parameters as if I was wrong in saying the same.

You're taking this the wrong way. Regurgitated Borneman crap is not practical for hobbyiests like you, me, and everyone else on this site, at least not for this topic. I do have that green Borneman book (Aquarium Corals) BTW I want to discuss YOUR observations on SPS colors and anything you have done to tweak them. There are many little "tricks" to get that deeper color, lighter color, or less brown color. This is what I would like to hear and what would be useful to most SPS keepers.

PS Don't get pissy with me, it's only corals.

	SPS Small Polyped Scleractinians - Sometimes known as Small Polyped Stony corals. These are hard corals that have extremely small polyps. They are typically on the difficult side and require Metal Halide lighting or dense Power Compact or T5 arrays. These corals are prized for their rareness and ability to be easily fragged into multiple colonies.

[cali_reef]

Quote: Originally Posted by jackson6745 You're taking this the wrong way. Regurgitated Borneman crap is not practical for hobbyiests like you, me, and everyone else on this site, at least not for this topic. I do have that green Borneman book (Aquarium Corals) BTW I want to discuss YOUR observations on SPS colors and anything you have done to tweak them. There are many little "tricks" to get that depper color, lighter color, or less brown color. This is what I would like to hear and what would be useful to most SPS keepers. PS Don't get pissy with me, it's only corals.

Dude, you are getting it all wrong, all you need is a little of the black magic powder he is using.

Quote: Originally Posted by lfsmarineguy they can get to a decent size if they are healthy. I used the Marc Weiss Blackpowder a few times and right after I started using it I noticed these guys all over the tank as well as some other freaky stuff popping up out of nowhere.

	SPS Small Polyped Scleractinians - Sometimes known as Small Polyped Stony corals. These are hard corals that have extremely small polyps. They are typically on the difficult side and require Metal Halide lighting or dense Power Compact or T5 arrays. These corals are prized for their rareness and ability to be easily fragged into multiple colonies.

[lfsmarineguy]

Meschaefer what you experienced with the frag is not an uncommon occurrence. It is easier for a small colony such as a frag to receive the nutrients it needs than a larger one with greater needs. Placement in the tank plays a roll but it is known that at different size corals will calcify at different speeds. For farmers certain corals do have a "sweet spot" where the frag is just the right size for optimal growth over time. I sometimes mess with frags of SPS that break off during shipping in the bag and see what they do in different places in the tank (light, flow, size, etc.). The differences in growth pattern are sometimes very noticeable.

Rich,
I'm not getting pissy with you. I posted information that I saw as relevant. I didn't attack anyone, I didn't discredit anyone, and I didn't post anything that most of us don't already know to be true. I didn't "regurgitate Borneman crap" at all. The only thing I repeated was the wild avg. SG and temp. that I believed was in his book. Working with the volume of corals and fish that I do I have an accelerated learning curve of hands on experience. Not to mention I work with some people (in store and out) who have been in the business since undergravel filters were the next step in technology and some of us were not even a thought in our parents heads. I'm tired of being bashed almost every time I post it's ridiculous on a hobby forum when we are all here for our mutual love/ fascination with saltwater tanks. Those that do know me in person know that I am more than capable with both fish and corals and for those that don't I challenge you to come by the store and see me. Come in and check me out, then you can bash me all you want for working in an LFS.

	SPS Small Polyped Scleractinians - Sometimes known as Small Polyped Stony corals. These are hard corals that have extremely small polyps. They are typically on the difficult side and require Metal Halide lighting or dense Power Compact or T5 arrays. These corals are prized for their rareness and ability to be easily fragged into multiple colonies.

[Chiefmcfuz]

Dude I'm not gonna bash you but I will say that most times when you post there seems to be a healthy conversation of differing opinions that's all. While I am not that knowledgable on SPS and I am still learning I am using this and alot of other threads to get up to speed on keeping these beautiful animals. I agree that Borneman is a bonehead, for a few reasons, one in fact is because he talks out of his ass on some things without doing the research he needs to do before speaking (It's better to be quiet and have people think your an idiot then open you mouth and remove all doubt). I also agree that each reefer has their own way of doing things that might not be exactly the same as the next reefers way but they get the same results, if you know what I mean. Again I will state this there is a 99.999% chance that I will never set foot in your store because it isn't in my area but I am sure you and your friends and co workers have vast knowledge but agree to disagree and all will be good. Now I am gonna step off my soapbox and start reading again.

	SPS Small Polyped Scleractinians - Sometimes known as Small Polyped Stony corals. These are hard corals that have extremely small polyps. They are typically on the difficult side and require Metal Halide lighting or dense Power Compact or T5 arrays. These corals are prized for their rareness and ability to be easily fragged into multiple colonies.

[jackson6745]

LFSmaineguy you should explain your system.
You use PC's and have nice colors which most guys would love to do. Well, how do you get your results? What are your water parms, feeding, supplements etc..?......

	PC Power Compact Lighting, typically used in lower light aquariums supporting soft corals, LPS, and fish. Their low cost and cooler operating temperatures are an excellent choice for beginner aquariums and smaller tanks.

[loismustdie]

Quote: It's better to be quiet and have people think your an idiot then open you mouth and remove all doubt

That's perfect. He is an a$$ though.
This is a difficult topic. Most people I know don't know why they have or don't have good color.
Nutrition... many will tell you that SPS look best when they are about to starve to death. I feel feeding is key to color and growth, but all nutrients not consumed need to be removed. I let PO4 get away from me and all I had were browns and some greens. FWIW, while I do like salifert calcium, magnesium and alkalinity test kits, their phosphate is off. If you are using this kit and have the slightest hint of blue, your PO4 is too high. We corrected my PO4 issue though and now I've got the blues and reds and pinks I've been looking for.
Right now, I'm running my DSB tank kind of like the BB method. High flow, over skimming, heavy fish load, nutrient addition, but aggressive nutrient removal. (DSB method advises you severely limit any additions of nutrients and have very limited fish) Seems to be working for me at the moment.

	SPS Small Polyped Scleractinians - Sometimes known as Small Polyped Stony corals. These are hard corals that have extremely small polyps. They are typically on the difficult side and require Metal Halide lighting or dense Power Compact or T5 arrays. These corals are prized for their rareness and ability to be easily fragged into multiple colonies.

[ShaunW]

Chris, how did you remove your PO4? Just wondering?

[loismustdie]

First, big water changes.
next, I used 2 phosban reactors with enough phosban for 400 gallons.
Now, I use the same 2 reactors with only an inch or 2 of phosban in them, alternating months that I change media.
I'm not impressed with the longevity of Phosban. I've been told that Phosban is good at removing high levels quickly, but once your levels are down, switch to Rowa for long term maintenance.
I also still feed heavily, I'm just more disciplined in what foods I feed.

[prattreef]

You are all forgetting the method preferred by some of the biggest vendors in the industry---Photoshop!!!! Sorry couldn't resist. RD