Tub's Blue Zoa losing color??

[Sea Turtle]

Hi everyone.

I bought six tub’s Blue Zoa’s about 2 months ago. In the lsf they were a deep dark blue, very health and under MH lighting. I brought them home to my tank and within a day they were very light sky blue and the hairs had turned a light tan/orange. The guy at the store told me that I should put it up closer to the light. That made them grow faster but their color still remained sky blue. Why do you think that this is happening and what should I do to try to get them back to their deep blue? I have MH lights and good water quality. Could there be a trace element that I am missing or have that shouldn’t be there?

 

[Len]

There's a lot of factors that come into play. Corals simply always look different in different tanks, due mostly from lighting differences and water chemistry differences. Circulation also effects growth pattern, but that doesn't play much of a role here (though increasing flow could theoretically darken the polyps). There's too many variables with water chemistry to even take a guess. If you like the original color, it's best to get the same bubs as the person who sold you the frags.

 

[Sea Turtle]

Ok. I guess that I'll just have to eccept it as the color it is. I did move it away from the high output light down into a shady spot. It looks like it might be getting a little better but not completely coming back. It really is upsetting. I was so excitied to get these into my tank.

 

[Anonymous]

The ones I have did not like lower light, lower flow. I eventually put them at the very top of the tank in front of the overflow and they seem to be quite happy there right under the MH...FWIW, YMMV.

 

[Sea Turtle]

The ones I have did not like lower light, lower flow. I eventually put them at the very top of the tank in front of the overflow and they seem to be quite happy there right under the MH...FWIW, YMMV.

Hmmmm, that's what the dude said at the store where I bought the darn things. I had them right up close to the MH lights but I don't really think that there was high flow there. Do most Zoa's like low light though?

 

[Anonymous]

Not all of them, again IME.

 

[Anonymous]

flow will affect morohology to an extent-high flow zoas will have shorter , and/or stubbier tentacles compared to ones in lower flow

i keep my zoas in moderate to 'near high' flow, for mainly one reason:

an expanded/open zoa colony is essentially a 'forest' of stubby, closely packed stalks with umbrella caps-the immediate water surrounding the zoas sides and undersides has got to be fairly stagnant, or want to tend to be, heh-i can't imagine it's extremely healthy for the zoas, either-the real 'venting'/exchange of that 'semi stagnant' stuff occurs at nite, when the zoas are closed up

having noticed that my zoas always look better/nicer after being fairly heavily squirted w/a baster, i added flow, and they've ALL done better

re: color...

what Len said (though even using the exact same bulbs may not do the trick-water chemistry, yellowing compound levels, etc etc etc all play a part both in the color produced by the zoas, and how your eye percieves them-just the viewing angle can make a difference between 'near blue', and 'near green')