Orange Montipora digitata changing to Green?

[Fragguy]

I have had this coral for years now. It has always been interesting and different since the polyps are white while the rest of it is Orange to pink. But recently I noticed that some of the branches have begun a color transformation to green. I know that there have been reports of some A. millies doing something similar but I have never seen it in the montis. Anyone else had this?

The green branch is obviously the one in the center.

Not a great picture but you can kind of see the white polyps that I mentioned above scattered around the coral mostly towards the tips.

Rafael

 

[Anonymous]

Facinating. I haven't seen that before though.

 

[Len]

Ya, that's pretty slick! I've had orange ones turn purple on me, but never orange to green.

 

[Anonymous]

You are not dosing radioactive Calcium are you?

It is pretty neat, and happens usually when you change the type of bulb you use. But just one tip among all the rest is first one I see.

 

[Anonymous]

I wonder if other trace minerals in the water have an effect on the corals color. You know, just like they use different minerals in fireworks for different colors.

 

[Anonymous]

>...I wonder if other trace minerals in the water have an effect on the corals color.

You should work for Miss Weark Industry :lol:

 

[Fragguy]

It's not bleaching due to new lighting. Actually the bulbs are due for replacement. They are getting close to a year old now.

I have not changed any supplementation or salt mix either. I'm pretty much conviced that it's just the coral doing it's thing. I can't think of anything new/different that I have done that could cause it to do this.

There are two branch areas on the other side that are starting to do the same thing.

I will update with new pictures if it continues.

Rafael

 

[Unarce]

I was told by one of the growers of ExoticReefs that this has happened to some of their digitatas before.

Could also be caused by lighting. I remember Paletta saying that coral colors have a consistency between the East Coast and the West Coast. In general, the majority of reefers in the east prefer low kelvin lighting, whereas, the west coast is the complete opposite. Lower kelvin would encourage more of the bright pinks and oranges. Your photo suggests high kelvin lighting, which encourages more of the blue and green colors.

Just a thought.

 

[Fragguy]

Thanks, that is an interesting theory but I have not changed my bulbs in almost a year. Why would the coral start to change now. Would be my question.

In that area of the tank there is a 65k 400w and a 20k 400w halide along with 1 6' VHO bulb. This setup has been on my system for years and that coral has been in that same spot for 3-4 years.

Rafael

 

[Unarce]

That is amazing. I just remembered what the ExoticReefs scenarios was, which went the other way. I believe it was a colony of their lavender with green polyps digitata, that began to develop orange polyps in someone elses tank. I have a lavender/green colony, but it never happened to mine. I did see a full colony of their now lavender orange colony, and it looks just as nice.

 

[Fragguy]

Reefnutz,

I have seen that happen too (pretty cool). But this is not polyp color changes this is the branch tissue color changing. Some of the polyps are green and some are white like they are white on the orange colored braches.

Rafael