Experiences with browning of SPS frags.

[Zakk]

I figure that anyone who has fragged sps, or bought frags has contemplated how to keep new frags from browning.  Maybe we can all share tips (no pun intended).

I've had generally good success with frags.  However, every so often I will get one that will brown up on me.  I've got some that took up to 4 months to get some colour back, and some that were brown that came back more quickly. 

Generally, my proceedure is: float the frags in the sump until the temps are close/same.  Then I pull a gallon and a half of tank water from the tank and put one gallon in a clean pain, and the half gallon in a jug with a large open top.  I mix 4 caps of CoralRX and put that in the pail along with a small powerhead.  Generally then I just take the frags from the bags and put them right in the solution for 15 mins, then I rinse in the jug  and set them in the tank on the substrate.  Then by type I try to find a spot that gets proper light (low, high, medium) and good flow.  Then it's a waiting game to see how the coral reacts.  Almost all of them grow, but some get more colour, others get less. 

So anybody running a 100% colour improvement record with frags?  Let's swap notes  ;D

 

[Neopimp]

i have a zoa.... i hack it with a knife

 

[Zakk]

i have a zoa.... i hack it with a knife

You see...now this is why we can't have nice things. 

 

[Neopimp]

lol..

Love to be able to help you but I have zero experience with sps... with slightly more than 0 with fraggin

 

[teebone110]

i do basically the same procedure.

- temp aclimatize for 30-60mins
- dip in coral rx for 5-10mins in tank water and brush lightly with toothbrush
- rinse in another pail of tank water
- set in tank in a frag rack at bottom display for 2-3 days
- then i mount in positiion and see how it does

In terms of colour, it usually looks good for a week, then tones down.
After a month or two the frags usually comes back around.

 

[Zakk]

I guess there's also something to the consideration that the frag used to be a tip of the main colony, which generally has better colour than the stalks, and now the frag sudden;y has become the new stalk.  Maybe it's a reaction  as the coral stockpiles  zooxanthellae so that it can start branching.  I have tried spot feeding some of the pesky ones, and I notice that the coral definitely reacts with increased polyp extension for a few days afterwards.

I've got a scratch and dent coral now from Rick, that is supposed to be teal, and it's brown as brown gets.  That's why I'm thinking about this, I never get anything browning to that degree, but I was looking on this frag as sort of an experimental experience, and seeing what I can do to help these things along.  It may well be that it's just such a shock to be cut from the parent, trucked around, and then dropped into a new environment.

 

[Zakk]

So for the past week I've been messing around with the LED's on the tank.  I have the CREE led's, with the drivers turned back to maybe 80% output.  I got the dimming drivers too.  I would say I was running 96LED's at approx 60% of possible output.  At that level of light, there is SPS growth, but more browing, but heavy softie and LPS growth.  Turning the LED's to 80% starts to make a difference in the appearance of the SPS within 2 days, but things like zoa's and palys stay closed up until the evening light cycle (Royal Blue only). 

I've never really been able to control light output like this before, except for placement of the fixture and/or the coral.  I am guessing that an output of 70% is going to be a nice compromise, but I can definitely (again) see why SPS guys would tend to shy away from softies, as I'd love to run the lights full out, but feel bad giving the softies a sunburn!

 

[Zakk]

More experimentation.  A lot of my zoa/softie problems were related to the broken skimmer and (I think) oxygen levels.  Now that the new skimmer is up and running, everything is open and looking good. 

So I upped light intensity and length even more.  I must be close to the 80% output of the drivers (any higher and LED's start to burn out).  I have noticed already an improvement in the sps appearance as they get their sunscreen out.  I have one frag I got very browned out, and it's lighter.  I may take a series of pic of it over the next couple of weeks, in fact I may do it for 2 or 3 frags, just to see the change. 

As of now, nothing seems bothered by the new light levels, which is great. 

 

[Lynne]

hi Zakk, light has a lot to do with new frags browning. if you noticed no other acro in the tank is browning. so its not the water quality. new frags should be placed under 65k lighting untill you see the healing. then you can put them back under the main lighting. its funny how they can go through so many different colors once being pulled from the ocean, to the tank, than fragged and back again...

 

[Zakk]

hi Zakk, light has a lot to do with new frags browning. if you noticed no other acro in the tank is browning. so its not the water quality. new frags should be placed under 65k lighting untill you see the healing. then you can put them back under the main lighting. its funny how they can go through so many different colors once being pulled from the ocean, to the tank, than fragged and back again...

Very true.  I think a great deal of mine are aquacultured, but there is a lot of unknowns in the hobby.  Adding the wavemaker has improved things a lot for me, although I look at some of the tanks of people on here and I realize that I don't know sh*t.  ;D