Getting back Pink in a Pink Birdsnest

[Sammydog]

Quick question for someone who may have experience in this.

I have a Pink Birdsnest (well it was pink when I got it 12 months ago) that has gone a browny colour. When the blue comes into my lights there is a neon green tinge to it.

It lost its colour around the time I had a phosphate issue. I largely have that resolved now, so thought I would ask here for others thoughts.

Here is a pic of it now.

You can see that the green monti and the blue stag are coloured fine. Ignore the green arco, its a rescue coral that was near dead when I got it (it started brown has gone green and is starting to get bits of purple). I also have a red monti that is bright red, a neon green Dallas Acro that is going nuts and a green birds nest that is not as green as the tank it came from, but looks fine. The pink birsdnest has me stumped.

My water parameters at the moment (all Red Sea Kits).

SG: 1.026
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0.2
Phosphate: 0.06 (midway between 0.08 and 0.04 on the colour wheel)
Calcium: 450
Magnesium: 1,280
dKH: 7
Iodine: 0.03
Iron: 0

For lighting I have Illumagic Blaze. The Birdsnest is in the top 1/3 of the tank.

Anythoughts, tips, suggestions?

 

[reefnoob]

Bump, anyone?

 

[Sammydog]

I'm wondering if its a phoshate issue and have ordered a hanna checker for phosphates.

My Red Sea kit has been giving 0.08 readings for tank, tap and RODI readings.

 

[2XAl]

Did you get this figured out? I am having a similar issue.

 

[Sammydog]

I am having a little progress.

Bought the Hanna Checker and my phosphates were actually zero. So I have been trying to get Nitrates and Phosphates up a little.

I also shuffled my lights back a little towards the rear of the tank where they will give better coverage of the SPS (particularly the Birdsnest). Right now, after about 2 weeks of the light move, the Birdsnest looks like this.

Unfortunately I am Skimmerless (have been for a week) and am waiting for my new skimmer to turn up, so the tank is not at its best right now.

 

[sen5241b]

Birdsnest are very sensitive to phosphates, nitrates and light changes, more so than other SPS. I would not try to raise phosphates at all. SPS needs phosphates in ppb not ppm. Most corals including SPS will regain color but be prepared to wait 3 to 12 months. The green tinge you see may be algae which means that part of the coral may be dead. Try feeding it.

 

[Sammydog]

The coral is definitely not dead. Polyp extension over the whole birds nest is really good.

The green in tinge in the last photo is only there when the whites in the LED's fade out during sunset and is isolated to the new growth tips. During full light, when the pink is at its best, the tips are white as they always were in the new growth areas.

The colour seems to be getting pinker by the day. Not sure if its the new skimmer, or the shuffling of the lights back a few inches on the tank to give better lighting. I suspect it is the lighting that was the issue as the backside of the coral that is away from the light coverage isn't recovering nearly as well.