Does this acro need higher par?

[Paulb89]

Apologies for the terrible photo.

I purchased a wild colony locally (Western Australia)

When I initlaly purchased it in the shop, the tips were yellowish and the skin had a red complexion to it

Since getting it in my tank, it has gone darker and completely lost the yellow tips, the picture is a frag off the colony but they are the same colour.

My question is, when acro are this very dark brown/purple/black, do they need intense par to colour them up? I run pretty high par levels anyway 450 - 500 and it hasn't changed at all?

Does this colour skin relate to a coral which was once really high up on the reef?

 

[Glenner’sreef]

Your newly purchased coral may never look the same as the colony it came from. Chemistry and lighting are sure to be different in your setup vs theirs. Yours may turn out looking better. Time will tell. I like to mount my sps corals about 8” or so from the top of the tank. It usually takes 3-6 weeks before the polyps really start to show themselves. Take it slow (a week) acclimating your corals to your particular lighting.

 

[Paulb89]

Your newly purchased coral may never look the same as the colony it came from. Chemistry and lighting are sure to be different in your setup vs theirs. Yours may turn out looking better. Time will tell. I like to mount my sps corals about 8” or so from the top of the tank. It usually takes 3-6 weeks before the polyps really start to show themselves. Take it slow (a week) acclimating your corals to your particular lighting.

This is a wild piece, it probably hit my tank 5 days after coming off the reef. It is mount high on my scape and is getting 450 par.

I'm just curious to know if this dark skin is indicative of a coral needing higher par to expel more zoox?

I'm wondering if this colony was inshore and exposed to intense sunlight

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

As mentioned it could be many things, water chemistry is probably the better choice rather than needing more light. The coral is shocked coming from a natural environment. It usually takes a good 6-12 months to get an acro acclimated to captivity.

It's going to take time to bring out the colors that artificial light promote vs natural sunlight.

 

[Hugster78]

There are too many variables to give you a concrete answer. Give it a month and see. That wild colony is stressed from moving systems. Most wild colonies never make it. Hopefully yours will

 

[twentyleagues]

This is a wild piece, it probably hit my tank 5 days after coming off the reef. It is mount high on my scape and is getting 450 par.

I'm just curious to know if this dark skin is indicative of a coral needing higher par to expel more zoox?

I'm wondering if this colony was inshore and exposed to intense sunlight

Could be. In the past when I had an sps tank a lot of my corals were darker than where they came from. In my case it was elevated nitrate and phosphate. All the corals grew fine pretty fast in fact but most looked little like their parent colonies. I had plenty of par too 3 250mh and 6 t5 on a 125g standard tank. As I started to really manage n and p the corals started to look more like their parent colonies.

 

[Glenner’sreef]

Not completely sure if blue or purple corals vs light pink or green are a setback for success under the same par. Most of the acro, monti, Poc. Etc tanks that we’ve all seen have these corals of various shades side by side. With no problem. I could be wrong but you might be over thinking this.

 

[Matt Bravo]

I’m in the same position you are right now too! I recently got a wild speciosa that came off the reef last saturday. I’m curious to see how it will color up and grow but I’m wishing you luck with your new piece.

 

[bobnicaragua]

Even if the wild acro gets established and does well, it’s usually the first to go when conditions aren’t just right.

 

[Uncle99]

Check to ensure phosphate is not elevated.
That can darken them.

 

[Paulb89]

I've had the colony and this frag about 3 or 4 months now, it's fully encrusting.

West australian wild sps are hardier than their eastern counterparts, however in saying that, 95% of the sps in my tank are wild collected pieces.

I lose very very little, my tank is 6 years old so very well established.

Hopefully it colours up in time, it's certainly different than all the other wild stuff I've seen here.

 

[bobnicaragua]

I've had the colony and this frag about 3 or 4 months now, it's fully encrusting.

West australian wild sps are hardier than their eastern counterparts, however in saying that, 95% of the sps in my tank are wild collected pieces.

I lose very very little, my tank is 6 years old so very well established.

Hopefully it colours up in time, it's certainly different than all the other wild stuff I've seen here.

How about some tank shots? I’d like to see the wild acros!

 

[Hans-Werner]

Darkening of corals, especially Acropora, may have different reasons, light intensity, light spectrum or nitrogen/nitrate concentration, to name just the most relevant ones.

So it is very hard to answer your question with just the infos you have given.

 

[ryanjohn1]

Seriously show off them wild boys! Let’s have some pics

 

[Paulb89]

Here's a few of my wild bits which are wild west australian and Queensland stuff

 

[Paulb89]

I picked these wild Queensland pieces up earlier this week, excited to see how these settle in

 

[Reef Puncher]

iron, nitrate phosphate, and many other trace elements can cause color change. your par is def fine.