Bpb Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Bought this chalice about 6 weeks ago. When I got it, it was deep dark purple/blue with bright green heads. A killer looking Hollywood stunner. Now it has slowly gone to brown, now getting tan, and looking bleached. 55 gallon 4 bulb t5ho Chalice is substrate level 79-80 degree temp 1.025 sg 430 calcium (red sea pro) 9.0 dKh (red sea pro) 1400 Mg (red sea pro) Brs dual reactor Kalk dosed through ato Don't have a nitrate or phosphate tester, but my monti caps and digis are looking killer, as are my Duncan and favia. Actually everything else in the tank looks great. The chalice is just looking rough. Sorry for the sideways pic. Every pic I post comes up sideways no matter how I have the camera oriented Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faron Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Too much light perhaps? I'd try placing it somewhere off to the side and out of the light, if it isnt already. It worked for me with one of my chalices...not sure if it was less light or flow idk maybe a combination of the two but it worked. Just sharing my experience...Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 Thanks for the quick reply. It's at the lowest farthest to the corner point while still leaving room for my mag float. Next two options, I'll either prop the rock so it is vertical, or move it to an actual shaded spot. Just want to make sure that its not dying of too little light. Unfortunately whatever move I make will either make it better or worse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 I agree with Faron that it's a lighting issue but with your description of it going from brown to tan I'd think it needs higher light levels or more blue/UV light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 I keep mine on the very bottom. My experience with chalices is that they like low light and low flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 My bulbs are two blue+ on for 9 hours, and an aquablue special 14000k and a purple+ on for 7 hours in the middle. Two votes for too much light, one vote for too little. What to do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 How tall is your tank and where is the chalice vertically ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 It's a standard 55 gallon which is around 21" tall or so. The chalice is currently attached to a rock and is flat facing upward. Was thinkin I could try to put it to where it is vertical instead of horizontal. My vertical oriented mushrooms look far more vibrant than the ones that are horizontal. Chalice is in the lower left front corner on the sandbed. Sorry for the pic quality. iPhone hates blue only. You can see it at the bottom left corner. That's where it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 When mine have bleached in the past it has been too much light. I would shade it (like others have said). Mine are under rock caves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Well, sorry but I'm even more certain now it's not getting enough light. I would be surprised if the PAR readings the chalice is getting would be above 40 or 50. Can you find out how much light it was getting in the tank it was grown in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 Lol, well I got it from petco. It had been there a couple weeks and was under their single t8 6500k bulb, and looked just killer. A buddy of mine bought it and quarantined it in his tank with a dual t5 bulb, split it, and in my tank it went. His half is almost completely dead and it is under LEDs. Mine just gets browner and lighter by the day. It honestly looked best up in the tank at petco if you can believe it. No idea where they got it from Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 I'd be curious to see what the lux from the single T8 6500K and the lux the same distance under your 4' T5 fixture is. In everycase Iv'e measuresed a lower K rating bulb puts out more light than a higher K and significantly more than actinics. Another consideration when discussing spectrum is the purple/blue coloration is most likely not from flourescent protiens (the green most certainly is fluorescing protiens) but is reflected meaning the coral is absorbing the green, yellow and red parts of the spectrum which you've reduced considerably with your bulb selection compared to the 6500K it was under. An easy enough test determine whether the purple/blue fluorescing or not is what colors do you see with just the actinics one? if it's mostly green and a dark grey or brown the purple/blue is not flourescing. If you see some purple or some blue but it's brighter or more pronounced with the 14,000K on you're seeing a mix of chromo and fluorescing protiens. The chalice has also clearly attempted to adapt to the very different light conditions from what it was under previously and has changed the protiens it's producing. Do not make any drastic changes at this point and you might just try replacing the 14,000K with a cheap 6500K or 5500K bulb from a home improvemnent store to see how it looks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 (edited) Good write up. I have honestly been considering going with a GE 6500k bulb instead of the aquablue whenever I replace my bulbs in a couple months. I tried a 6500k bulb before and don't mind the looks of it. Just had it in my head that it would encourage algae growth but I'm not so sure that will be a huge issue right now. They sure are cheaper! With only the blues on, the green pops real well but the rest has a gray/purple look, when the daylights come on, that gray/purple turns tan/brown Edited March 3, 2013 by Bpb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 It sounds to me like the chalice has some purple fuorescing protiens along with some chromoprotiens that was giving it a blue coloration under white lights. If it was my coral I would do like you already thought about and switch out the 14,000K with a much lower K rating. I would leave the lighting cycle the same but each week or two move the chalice a little closer to the lights. If I'm right it will be about a month before it starts to regain some of it's original coloration. You also have to keep an eye out on your other corals to see how they like the change. It may be you need to try to find the chalice another home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckyuv Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Is the chalice still ok? Try taking some pellet food and put one on one of its eyes and try to get it to feed, if not you can try cyclops to feed it. None of my chalice were doing much till I started feeding and now they do great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 (edited) I moved it over about 6" into a little nook where it's not quite shaded, but its definitely under a bit of an overhang. I'll try to give it some food tomorrow. My war coral, and Duncan show a killer feeding response and they look wonderful. We will see if the chalice does the same. I don't see feeding tentacles coming out of the chalice quite as much. Going to order some new bulbs next week as well so hopefully that will do something. My bulbs have a variety of age in them. I know the purple plus bulb is only like 3 or 4 months old but the 14000k bulb and the two blues are definitely due for a change. I really wish I could afford an led fixture for this tank. I hate messing with bulbs constantly. I think after this go around on new t5's I may start setting money aside for LEDs Edited March 5, 2013 by Bpb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Are you running carbon ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 Runnin rox 0.8 and brs gfo in the dual reactor. Just as soon as I say I've never seen feeding response out of the chalice, I turn the pumps off to feed my lps, put a dash of mysis on the chalice an BAM out they came Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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