Colorado Sunburst

[Brandon G]

So I picked up a Colorado Sunburst from Aquatic Art about 3-4 weeks ago. Looked awesome although a little more dull than the mother nem. I get home and the coloration is slowly turning into what looks like a red/rose nem. I feed it shrimp and such and it eats like a champ! He is fully bubbled up but coloration is going very dull. You can hardly see the green on the base anymore. I called aquatic art but very little to no help and was said just wait it out I guess... My other nem is a rose bubble and sits on the other side of the tank and looks great...this sunburst though is a different story. I have it in my 40 breeder with very mild flow and he doesn't move around. Sits under a kessil 360. Was thinking about getting another kessil because from what research I could do on sunbursts, they like intense lights... anyone chime in?


Brandon

 

[Brandon G]

I also forgot to mention my parameters. nitrate/trate/ammonia all are ZERO using salifert AND api test kit. Calcium is 400 and alk is 8.3-8.5.

 

[sethsolomon]

a sunburst will not look like a true sunburst under kessils. Add some t5's to the tank and that should help bring the color back in it.

 

[Brandon G]

Bring in like 2 t5ho? Or what do you recommend? And I really like ati bulbs so what under their spectrum would bring back color for a sunburst?

 

[sethsolomon]

I would chime out to the T5 users of the club. I am not sure what bulbs to use.

Here is a similar conversation: http://www.marinecolorado.org/forums/showthread.php?28392-Lighting-over-Colorado-Sunburst



I am a halide user so my recommendation is ditch the kessil and pick up a 250w halide or 2x 150w halides. But this is my preference as I don't like kessils.

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

Two blue plus (string blue spectrum but still a lot of par)

 

[CRW Reef]

Unfortunately Im going to have to go against the grain here and say that the kessil 360 should supply plenty enough spectrum and par for that sunburst to keep color. This I guess also assumes you are not keeping it on a glass bottom tank and there is enough rock for the Nem to move freely up or down according to its liking. Now nems can dramatically shift colors IMO depending on many things, to little of nutrients, to much nutrients, feeding, not feeding, other types of Nems on the system, etc.

As long as the nem looks healthy I woudlnt stress to much about it, because if the Sunburst came from AA you can rest assure they did not sell you a bunk Sunburst or a "Gucci Sunburst" as some of us call them.


* I have keep half a dozen or more Sunbursts under straight a no name - chinese 420nm blue 120w led (never any whites) and the colors on them were unreal!!!!!
* If you talk to the original importer of the Sunburst Ki (aka the Sunburst Don Dada lol) he will tell you stories of sunbursts taking on colors/tints of roses and greens when housed in the same water systems.

 

[CRW Reef]

hmmmmmm well here is a similar story as yours with the Kessil and sunburst - maybe coincidence or truth doesn't really talk about the color being off more about health.

http://forums.nvreefers.org/index.php?showtopic=7993

 

[Gonefishin]

Colorado do sunburst are tricky. What is your alk, cal, and mag? I do recommend high lighting/ par over these nems. I run 400w mh, four 48" t5, two kessil 150 20k over my 44"x44" frag tub so the nems get blasted with light. In this picture, my nems are all from the same mother but coloration is different. Sunburst just can't make up their mind, always changing colors. One way to truly tell that it's a sunburst is that it will have yellow tips.

 

[CRW Reef]

DANG!!!! I see you are getting good and highly successful with cutting those suckers! Good for you man that's a tough challenge as I am sure you know.

 

[Gonefishin]

I wish cutting them was that easy. I lots a lot by doing so. Remember that 93 gallon cube I had for sale? I traded the full setup for 5 nems. That's how I acquired a lot of them.

 

[Haddonisreef]

Colorado do sunburst are tricky. What is your alk, cal, and mag? I do recommend high lighting/ par over these nems. I run 400w mh, four 48" t5, two kessil 150 20k over my 44"x44" frag tub so the nems get blasted with light. In this picture, my nems are all from the same mother but coloration is different. Sunburst just can't make up their mind, always changing colors. One way to truly tell that it's a sunburst is that it will have yellow tips.

Good to see more then one person manual propagation have success in Colorado

 

[SynDen]

Yep lights can have a dramatic affect on sunburst coloring. The best results I have seen are from MH and t5 combo, or even just MH. I believe Cris at AA keeps his under MH so the colors for him would be intense. But when you shift them into LED lights they have to readjust to the new spectrum and par of the light. This will cause them to lose some of their color and brighten other colors. As the nem adjusts it will either brighten back up, restore its color, or it will begin to take on colors of other nems in the tank, especially any close by. The only thing you can really do it is wait and watch them. As long as they arent melting away they will recover much and maybe surprise you with some new.

 

[Gonefishin]

Can you post pics of yours Brandon

 

[Brandon G]

As you can see by the first photo why I am frustrated... The other two photos are from week one and the first photo is from week four/five. He has set himself on a rock and been there forever and he is literally halfway up the tank right under the light. It's a 40b so it's not deep at all, so he should be getting enough light I would think. Alk 8.5, Calc 430, mag 1400, nitrate/trite and ammonia all zero using salient and api for accuracy.

 

[Brandon G]

[attachment=69337:name]

So went to aquatic art today and brought the nem with me. Everyone agreed it was losing color and wasn't looking like it should. I asked to see his again and I was shocked! Chris had ordered a 4 pack of rose bubbles and put them in the nem basket/tank with the others. Over night this is what the stunning sunburst looked like... The sunburst is the dull green one at the bottom of the photo. He said it happened over night. Well guess what I have in my tank as well before I got the burst, a rose. Well the rose is out now and I am crossing my fingers hoping this colors back up. I also ordered a dual t5ho fixture with some ati blue plus and purple plus bulbs to supplement my a360we. Hopefully this all clears up.

 

[FinsUp]

Nems are picky, delicate, pain in the butt critters sometimes. Good luck.

 

[Brandon G]

I added two t5 bulbs to go along with my kessil a360we. It's extremely bright but really nice coloring. It's been up for a few days now and things are definitely reacting. My bleeding apple is super puffy, bird nest and all the other kinds are just running wild with growth! The anemone is super happy but the colors aren't radiating like it was sooooo. I'll keep waiting I suppose. I have recently got some silvers ides chopped up into a pea size that I'm soaking in reef fuel before I feed the nem. Any advice from anyone I'd pretty much do. Thanks everyone!

 

[Walter White]

IMO silver sides are not the best food unless you are chopping them really fine. Mine used to spit them out most the time. I have found PE mysis coated in Fauna Marine vitamin spray works the best. Highly nutritious for the nems as well as other inhabitants. The smaller elongated shape of the mysis make it really easy for the nems to catch and consume. I dont even feed mine directly anymore and they grows as fast as ever catching a mysis or two on its own each time I feed.

Based on my experience I believe you can actually stress these animals by trying to feed them too much. Again this is just my opinion based on personal experience.

 

[SynDen]

IMO silver sides are not the best food unless you are chopping them really fine. Mine used to spit them out most the time. I have found PE mysis coated in Fauna Marine vitamin spray works the best. Highly nutritious for the nems as well as other inhabitants. The smaller elongated shape of the mysis make it really easy for the nems to catch and consume. I dont even feed mine directly anymore and they grows as fast as ever catching a mysis or two on its own each time I feed.

Based on my experience I believe you can actually stress these animals by trying to feed them too much. Again this is just my opinion based on personal experience.

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