How do you know if your favia is getting too much or too little light? What are the s

[nikki_kaiser]

I've a Christmas favia that I rescued from a friend. I have it at the bottom of my tank and have only had it three days. It's color is faded and in some places has a yellow tint. I tried feeding it but have seen no response. I don't know what her water parameters were but I did dip the favia and acclimate it. I also thoroughly checked for any parasites or signs that might indicate that this could of been an issue.

What causes a favia to fade like this? In addition, any advice on "nursing" it back to health would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[JsQuid]

I'm not entirely sure which type you have, however, my Favia has been doing well. He eats Mysis Shrimp like crazy. I spot feed him with a turkey baster, and have him toward the higher part of the tank. He has great color also.

 

[mr_X]

What lighting was over the tank it was originally in and where was it placed, and where do you have it now?
What other corals did your friend keep and were they successful with them?
If the colors just got a bit bland, I would say it was because of not enough light. If by fading you mean it's getting lighter in color, I would think it's too much light. I'm not going to get into parameters, because we don't know them.

 

[nikki_kaiser]

She had it in the front corner but it doesn't get as much light as the rest of her tank because of some ledges. Her lights are Radion (not sure which ones) and she only keeps LPS. I ruled out any chemical warfare with coral only because nothing was near it. I could be wrong. Looking closer I can see that there was some die off and the color isn't deep like it should be. It's faded and I see yellow tones. It's a Christmas favia. All of my LPS and favia do well in my tank so I'm not worried about my water quality. I'm just wondering if it needs to be placed in better light or if what she had it under may of been too intense. I've not had to deal with a "sick" favia yet so not sure what to do here. It's obviously stressed. I asked if it looked like this when she got it and she said no.

To be honest, her LPS don't look all that fantastic now that I think about it. She has a hammer torch that looks like the tentacles have shrunk on one side.

 

[mr_X]

I would put it in low to moderate lighting. The Favias, Favites and Acans i've kept seemed to do best under about 50 PAR. I'm thinking this coral got a little too much light.
Are you using LEDs?

 

[nikki_kaiser]

I use LED's. I'm just a little nervous it might be sick or something but we will see how it goes. I am hoping it colors up!

 

[mr_X]

In my experience, corals don't get "sick", barring parasites and bacterial infections. Bacterial infections are quite noticeable, and parasites that feed on LPS are usually easy to spot. You said you dipped it. What did you dip it in?

 

[nikki_kaiser]

I dipped it in CoralRX. I know coral can get bacterial infections etc. My concern is that it's got some yellowing and is faded. I really think it will be ok as I've seen no necrosis however I don't know if I need more light or less.

 

[mr_X]

I'm betting less.