Devil’s Hand with a green tint. How to discourage the green.

[nano7g]

I recently acquired this huge (for a 7g tank) colony that I thought was more white/beige but is actually purple with a neon green tint under mostly white light above (looks blue in photos but is not). My tank is running mostly white light and I’m not interested in the neon colors this coral is giving out (although beautiful in a blue running tank). Is there a way to discourage the green tint? Like lower placement, flow, or spectrum?

I read anecdotally the when corals get large, they can develop the green tint. Maybe cut it down to a smaller size? Any ideas?

 

[sfsuphysics]

I assume you're using LEDs for your lights? If so that "white" light actually has a very healthy dose of blue in the 460nm range or so, which is one of those wavelengths that will make certain coral proteins fluoresce which is probably where the green is coming from, the "purple" probably is also from that blue spike in your light just as a reflection off the surface more so than anything.. No way to really "discourage" it outside of killing the coral which usually isn't the desired outcome, if you have the ability to tune your spectrum on your lights (i.e. turn up/down certain color LEDs) you could try reduce the blue channel a bit, there still will be blue from your white LEDs but a little less blue could make the green not as prominent. That said white is usually not a healthy color for a coral, so having some color can mean it's actually healthier than when you saw it ... well where ever you saw it to get it

Gotta say, first time I've heard someone say they wanted a coral to be less colorful.

 

[nano7g]

Yes, it’s AI prime 16HD. I should clarify, it’s aesthetically white when you look at it with the naked eye. In actuality, it’s 20K spectrum using mostly blues. But the white is set high to the point of still maintaining 20K so to the eye it overpowers the blue and makes the tank look white (just not in photos). So I’m not too worried about the coral health as there’s still a healthy amount of blue. I have macroalgae, grube’s gorgonians and nepthea that all look better under "white" light. (Almost like a seahorse tank look). But the neon green throws off the whole look of the tank, so I want to mute the neon tint and express the lighter shades of this coral. I’ve found that depending on the light, you can manipulate the color of grubes gorgonian which can change shades from pink to tan depending on what light it grows under. With a fiji leather coral, I’ve read blue vs white light can darken out the coral and mute it’s true yellow coloration (not a light effect but true color). I’m wondering if this is true of devil’s hand.

 

[Darkxerox]

I think those primes use cool white as well instead of warm white or amber LEDs so they run very blue as @sfsuphysics mentioned. You'll have a hard time bringing out yellows and browns, but it will get the fluorescence to come out (green).

If you upgrade to a larger tank, you could try light with warmer colors, most of the ones I'd recommend are kind of overkill for a pico tank like this.

 

[tribbitt]

I will say that during a couple scuba dives I saw a couple leathers and acropora that were visibly green in a couple feet of water, under the natural sun. Attached examples of acropora that did that.

I think you can get pretty dang close to beige with warm whites, but green fluorescent protein is really good at being visible, especially with our eyes being more sensitive to green than other colors.

In contrast to what non-green coral looked like:

I think your problem might be the coral itself.

 

[nano7g]

Yeah, I’m considering trading the coral. If I could get the coral to look like that, forest green, that would be the perfect solution. Unfortunately I’ve already invested in the AI prime which only has the cool white and moonlight channel to change the whites. I’ve almost certain I can’t achieve that shade with the light I have, assuming that’s the same neon as my devils hand.

 

[Darkxerox]

Yeah, I’m considering trading the coral. If I could get the coral to look like that, forest green, that would be the perfect solution. Unfortunately I’ve already invested in the AI prime which only has the cool white and moonlight channel to change the whites. I’ve almost certain I can’t achieve that shade with the light I have, assuming that’s the same neon as my devils hand.

Ironically you want a browner leather but they honestly just don't import brown corals much anymore. Best bet is to ask around local stores and see for yourself. Sometimes stuff gets brought in from tank shutdowns.

 

[Lullaby]

Ironically you want a browner leather but they honestly just don't import brown corals much anymore. Best bet is to ask around local stores and see for yourself. Sometimes stuff gets brought in from tank shutdowns.

With color in mind, @nano7g I'm going to Ultimate Aquarium in San Mateo today, I'll get some photos of the nice leathers they have without any greens for you and post them here. Expect before afternoon but not within the hour.
Someone brought in a butt ton of purple leathers a while ago from a tank shutdown, along with few other smaller colonies. I grabbed a Superman Rhodactis rock that was there for a few months. Maybe you'll like their purple Devil's Hand?

 

[MichaelB]

Ironically you want a browner leather but they honestly just don't import brown corals much anymore. Best bet is to ask around local stores and see for yourself. Sometimes stuff gets brought in from tank shutdowns.

I have two brown/ beigie pastel toadstools 2 inches i'm 1000% not attached to if intrested totally free if you want one or both.

They definitely aren't fluorescent at all compared to my neon green polyp ones.

@nano7g

 

[BAYMAC]

Ironically you want a browner leather but they honestly just don't import brown corals much anymore. Best bet is to ask around local stores and see for yourself. Sometimes stuff gets brought in from tank shutdowns.

Toadstool Mushroom Leather Coral, Brown: Saltwater Aquarium Corals for Marine Reef Aquariums

The Toadstool Mushroom Leather Coral is referred to as Sarcophyton Coral, Mushroom, Leather, or Trough Corals. They are found in various shades of brown, tan or green, with white or gold polyps. It is difficult to identify many species because they all have the similar appearance of a mushroom or toadstool, each with a distinct stalk and capitulum (cap). As they grow older, they develop a folded appearance.

LA never got that message lol

 

[Lullaby]

There's one Toadstool with a bit of green but the only one with any green is in the last pic. Is this more the color you desire?

 

[nano7g]

With color in mind, @nano7g I'm going to Ultimate Aquarium in San Mateo today, I'll get some photos of the nice leathers they have without any greens for you and post them here. Expect before afternoon but not within the hour.
Someone brought in a butt ton of purple leathers a while ago from a tank shutdown, along with few other smaller colonies. I grabbed a Superman Rhodactis rock that was there for a few months. Maybe you'll like their purple Devil's Hand?

Thanks for doing that!