"deepwater" acro lighting requirement

[maneoxfidelis]

this is more curiosity than anything else but I was wondering if there was any correlation between lighting and the so-called "deepwater" acros i.e. they do better under less light or bluer light or if that is just an industry term and they have the same requirements as their shallower cousins.

 

[naturebatslast]

IME, most of the "deep water" have more subtle lighting for color (med light to lower light), but do better with very high flow rates. Blue lighting will make almost everything look great, but I think you'll still need higher intensity lighting, T5 or MH (and LED's soon enough).
Generally, the same requirements for most Acropora's.

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[snowmaker]

I once mistook "Deep Water Acro" to mean lower lighting, but after several months they weren't doing anything so I moved up higher (mid - high level) and they're doing much better - color and growth.

 

[lisa foster]

I was told to put mine high in the tank. The name does make it seem like low lighting.

 

[swreef103]

depends what ur using for lights.i keep mine on the bottom in the shade and they grow awesome.use to leave them half way and i find i get much more color down as low as they can go...i use 250 mh and t5s so i'd say just try them in low-mid range...

 

[Liam]

You can often tell the corals requirements by looking at its growth structure.
Most deepwater acro's have delicate growth form,this i suspect is because the area they inhabit is less turbulent than the reefcrest.
Their colors are often more uniform, vibrant greens and pastel colors.
I always place these corals lower down and they seem to thrive,yes growth may be slower but it is a more natural enviroment for the coral.
I have corals vibrantly colored that are 30+ inches below my lights(T5) and show good growth.
Yes you can place them higher up but i find them to be paler and more suseptable to going downhill if there is a water chemistry problem, due to the corals weakness under a higher light than it was accustomed to.

 

[hanser]

here is a pic of mine, bought it at Jays, one of Leo's frags. He said it would aquire purple tips under bright light, and as you can see mine has.

 

[mchartier]

love the red planet in that pic.

 

[hanser]

Thanks, its my favorite sps ATM I am thinking about fragging it soon.