Begginners (new to) SPS list please

doctorgori

doctorgori

New member
A search using "SPS" & "Begginner" didn't yield much (understandibly), but what I wanna know is which SPS's would be good to get your feet wet...

I got reef tank experience but only from 85 thru the mid-90's before things got where they are today with SPS...So what would you folks reccomend I start with and where would be a good place to buy inexpensive frags? ("inexpensive" since some "begginers" risk is involved)

Oh the tank is nothing fancy/high end: a Marineland 90 w/overflow, 20G sump, mag 9.5, 2X Korilla 1050's, 2X Maxi 1200's, Reef Octopus 150, SSB, about 100lbs rock...temporary 400W Radium MH, 6x54 TEK comming (GFO/Carbon reactor comming, might even do pellets eventually)
 
I don't know a whole lot about SPS corals, but I think many would consider both Montipora capricornis and Pink Birdsnest to be both fairly easy and inexpensive SPS corals. As to where to buy, I've found that the cheapest place is from local reefers- you can get a decent sized frag of pink birdsnest for as low as $20. Good luck! :wave:

Jane
 
All of the above are excellent recommendations. Your best bet is to get in contact with the closest reef club and find somebody that has frags for sale and/or wait for a frag swap. None of the above should run more than $20/frag. Heck, I use to give some of those away to people just to clear out excess growth.
 
...it amazes me as big as this site is you can actually usually get a decent reply even from 1000+ posters who I'd bet see the same doggone questions over and over...
Kudos and thanks ladies & gents for the reply

...and I'd love to see a SPS "matrix" sorta listing difficulty/light/current/ and any other specifics for quick reference.... it'd be a nice sticky hint hint
 
Kindness begets more kindness...

Montipora capricornis (various colors)
Montipora digitata (various colors)
Seriatopora hystrix (pink birdsnest)
Stylophora pistillata
Pocillopora damicornis
Acropora yongei (bali green slimer)

If you want to see pictures for most of these just google them and/or go to live aquaria.
 
RealReef7 said:
IME birdnest are not the hardiest coral, cant go wrong with a montipora
Click to expand...

yeah I've grown Monti's semi-long term...and if you ole skoolers recall it used to be a fixture on MI live rock, ...it would spread for about a year then fade....and EVERY single tank back in the 90's had those bleached monti skeletons skewn about the LR

...another thing was if you also recall, all but a few of us were darn ignorant and never feed our corals for fear of cyno et, NTM everyones tanks were over grown with polyps and/or xenia and we thought that look was the shizit :hmm5: ...I spent a LONG time looking at the SPS stickies and me and the wifes heart stopped: OMG !!!! my TANK WILL EVENTUALLY LOOK LIKE THOSE EVEN IF I BOTHER THE HELL OUTTA YA'LL :D

Kindness begets more kindness...
Click to expand...

Thanks Java....10 yrs ago I sorta faded a lil from these Reef boards as it had gotten a lil "cliquish"...but the mods here and elsewhere do a GREAT job and even expert posters like yourself don't look at someones experience level but simply field the questions as they come...
...I'm not un aware some of this is recycled stuff:
...again thanks
 
Most sps have the same requirement, some are more finiky thank others but on the whole you could start with anything.

as others said start with free/cheap frags monti, acro, digi, anything really. if you have someone who is willing to break off a tort branch or a milli for free give it a shot.

there is no real, hey this grows in any water condition sps that ive seen..most people say birdsnest because its common/cheap/grow quickly.
When i set my inlaws tank up (their first) i brought them 2 frags of an acro that was growing like wildfire for me. it lived, they got alot more frags and things are still growing.
 
In short, cheap ones are the ones to get your feet wet. I agree montis are a little easier, but I think some of them might be even more sensitive to alk shifts than some of the acros.
 
I feel these are pretty easy to keep and good beginners sps.
Green Birds Nest
Orange and green caps
Porcillapora (spelling most likely wrong)
Digitata
Green Slimer
But I agree, just find some cheap frags and get your feet wet. It the only way to get started.
 
what book would you people recommend?

I knew Xenia and star polyps were out with sps, but now after reading up here my plans on adding mushrooms went out the window....

I did some due dilligence and plan on placing an anemone 1st THEN getting the SPS...hopefully it won't move too much
 
Yup green slimer! Mine has kept it's color and is growing
My Idaho grape monti is going good also bit browned out :/

My digi on the other hand idk was going on with it kinda pale not growing has good polyp extention tho
 
I'm gonna do a 6x54 Tek over my 90...everyone says I'm good to go except for perhaps the lower 3rd .... I'd like to stock that lower 1/3 also but can't think of too much thats non-invasive except for perhaps a clam .... and w/o a lux meter its a guess if the lighting is good enough down there

just remember with anemones its not "IF" they sting your SPS its "WHEN"
Click to expand...
...I'm gonna try a GBTA ....hopefully it won't wander ...
 
doctorgori said:
what book would you people recommend?

I knew Xenia and star polyps were out with sps, but now after reading up here my plans on adding mushrooms went out the window....

I did some due dilligence and plan on placing an anemone 1st THEN getting the SPS...hopefully it won't move too much
Click to expand...



Xenia is a no no in any tank in my opinion that stuff grows like a weed.
in my sps dominate reef i have GSP and used to have xenia (thankfully i got rid of it all though the kenya trees still pop up here and there)

I have musrooms as well though im not really into them. As long as your sps are not close to the mushrooms i dont really see their being a problem.

Iver heard that softies and sps dont get along that great but in my 90g i seem to have no problems unless things touch.
 
doctorgori said:
...it amazes me as big as this site is you can actually usually get a decent reply even from 1000+ posters who I'd bet see the same doggone questions over and over...
Kudos and thanks ladies & gents for the reply
Click to expand...

Listen, I've answered this question at least a thousand times and I'm about tired of it...oh wait.

Everything that you've heard before is pretty much spot on. My first two corals were a Pink Birdsnets and Red Monti Cap. I added a generic blue staghorn shortly after and then started to add some more select pieces once I was certain I could maintain these creatures. Since you're just starting out I'll pass along something else I've probably said a thousand time. Patience is absolutely essential in keeping SPS. I've seen a few, very few, tanks that have simply blossomed in 12-18 months but the majority of the really successful tanks on here have taken years to develop. Do it right the first time. It's more satisfying and will be much less expensive in the long run.

BTW...mushrooms. I had a few hitch into my tank on a rock several years back and thought "cool". Now, I've tried inject kalk, slathering on kalk paste, crushing and covering with rock, etc and can't get rid of them. Kenya tree, mushrooms, xenia, and star polyps...add at your own peril. With nems you have to be absolutely certain that your powerhead intakes are shielded. We've all heard stories of nems getting sucked into one and nuking a tank.

Good luck,
Mike
 
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