Easiest SPS?

Jmnazari

Hangin' w/ Rome from SWR
So, I finally have 4 t5s!!!!! Although it's just 2 2bulbs, my tank still looks legit!!!:bounce1::celeb3: This means hopefully I'll finally be growing some sps. So based on everybody's opinion and experience, what is the easiest sps to start with? I don't care too much about color, I just want something that is rough and tumble, and practically impossible to kill, as long as the lights are stong enough.


And to add some insight on my tank, lights:2 ATI Blue+, Fiji Purple, and a 10,000K. All are 39watts. My tank is 46 gallons. I have a 1 inch sand bed, 60lbs or so of live rock, I run gfo in a hob filter, I have a refugium that i've been growing chaeto in for a few months. Prizim Red Sea HOB skimmer, a nano korillia, a 75g tank rated powerhead, 120watt heater. I do plan on making a 20g tall sump with a 1700gph Rio pump, I will grow macros in there (not sure on the lighting though.) Livestock: 1 blue/green chromis, one scooter blenny, one peppermint shrimp, 6 turbo snail, 3 nassarius snails, 2 hermits, 2 ceriths, 1 margarita, and a 4-5" dia GBTA. Corals are: 100+ brown/pink palys, zoas, pulsing xenia, kenya trees, cabbage coral, GSPs, a few ricordeas, a NPS chili coral, 2 orange crush acans, and a super green head of duncan. Whew....that was a lot to list! Hopefully all that info will help somebody to point me in the right direction for picking out a nice piece of SPS :) Full tank shot is coming soon! :beer: -Justin-
 
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After at least a full year now, my full tank shot!!!!

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Branching hydnophora. its kind of a cross between a sps and lsp. Its technically a lps but looks like a sps. It has amazing color, very furry and easy to care for. Does very well in a LPS environment. It will sting anything it touches. You can find them in thin branching, thick branching and encrusting.
 
Do you keep po4 low with the macro. only reason I ask is some people proudly let p04 rise to encourage macro growth. I have found sps to be simple. good flow, steady kh, low po4. I stayed away from it for a year thinking it was hard. sea said throw this in your tank. the Bali green slimer grew a inch in six weeks.

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Do you keep po4 low with the macro. only reason I ask is some people proudly let p04 rise to encourage macro growth.

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This is one reason it is difficult to do a mixed reef.


Also most lps live in muddy water with slow random flow and SPS live in area's that are blasted with high current.

I am not saying it can not be done it just is not natural so is harder to replicate in the home aquarium.
 
WOW! Thanks for the overwhelming helpful info! Yeah, alk was something never tested too much before. Thanks Oscar and Gary for the info on that! I think i'll pick up some Green Slimer and a cap. And Bill, i'll for sure hit you up on that branching hydnophora! It shounds like my kind of coral :)
 
Second brs. I add a little daily. test once a week and adjust my daily dose accordingly. better to ad carbonate to top off water so it is added slowly. I have a gallon of sodium carbonate powder that is enough for at least a year.

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Starter SPS's?

Starter SPS's?

I started with a scroll coral and then tried some monty and greenbirds nest. The birds nest did well and the monty bleached and died. I still have the scrolls and now I can finally keep monty's. I have a green acro/slimer that started out asan inch frag and now is 3x3 inches. I lost my birdsnest. Start slow and glue them to the top of your reef and watch them grow! Check my album pics I have the same tank!!!:wavehand:
 
Aqua, what do you keep your Dkh at. I shoot for 8 but vary from month to month +\_ .5 Dkh. I graph it on aquaplanner for ipad


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caps are the easiest imo. ramp up your flow, or at least in the spots u want to put the SPS. like gary said, mixed reefs are tough. Make sure your skimmer is operating well....umm for ALK and Calcium, I dose Kalkwasser in the top off, which works wonders for lazy people like me.

I have some birdsnests and cap available for cheap if u want some
 
Yeah, I think I may just do a few pieces of sps and not get in too deep, until I make a sps specific tank LOL. I really like to look of coral reefs in the Red Sea; it seems to have lots of soft corals and a few sps.
Thanks for the info Brett and Brett! Can bad ALK and Calc ever be indicated by a bad pH? I'm still doing research on what test kits to buy, but I just want to have the water okay for now. my pH is 8.3 like 24/7. It dipped once to 7.8 when I had a that hair algae crash. And Victor, my nextdoor neighbor is holding onto that birdsnest I got from you until my conditions are perfect :) What caps do you have?
 
Your PH is good at 8.3, it'll dip down naturally at night which is why people run their fuge on a reverse light cycle.
 
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