Has anyone been a newbi and started with sps?
- Thread starter Txboi
- Start date
blackthunda77
New member
Its not like the corals know if you have "10 years experience" lol. Its more a matter of the tank being established and you having a good handle on parameters needed and how to properly get them there, coral placement and lighting, etc. All of which can be learned from research and reading.
TwistedMind
Member
My tanks been going for around 6 months now and I haven't had much success with SPS. Though I think it's my LED's doing me in.
I have killed a pink birds nest, a green birds nest, about a month apart from each other. I am currently on attempt number 3 and it's still alive 2 weeks after introduction, but I am noticing what looks like tip recession.
My pink birds nest was a fresh cut and it died within 24 hours of introduction, my other green birds nest that died slowly bleached over the course of a week. It's still in the tank I Moved it to the bottom and am hoping it pulls a comeback since it slowly bleached. It bleached after I detached it from the frag plug and remounted on a rubble rock.
The frag I have thats still alive is still attached to it's frag plug and I am scared to mess with it.
I have killed a pink birds nest, a green birds nest, about a month apart from each other. I am currently on attempt number 3 and it's still alive 2 weeks after introduction, but I am noticing what looks like tip recession.
My pink birds nest was a fresh cut and it died within 24 hours of introduction, my other green birds nest that died slowly bleached over the course of a week. It's still in the tank I Moved it to the bottom and am hoping it pulls a comeback since it slowly bleached. It bleached after I detached it from the frag plug and remounted on a rubble rock.
The frag I have thats still alive is still attached to it's frag plug and I am scared to mess with it.
MechEng99
aka Reef'd Up
It's possible, but the easiest way to learn is just by doing it. Most aquarists have about 6 months to learn while their tanks finish cycling. Even if you read all you can and your tank is through cycling, I still think there's some stuff you just can't learn without doing. You may lose the first few pieces, so they should be hardier SPS.
Why not just put a few easier corals on the sandbed first while you're learning? You can remove them when you're ready to go all-SPS. They'll look pretty while your tank stabilizes, and they'll give you something to practice on.
I hope your book discusses a good quarantine and coral dipping procedure. SPS are notorious for having a plethora of pests in addition to having more finicky needs.
Why not just put a few easier corals on the sandbed first while you're learning? You can remove them when you're ready to go all-SPS. They'll look pretty while your tank stabilizes, and they'll give you something to practice on.
I hope your book discusses a good quarantine and coral dipping procedure. SPS are notorious for having a plethora of pests in addition to having more finicky needs.
collie man
Stoney Reefer
i started my second tank after only having the first for 6 months with sps. not to say i know anything at all... i think i got lucky. now look, ive got STN after a year and a half of steady growth. go figure!!
collie man
Stoney Reefer
read alot and hangout on this board. dont be afraid to post questions. this website is a godsend for most. im rooting for ya!
Sisterlimonpot
Premium Member
That's a good point Collie, the biggest thing is being able to see a problem and knwo what to do to combat against it. It's easy to grow SPS when things are flowing smoothly, but what do you do with alkalinity shoots off the charts or when your pH isn't right and the corals start to STN? Will you over react and cause more harm then good? Will you even notice the change early enough to be able to react?
Experience is one of those things that many SPS reefers suggest having. But you have to start somewhere... What a conundrum
frankyrivera
FUP&A Member
Funny thing is most people do what they want even when told to wait, Heck even the people who are telling you to wait probably didn't wait at one point or another. Point is tanks need to mature and thats probably between 7-10 month mark so to be safe most would recomend a year but others have tried quickly after 6 months or sooner. While you can keep most SPS alive initially you probably wont experience much growth or color until your water column has what the corals need to thrive. Make sure you have a handle on the demand of ALK, Calcium and Mag and dont forget about the number one system crasher your heater one bad heater sticking on can cause damage one heater failing can also do damage. Damage in the form of STN or RTN. Fluctuations in ALk and Calcium are bad too. Stability is key which is why waiting it out until you got a handle on things such as water changes normal testing ETC its best you go slow and start with inexpensive easy care corals. No one wants to kill a purple monster or a red dragon after dropping all that cash have fun and good luck.
Ok so let me know if what my system is going to be is a good start for a sps tank most of the stuff I have I have sunlight supply tek t5 6 bulb light fixture aquac remora protien skimmer tunze osmolator CPR spill box red sea wavemaster pro fixin to get a adhi refugium still have to get power heads tank heater and return pump I plan on having a deep sand bed and going to use mostly base rock and buy a little live rock to seed the base rock does this sound like a good setup for a sps reef tank I understand I need to let my tank mature and need stable water perameters so I hope with the system and knowledge that I will have some success
bobkill
reefer
Only red flag I see is a 'deep' sand bed - not sure if that a great idea - most sps system are low sand or bare bottom -this could be asthetic reason and also deep sand beds can hold waste and organics if it get disturbed that can release that jazz - also sps love flow so deep sand beds will be tornados and pill up awkwardly in spots -
I would go though all the tank of the month winners then find there build threads - that will give you a couple of weeks to read - plan well and dot spend money on stuff you thought you would need but then don't use-
I think sps ready will depend a lot of the big equipment - lights and flow with stable parameters - alsoooo needs good bacterial support - which can be done with time or supplementation - my one advice is flow, lots of random strong flow .
If you haven't read the sticky on here about calc alk mag etc -
I would go though all the tank of the month winners then find there build threads - that will give you a couple of weeks to read - plan well and dot spend money on stuff you thought you would need but then don't use-
I think sps ready will depend a lot of the big equipment - lights and flow with stable parameters - alsoooo needs good bacterial support - which can be done with time or supplementation - my one advice is flow, lots of random strong flow .
If you haven't read the sticky on here about calc alk mag etc -
Ptyochromis
New member
I consider myself to be a 'newbie' when it comes to salt. My first coral purchase ever was a Montipora cap. I have had my tank up for roughly 5 months.
The tank is fishless, but I have several substantial colonies of Oculina patagonica, and Caryophyllia smithii. A substantial bio load as they get daily feedings.
The tank is 29g with 40lbs of oolite, 38lbs of LR and soon-to-be sumped with a 29g sump (bit of nitrate issues, HOB chaeto fuge isn't cutting it).
My nitrates have been higher this past week then they have ever been (15 parts from 5 >_<) but my monti is still kicking, although the white line of new growth has shrunk significantly. He has put on 1/4" of growth in the 4weeks I have had it so I must have been doing something right.
I go through 1/4tsp of kalk, 1-2 tbsp of Mg suppliment (seachem), <1tsp of kent superbuffer dKH and 1.6ml of 4% vinegar per week. Everything except the vinegar is on a continuous drip.
I also got a cheep powerhead off amazon, 3000 l/h 110volt. May be a bit much lol.
A word about the DSB. All the literature I have read says having one is a good thing (3" or deeper with sugar grain sand); in theory, organic buildup shouldn't be an issue(to an extent) if you have adequate micro fauna.
Also, don't underestimate the importance of flow. Avoid getting 1 big powerhead and hooking it up to a timer (like i did) and expecting it to do a good job and not run backwards (only a matter of time before it runs backwards).
The tank is fishless, but I have several substantial colonies of Oculina patagonica, and Caryophyllia smithii. A substantial bio load as they get daily feedings.
The tank is 29g with 40lbs of oolite, 38lbs of LR and soon-to-be sumped with a 29g sump (bit of nitrate issues, HOB chaeto fuge isn't cutting it).
My nitrates have been higher this past week then they have ever been (15 parts from 5 >_<) but my monti is still kicking, although the white line of new growth has shrunk significantly. He has put on 1/4" of growth in the 4weeks I have had it so I must have been doing something right.
I go through 1/4tsp of kalk, 1-2 tbsp of Mg suppliment (seachem), <1tsp of kent superbuffer dKH and 1.6ml of 4% vinegar per week. Everything except the vinegar is on a continuous drip.
I also got a cheep powerhead off amazon, 3000 l/h 110volt. May be a bit much lol.
A word about the DSB. All the literature I have read says having one is a good thing (3" or deeper with sugar grain sand); in theory, organic buildup shouldn't be an issue(to an extent) if you have adequate micro fauna.
Also, don't underestimate the importance of flow. Avoid getting 1 big powerhead and hooking it up to a timer (like i did) and expecting it to do a good job and not run backwards (only a matter of time before it runs backwards).
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