Has anyone been a newbi and started with sps?

[gbru316]

On water flow would 3000 from powerheads and 500 possibly more from return pump be enough?

the only way to know if it's "enough" is to try it and see. You can strip the flesh of an acropora clean off with less than 300gph, likewise, you can still have low-flow issues with 50000000 gph. There are so many variables at play, it's impossible to give a concrete number.

Every tank is different, every coral is different. If you're looking for a checklist on how to raise a fantastic looking reef, you're not going to find it.


Instead of asking questions on every aspect, purchase some books and read as much as you can. Having a broad knowledge pool of reef related subjects makes the mistakes and problems easier to prevent and/or fix, and you WILL make mistakes, waste money, and kill some things. It's unavoidable.

If you don't have the patience, diligence, perseverence and wallet for trial and error, you won't do well in this hobby.

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

the only way to know if it's "enough" is to try it and see. You can strip the flesh of an acropora clean off with less than 300gph, likewise, you can still have low-flow issues with 50000000 gph. There are so many variables at play, it's impossible to give a concrete number.

Every tank is different, every coral is different. If you're looking for a checklist on how to raise a fantastic looking reef, you're not going to find it.

If you don't have the patience, diligence, and wallet for trial and error, you won't do well in this hobby.

Instead of asking questions on every aspect, purchase some books and read as much as you can. Having a broad knowledge pool of reef related subjects makes the mistakes and problems easier to prevent and/or fix, and you WILL make mistakes, waste money, and kill some things. It's unavoidable.

Yep, lots of good points here.

My last SPS tank was a 72 bow front ,with 2 1200 maxijets with the tips cut off and a 800 gph return pump. Not much flow be many 'standards' but it was plenty in the tank.

 

[cham]

Yep, lots of good points here.

My last SPS tank was a 72 bow front ,with 2 1200 maxijets with the tips cut off and a 800 gph return pump. Not much flow be many 'standards' but it was plenty in the tank.

This

My old 110 was ripping corals apart with two maxi modded pumps.

 

[Txboi]

I guess I start off with 3000 and see what happens if it's to much I'll decrease it if it's not enough I'll increase it just so you know I have read books and tons of stuff online I'm just trying to see what more experienced reef keepers have to say its another way to learn as well books can only tell so much were as asking questions on certain topics from those who have put them to practice is another thing

 

[bobkill]

And sps is a sink hole of cash- need lots of nice equipment - dsb is the display will be away bc Of all the flow -

 

[REEF SMAC]

My current tank is 150x, but I realize it's a little extreme.

That depends on who you ask. Sounds awesome to me.

i'm a firm believer in barebottom

I didn't it was a religion now.

Guess I'm still a non-believer.

I guess I start off with 3000 and see what happens if it's to much I'll decrease it if it's not enough I'll increase it just so you know I have read books and tons of stuff online I'm just trying to see what more experienced reef keepers have to say its another way to learn as well books can only tell so much were as asking questions on certain topics from those who have put them to practice is another thing

I don't honestly think starting off with SPS will be a serious problem for you if you do your homework ahead of time. I think it's more about whether or not you are OCD enough to keep your parameters where they need to be to grow SPS.
If your lighting, flow, lack of pests, and water are what they need to be, ALL THE TIME, you and your SPS will be fine.

 

[mkart]

I added sps right away when I started my tank and did very well until a recent temp issue. The key was constant testing and dosing. I had a few rtn right away but I had over 40 different species. I lost 80% of my sps a few months ago. Now I am rebuilding.

 

[Txboi]

Thanks guys it's nice to hear that there are biggeners on here who have had succes with sps corals

 

[bskiba]

If you setup an efficient tank than you could start SPS at 3 months old or so. i added at one month but have been in the hobby for years so I can tell how balanced the system was.

If your system can,
1. process nutrients with flow, mechanical filtration, chemical filtration.
2. doesn't store nutrients, dead area's, in rock, sand, sump, ect
3. don't overstock fish( super rookie mistake) My tank has two small fish.
4. balance the cal, alk. easy with the proper setup.

 

[Killgore]

I started out my tank with ocean water and bought live rock off of ebay from a guy that had it sitting in a bucket outside his trailer... first month I was doing water changed with water from the ocean. Once I even threw in about 10 or so sponges that I had found laying in the pools near the shore... although I did get a free flame scallop that was hiding in a sponge, I would not try that again.

First corals I added to my were some green star polyps, pom xenia's, orange monitpora, green birds nest and a little chip of chalice. I'm glad to say despite the rocky beginning, nothing has died. Well, the green star polyp isn't doing so well, but I don't understand that at all... the birds nest is growing nicely with good polyp extension. The montipora is growing I guess... I mean it's kind of like watching grass grow... the chip of chalice that I got was teeny tiny... maybe 3-4ml with one eye on it... now it's got about 5 or 6 eyes on it.

All I have for lighting was a 4 bulb 24" t5ho fixture with 2-10k and 2 act. so I have the sps very close to the top. In a week or so I have a 150w LED fixture coming. I'm a bit concerned about bleaching... it's dimmable so I was told just start it off around 50% and see how it goes.

So back to your question... what BlackThunda said was dead on... corals aren't going to know how much experience you have... it's all about the water quality and parameters and making sure that you are meeting the needs of the animals you wish to keep.

 

[Phranque]

Remember money and equipment does not equal success in this hobby.

There is a lot more to be said for biology then technology imo.

Research, research, research.

Keep it simple, don't rely on gagets. Above all else its about husbandry. Keep a log, test regularly and water change reguarly.

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

I've had my 28g nano up & running for just over 4 months now.... I didn't start with SPS, but I've added some a lot sooner than most would recommend. Granted they are the easier montipora digitatas, a birdsnest, and a millepora, but I've got them healthy & growing. I'm dosing 2-part with BRS dosers and mixing my own Holmes-Farley solutions. I keep vigilant testing records, and am beyond anal retentive when it comes to maintenance.

As stated by Jeremy... research, research, read until your eyes bleed, and then read some more.

I'm pretty happy with my work so far.....

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

I've had my 28g nano up & running for just over 4 months now.... I didn't start with SPS, but I've added some a lot sooner than most would recommend. Granted they are the easier montipora digitatas, a birdsnest, and a millepora, but I've got them healthy & growing. I'm dosing 2-part with BRS dosers and mixing my own Holmes-Farley solutions. I keep vigilant testing records, and am beyond anal retentive when it comes to maintenance.

As stated by Jeremy... research, research, read until your eyes bleed, and then read some more.

I'm pretty happy with my work so far.....

Looks good, but there is going to be some serious warfare going on in there before long!

Agree, you cna't read enough. At my peak I had over 30 Reef related books in my Library.

 

[unchin]

I'm completely new to saltwater as well. Started my tank a few months ago. First corals had some SPS too. Just make sure you get all the test kits and equipment you need. I've upgraded my equipment several times already over the course of those few months and now my SPS is growing like crazy. I can literally see the growth every week.

 

[DerekFF]

Im 3 months into the hobby on my own, starting sps now. However i have 3 years work experience in a small family owned aquarium so i think i have a good trial and error experience as well as old man knowledge from the owner. Been reading lots here and on my local forums. Im going to use the KISS strategy.

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[Miyagi570]

I consider myself to be a newbie(lil over a year now). My first coral purchase ever for my 45g was a Monti cap and Stylophora and both are doing great.

 

[dowtish]

I consider myself a noob. My tank will turn 2 years old in February. I didnt intend on keeping SPS initially, it just kind of happened. I started with the "easy" sps, like monti caps and birdsnest. And eventually with Acros. I think it's all about research and having the right equipment to keep your parameters stable. Which I was on a budget and still am. But I slowly acquired the right equipment to keep my SPS happy.

Here are a few shots of the progression.

 

[echoreef]

I started out with SPS right off the bat 3 years ago. Saw that many of the tanks of the month on reefcentral were SPS dominated. The first year was painful. Everything was brown, growth was slow. After that I tried carbon dosing, zeovit. Nothing really worked for me. Had huge battle with cyano bacteria all the way till this year. Now I am back to basic with just a calcium reactor, carbon, and GFO reactors. Growth is much better. Colors are great but I am still struggling with blues.

3 years ago:

This Year: