I know there are those that swear by the reef foods. They most likely have very large water volumes with low fish loads that don't require that much feeding. One thing I found was not only did the reef foods contain high phosphate, but the oils would cake inside my skimmer and could shut it down for days.
Trying to stay away from ANY product that seems to turbo charge a specific parameter or feeding response has made all the difference in the overall stability and steady growth in my tank. If I can predict on a weekly basis when the glass needs cleaning, when filter socks need to be changed, when coralline needs to be scraped, when the skimmer needs to be cleaned, my water change frequency/volume and when the fish need to be fed then I know I'm keeping it steady and offering my SPS tank the most important parameter of all....stability. Slowly take note of the above tasks and monitor progress. You'll be surprised at how routine it can become. This may sound odd but a boring and predictable routine based on observation can really offer you a lot of insight into the small nuances and quirks that make your tank work. Only when the above stuff was rock solid did I start fiddling with things like lighting, photoperiod, flow patterns, additives and so on. Too often I think people look at this stuff first when the other things have proven to me to be so much more important.
