HEY! all you SPS keeperss, ya YOU!

[aaronlp]

Ive got some questions for the sps guys out here in the URS.

I need some advice ive been looking around at a lot of dominant sps reeftank. Now i see a fair share of minamalistic rock works and tanks plenty full of rock. Which has a better benefit to keeping a healthy sps tank and which would benefit from less disaster if something were to go wrong. I see a lot of the tanks having an 'overkill" in rock can you have to much rock?

Would a deep sand bed benefit a sps system at all?

Would not having any fish to as little as 3-4 fish help the system as i know sps like a clean non dirty tank.

What about adding a refugium with macroalgaes would keeping a clean sps tank would there be any benefite from keep macro algaes or even having a refugium?

Any other advice would be great to help meo ut here. Looking to do a lot of "studying" on sps tanks!:reading::beer:

 

[Bluephish13]

IMO some of the best looking sps tanks have lots of fish and feed heavy.

A Refugium will help with daily ph swings as well as nutrient export.

IMO Minimalist rock scape aids in better water flow. Also you will have more room for growth. I add extra rock to sump and fuge.

Deep sand beds have a expiration date. Dusting of sand is my favorite and what i see most.

Having Efficient filtration(more fish=bigger skimmer/more water changes), and keeping stable kh/cal/mag levels.

NOT Mentioning the other million things you need to avoid that can kill sps.

lots of different ways to go about it.

 

[suppressivefire]

IMO some of the best looking sps tanks have lots of fish and feed heavy.

A Refugium will help with daily ph swings as well as nutrient export.

IMO Minimalist rock scape aids in better water flow. Also you will have more room for growth. I add extra rock to sump and fuge.

Deep sand beds have a expiration date. Dusting of sand is my favorite and what i see most.

Having Efficient filtration(more fish=bigger skimmer/more water changes), and keeping stable kh/cal/mag levels.

NOT Mentioning the other million things you need to avoid that can kill sps.

lots of different ways to go about it.

Spot on info:beer:, I would also add having sufficient lighting is very important factor also. Imo the biggest killer in most sps tanks or sps in general are swings are related to alkalinity.

 

[BuffaloReef]

I agree with what others have said. SPS systems seem to benefit from having lots of fish. Whether the benefit comes from the fish food, body waste or from the fish bumping into the corals I don't think anyone is certain.

DSB have a tenancy to crash after awhile. Look at the thread for the August, 2012 tank of the month. That guy had several systems crash when sandbeds went bad. If you only plan on running the tank for a few years there may be some benefit. I've never used a DSB so I'm not an expert on them.

A refugium may help. If it's lit when the tank is dark the photosynthesis will remove CO2 from the tank and addd O2 stabilizing oxygen and Ph. They can also get messy and certain macros will go "sexual."

Lighting, water flow and steady parameters that are similar to the natural environment are the biggest keys I've noticed with the best SPS systems. It's easier said than done with a constantly evolving system. For example, your coral mass may triple in a year after adding some frags. Those corals that needed X calcium and alkalinity now need 3X. All those things are hard to keep track of.

Good luck and keep researching!

 

[cardiffgiant]

Great advice so far.

As others have mentioned, I'd recommend against a DSB in a display. Some have had success with a remote DSB, but I'd focus more on a refugium. The refugium will produce food for fish and microfauna that will benefit SPS.

In addition to a good skimmer, I'd also consider a method for running a good carbon like ROX that will help to cut down on chemical warfare.

 

[Jstn]

You could also look into a Algae turf scrubber, it seems that is all the rage these days. Im following along, I really want to get my sps growing well after all of it died. I agree the minimalistic rock encourages more flow and personally I find it much more attractive to my eyes.

I never liked the idea of deep sand bends, it seem to me in my limited experience they just clog up, and I have had better results with the thin ascetically pleasing sand bed. I rather just rely on carbon dosing and water changes to tackle nitrates opposed to using a sand bend to achieve the same results.

 

[Eastamherstbias]

Stability and having a routine is the key. If you are constantly adjusting, tweaking non stop you will have issues.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

based on personal experience:

based on personal experience:

I'm not a fan of DSB's in a reef display and ESPECIALLY a SPS aquarium display. RDSB (remote deep sandbed) is the obvious choice for one looking to obtain the nitrate reduction a DSB can provide IMO.

It's always been my opinion that more rock is better.. and it usually is until you learn the ropes really well. I love REAL live liverock. Obviously you need to allow room for water circulation and growing corals.

Water circulation is critical in a SPS system. So is alkalinity. So is everything else, really. Generally speaking, soft corals are MUCH more forgiving than stonies.

Low PO4 levels must be maintained for most SPS to flourish and the more fishes you add the more of a challenge it becomes.

I've always like refugiums and macroalgae. I wish I could grow Halimeda like cully was doing in the main display BUT NO CAULERPA!

Chaetomorpha remains a great choice. I like the red algae growing in my refugium... not sure what it is though.

It's still my opinion that halides grow Acroporiids the best.
I realize that SOMEDAY... perhaps soon... LED's will
Get that book called 'Aquarium Corals' by Eric Borneman.
You must realize that not all corals grow in the same oceanic environment and some species are much more forgiving than others.
I'm curious to see what other SPS growers post in this thread as well as what's already been posted.

 

[tmz]

IMO, sand beds in the display or remote beyond and ich or two in depth do next to nothing to increase nitrate reductioon . Diffusion just doesn't move much down in deep sand..
FLow/ flow and more flow are key.
Fish are great with sps . Food too if you have the means to maintain low PO4 and NO3 to go with it( such as skimming, gfo, gac and organic carbon dosing).
I like halide and vho lighing for them.
Live rock is a plus and can be very effective in a cryptic refugium, freeing up space in h display.
Macro algae on opposite photo period helps a bit with ph swings but more importantly it gives some oxygen to the system to offset nightime hypoxia when the other animals are respiring. In fact, I 'm thinking of putting one or two of my frag tanks on a photoperiod opposite the display.

tready alk calcium and magnesium are a must.

Steady sg too.

Consistently low PO4 and NO3.

 

[oneradtek202]

i dont know much about SPS....BUT.....

little dusting of sand is a good thing for SPS. lots of fish for coral food, but big skimmer to remove that crud when produced. A lot of nutrients in and a lot of nutrients out is the basic principle. You need to keep things stable, mainly temp alk salinity and ....oh yea did i mention alk? lol Alk is the most important thing to keep relatively stable in the SPS tanks. as mentioned above, it does vary on you a coral grows to you need to test often. i run my frag tank on an opposite schedule as my DT to keep PH stable. i would do minimal rock in the tank, pick a few very nice pieces of SPS and let it go, do not tough or play with it. every time u move something, u are setting your tank back another ffew months. MH lighting is best also.

 

[tycoakley]

Making sure you keep you CA, ALk and Mag in check is the biggest thing. Once you are able to stablalize these your sps will take off in no time. Its def a learning experience but i think you are up to the task. That is if you dont change your mind in a month!! lol