How many yrs in the hobby before SPS success?.....

[dvanacker]

I was just looking at my tank tonight thinking....man everything looks healthy and has been for quite some time....it almost feels like SPS success!

For me I've been in this hobby for over 5yrs and I quickly became addicted to the colorful stick. I have enjoyed some small success and some failure over the years (upgraded tanks 3 time) but it wasnt until recently where I felt my tank was really successful. (knock on wood).

Im sure some people are going to say 1 or 2 years but there has to be some other unlucky folks like who took a bit longer to catch on.

Share your story if you like....

 

[dvanacker]

I just thought of something.....I want to add "what success?" to the options for those of us still trying to get there....but I dont know how to edit the poll. Maybe an mod can do it for me...if not oh well.

 

[CUNAReefer]

How about ten or more?

 

[vivek]

Success is relative. I feel like in 4yrs I have succeeded/survived. But then I look at some new corals posted here and I say wow...... I wish my corals looked as colorful as those... That keeps me going and striving for that ellusive goal that is hard to define.

 

[nbsdsailor]

I was just looking at my tank tonight thinking....man everything looks healthy and has been for quite some time....it almost feels like SPS success!

I sure hope you knocked on wood after saying this

 

[dvanacker]

Success is relative.

Yes or rather success can be defined differently by different people certainly.

Success for me is being consistently happy with my system for an extended period of time. (and not looking to make any changes).

And yes I have knocked on wood several times.

 

[celebrityovernight]

as the hobby evolves with the introduction of new technologies and gadgets, the wealth of information available, it is becoming much easier to achieve "success" today

 

[bassking16]

I'd have to agree with the above post. I started out with a pretty humble setup, keeping mostly Softies, and a few LPS. After about 6 months, I was looking for more of a challenge. After hours upon hours of research, and some $$$ for upgrades, I dove into the SPS scene. It's been over a year now of running an SPS dominated system, and have not had any real issues. I've battled my share of pests, (redbugs, AEFW, and monti nudis) but with all the info available on the web, I came through relatively unscathed.

In my short experience in this hobby, I've learned that it can be as complicated as you want it to be, and can be frustrating at times. However, with some patience, and a will to succeed, this hobby can be extremely enjoyable and rewarding.

 

[deeznutz1]

Well I've been sps'n for about a year. Success??? hardly, more like survival with some decent colour. PE seems to be very good, but growth is pretty slow on the vertical. My sps seem to not have a problem laying down a base.

Colour is a whole different story and this is where I'm need to improve.

So it looks like I'll be in the 1-2 year if I'm lucky

-dan

 

[abrian]

It took two years for me to get to where I consider my SPS tank a success. First year I made a lot of mistakes, second year I fixed them and got things stable and in line. Now starting my third year with SPS I am at the point where I can relax, enjoy the tank, do routine chores and not feel the need to "fix" anything.

That said I find I cannot relax when I get home from work until I have checked the tank to make sure nothing horrible went wrong while I was gone. So the neurotic worrying seems to be ingrained now unfortunately...

 

[SoCal LowBaller]

i was force into the hobby. i follow my brother all the reef events and started looking at stuff then one day at coral farmer market i bought some stuff, and it went downhill from there. hehehe.... in it for less then a year

 

[smtank]

I have been keeping corals for decades. Always had at least a few sps, but it was not until my second attempt at serious sps keeping, where I really got focused on flow, parameters and lighting specifically for acropora.

Honestly I think I was either over polishing the water or trying to keep all lps happy at the same time as the sps. Either way, focusing only on the sps and their requirements made the difference. It was sort of a commitment. Even today if a see a really nice euphyllia or maxi-mini anemone I pass on them. Of course I have a very small tank so that plays a huge part in it as well.

 

[sslak]

I'm 4 years in, started SPS 8 months ago.

Great growth, excellent polyp extension...but where are the pretty colors?!

Room for improvement.

 

[Pallobi]

Well I've been sps'n for about a year. Success??? hardly, more like survival with some decent colour. PE seems to be very good, but growth is pretty slow on the vertical. My sps seem to not have a problem laying down a base.

Colour is a whole different story and this is where I'm need to improve.

So it looks like I'll be in the 1-2 year if I'm lucky

-dan

I am about 7 months in actually having the corals in my care and these are my thoughts and feelings on my own system exactly... i think my corals are starting to do better the last 2 months, with the growth in particular...

 

[Pen3]

These days forums like RC giving new sps keepers great info has given success for >1 year folks. I started SPS about 5 months ago and having decent success with new frags covering a plug within a few weeks, but costing me twice the money i projected to spend. I bought a cheap ASM skimmer and later buying a nice ATI and going through all kinds of lighting and decided on 2 LumenMax pendant with DIY 60 royal blue, 12 cw cree leds. Got a 8x T5HO and 4x T5HO/MH fixtures in the garage. I wish i did more research and just bought a good skimmer and light in the first palce. Not to mention all the crap dosing with and now all i do is run my GEO618 and add potassium/magnesium once a week.

 

[buy_baff]

I voted 1-2 years. I have been in this hobby for about 10 years but have only kept sps fpr the last 2 or so. The first year of keeping sps growth and color were not great. But then the begining of this year I redid my whole system geared for sps. And I have had a awesome year with my sps.

 

[dvanacker]

These days forums like RC giving new sps keepers great info has given success for >1 year folks. I started SPS about 5 months ago and having decent success with new frags covering a plug within a few weeks, but costing me twice the money i projected to spend. I bought a cheap ASM skimmer and later buying a nice ATI and going through all kinds of lighting and decided on 2 LumenMax pendant with DIY 60 royal blue, 12 cw cree leds. Got a 8x T5HO and 4x T5HO/MH fixtures in the garage. I wish i did more research and just bought a good skimmer and light in the first palce. Not to mention all the crap dosing with and now all i do is run my GEO618 and add potassium/magnesium once a week.

No offence...but at 5months I probably thought I was successful too. We all have some manner of success at some point but with more experience under my belt I know now that to be successful you have to have a longer track record than that IMO. A nice example of success is growing a small frag into a large colony which can only be done in 1-3 years.

again different measures of success.

Do give you an idea of what Im talking about here is my first tank 50gallon (probably 1yr into keeping SPS)

Seems fairly successful....But it was mediocre in my mind at this point. Also soon after I upgraded tanks to a 90g which plauge me with hight nitrates poor growth and color for the next 2 years at least....was a rollacoaster.

Now I have a tank where almost all corals are very healthy...cant remember the last time I killed something and I dont want to change a thing....just let the baby grow.

Here is my latest tank. Even though my success has been up and down I still managed to keep quite a few of the corals from the years from that first tank. Sunset Millepora, candy cane, squamosa clam, hammer, a.abroholneis, monti cap etc. growth was waxing and waining over the years so some corals have taken for ever to grow out.

Nov 2010 (200gallon)

 

[Pen3]

No offence...but at 5months I probably thought I was successful too. We all have some manner of success at some point but it but with more experience under my belt I know now that to be successful you have to have a longer track record than that. A nice example of success is growing a small frag into a large colony which can only be done in 1-3 years.

again different measures of success.

None taken and i suppose youre right. None of my sps are colonies yet and can crash anytime.

 

[dvanacker]

Yes..the problem is it is hard to measure success across the board.

If some people measure success differently, oh well...the real goal was to truthfully get us talking about our experiences. The reason is I recently found myself saying that keeping SPS is not hard. And once you get the knowlegde (which is so available these days) and some experience that is the case but it can still be a bumpy ride.

I still believe a little luck is needed in this game...

 

[smtank]

Success keeping sps to me means, good growth, good coloration over an extended period of time ( greater than 1 year at least ). Yes it is relatively fairly easy to keep them, but to get the growth and coloration over longer periods of time is something that comes with multiple failures and devotion. The vast majority of tanks that actually see the best success are years old IMO.