LPS/softies tanks
- Thread starter Ariel110G
- Start date
Reef Frog
New member
- Good stable Ca ALK & Mg levels just like SPS. Stability!
- Low(er) nutrients but not NO nutrients. (PO4 & NO3)
- No nipping fish
- QT is ideal. Dipping at a minimum.
- Treat ailing residents right away
- If you see brown jelly disease remove & treat FAST
- Acclimate to light properly, usually @ bottom of tank
- Good broad flow
- Keep a buffer zone around them as they often sting others
- Don't let loose frags fall on the sand bed
- Feeding some species may be needed & often accelerates growth
- Regular small water changes
- Keep salinity stable. Consider an ATO device.
- Use good reef salt
- Have a vacation strategy in place
- Have a power out plan in place
- Have a comfortable chair in front of the tank
chrisfont23
Reef Monster
Nice list frog! I would also add:
- to expand on flow it should be indirect, irregular, medium current rather than an all out blast of direct flow; think "waving in the breeze"
- get ready to feed; most of the LPS I have (Euphyllia, Duncans, Wellso, Blasto) get some mysis and cyclopeeze
- to expand on flow it should be indirect, irregular, medium current rather than an all out blast of direct flow; think "waving in the breeze"
- get ready to feed; most of the LPS I have (Euphyllia, Duncans, Wellso, Blasto) get some mysis and cyclopeeze
I keep an LPS softy tank that includes Hammer Coral, Duncans, toadstool, Elegance and zoanthids.
I keep it moderately nutrient rich with medium flow and low lighting (low PAR value) I've had significant growth out of everything, including the elegance coral.
I feed the duncans and elegance a small piece of silversides (about 1/8" - 1/4" chunk) once every 1-2 weeks. Everything else feeds on the detritus left over from my fish.
I keep it moderately nutrient rich with medium flow and low lighting (low PAR value) I've had significant growth out of everything, including the elegance coral.
I feed the duncans and elegance a small piece of silversides (about 1/8" - 1/4" chunk) once every 1-2 weeks. Everything else feeds on the detritus left over from my fish.
Boston21
New member
Since most of us with LPS tanks feed pretty heavily, what is an acceptable LOW Nitrate reading? I know we all aim for close to 0-1, but we all know thats easier said then done. I have been keeping alot of healthy LPS such as Frogspawn, Zoas, and Mushrooms in around levels close to 4-6 PPM Nitrate and they have been growing steadily, is this even too high?
chrisfont23
Reef Monster
Pffft. I "keep" mine between 20 and 40 ppm. Been this way for a long, long, long, long, long time.
Boston21
New member
chrisfont23
Reef Monster
Stability is the most important 'parameter' we don't seem to measure for. Keep things stable. Keep things alive. Simple.
chrisfont23
Reef Monster
Like many folks on this forum, I tried carbon dosing. With levels at 20/40 ppm I was intent on finding what gold sat at the end of the rainbow. As my NO3 approached 5 ppm, some of my corals withered away. It's hard to say what happened since I halved the doses and essentially drew out the process over a few months. But it was clear my corals didn't like the change.
I think the idea is simple...keep it stable. I actually strive to keep this NO3 level constant now. Why? Well, I have no scientific evidence or fancy molecular diagrams to support this, but stability seems like the key operand. It's obvious anything in our tanks become accustomed to their surroundings - paramaters, lighting etc. - albeit too low levels or too high. This is definitely apparent when we bring corals/fish home from an LFS and acclimate (temp, salinity, light) accordingly and for corals, even go another 2-3 weeks with lighting. But they adjust themselves accordingly and become used to those levels under a stable tank.
I believe that the tolerable levels are fine as long as they are not pushed dramatically one way or any other. Operating within stable bounds seems more the key to success than pushing things too much one way or the other.
Just my opinion...
I think the idea is simple...keep it stable. I actually strive to keep this NO3 level constant now. Why? Well, I have no scientific evidence or fancy molecular diagrams to support this, but stability seems like the key operand. It's obvious anything in our tanks become accustomed to their surroundings - paramaters, lighting etc. - albeit too low levels or too high. This is definitely apparent when we bring corals/fish home from an LFS and acclimate (temp, salinity, light) accordingly and for corals, even go another 2-3 weeks with lighting. But they adjust themselves accordingly and become used to those levels under a stable tank.
I believe that the tolerable levels are fine as long as they are not pushed dramatically one way or any other. Operating within stable bounds seems more the key to success than pushing things too much one way or the other.
Just my opinion...
IAShane
New member
Nitrates aren't even a factor in my opinion. It's the phosphate that'll feed nuisance algae. I agree with Frog, there's a tipping point of too many nutrients, and you'll know from the cyano or algae popping up. Phosphate can also slow the growth on those calcifying LPS colonies. Keeping PO4 low helps.
My tank is LPS dominant with plenty of softies thrown in. I feed like a madman and if I skip a cleaning my tank shows it pretty quickly.
And like chrisfont said, stability is important no matter what we keep. I think it was ORA that said that consistent mediocrity is better than occasional excellence.
My tank is LPS dominant with plenty of softies thrown in. I feed like a madman and if I skip a cleaning my tank shows it pretty quickly.
And like chrisfont said, stability is important no matter what we keep. I think it was ORA that said that consistent mediocrity is better than occasional excellence.
