My Against the Grain SPS tank

[Jarred1]

This tank has been set up about 10 months.

I replace filter floss every couple days, carbon every couple weeks, and gfo every month.
SUmp is lit reverse of the display, cheato is cut in half every 3 months or so.

I think a big part of the sucess of sps is due to the fact that I am only buying captive grown frags, Kalkwasser, and a lot of light.

I run 8x54 T5's on this tank.

Fairl;y light fish load by some peoples standards, but i feed often, fish poop helps the corals grow, imo.

I stock fish very slowly, waiting a couple months before I put in any, but I feed the tank from day one. This allows for a good cycle, and also gives the micro fauna, pods, bristleworms, etc.. time to grow.

Thanks for the reply! Do you think two clown fish, a starry blenny and a coral beauty angel is a light fish load for a 40 breeder? How long after your tank was cycled before you started to add your SPS corals? What kind of food did you feed to the tank while there was no fish in the tank? Do you have a large clean up crew? Do you think that the GFO plays a big part in keeping this tank going?

Sorry for asking so many questions but I like learning the ways of fellow reefers!


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[Jeremy Blaze]

Thanks for the reply! Do you think two clown fish, a starry blenny and a coral beauty angel is a light fish load for a 40 breeder? How long after your tank was cycled before you started to add your SPS corals? What kind of food did you feed to the tank while there was no fish in the tank? Do you have a large clean up crew? Do you think that the GFO plays a big part in keeping this tank going?

Sorry for asking so many questions but I like learning the ways of fellow reefers!


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Sounds like a good fish load to me, though I would run a sump with cheato.
SPS were added pretty soon, too soon probably, but I've only lost 2 acros since day one.
I feed the tank spectrum pellets, still the staple of my fish diet along with some emerald entree and mysis shrimp.

Clean up crew is,
about 10 Trochus snails
a couple astrea snails
1 or 2 turbo snails
5-8 blue leg hermit crabs
5 nassarius snails
3 lg brittle stars


I think Carbon and GFO are both vital parts of my plan. I run them both from Day one.

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

The tank also has a great population of Bristle worms, amphipods, copopods, and gammarus shrimp. A few small spegettii worms were added to the sandbed before the sandbed before the fish came in as well.

 

[KafudaFish]

Thanks for sharing. I enjoy slow and steady tanks more because each step of the fun should be enjoyed.

What is the coral in pic 1 of your post 34?

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

Thanks for sharing. I enjoy slow and steady tanks more because each step of the fun should be enjoyed.

What is the coral in pic 1 of your post 34?

Thanks, and good to ee you out of the lounge!

The coral in said pic is a Pavona decussata. Grew from a 2" chip.

 

[ganjero]

Can you give us the details on your maintenance? Why do you think this tank is able to grow sps well? How old is the system?

I am getting ready to set up a 40 breeder with the same idea the only difference is that I won't be using a sump; I will be doing water changes though.

Subscribed!

I believe the keys to keep corals, specially SPS, are patience, stability and consistency. In a simple system, like this, those keys are easier to maintain. When you start adding more elements to the equation it becomes more changeling to be consistent and stable, more automation, maintenance and monitoring is required. How many people that do weekly water changes test more than salinity in the freshly mix water? There are also many people that start trying everything they read or if they see a “problem” in their tank they try all kind of solutions without giving enough time for one to work.

 

[KafudaFish]

Thanks, and good to ee you out of the lounge!

The coral in said pic is a Pavona decussata. Grew from a 2" chip.

Thank you. Don't tell them but I come out often, look around and then run back before the nurses do bed checks.

(I am trying to get to 3000 posts before the new rule of 8 years/3000 posts kicks in later on next month.)

I may have to add that coral to my wish list if I ever do sps again due to the form.

 

[allsps40]

Here is the set up.

72 gallon Bowfront Reef ready tank.
20 gallon long sump

Flow return to tank, Deep Blue pump 1000gph
In tank frlow provided by 2 Maxijet 1200 with the tips cut off.

Filtration,

Large refugium with cheatomorpha
Carbon and GFO run 24/7 Filter floss before return

supplementation
Mrs. Wages pickling Lime

Fish are feed daily.


Lighting 8x54T5


No water changes
No Skimmer
No other supplements other than Mrs Wages and food.

That makes it pretty different from most SPS tanks you see these days, imo.

While things may be going well for you now the tank is still on the younger side and the corals are not all that big yet. You dont have enough flow now let alone for the long run. I would recommend a skimmer very highly. The biggest thing is not doing any water changes. This will quickly become an issue as the sps start to grow more and use up alk, ca and other trace elements that only water changes can replenish. The other issue is that with out a good skimmer and water changes nutrients will build up and cause problems. Not bashing you just passing along experience. Your tank looks good and your corals look pretty healthy but more color is there that is not coming out.

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

No problem at all sharing your experiences, myself having 11 years experience running a public aquarium, I line to share my experiences as well and am using my experiences with this tank.

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

Btw, i so intend to do water changes, at some point, but with nitrates measuring 0, I'm not in a hurry.

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

Could I get better growth and colors? Perhaps, if I wanted to spend a lot of money on equipment, and a lot of time on maintanince, 2 things I do not have. I think my style of reefkeeeping, I'd a good balance of growth color cost and time.

 

[listen2bob]

Could I get better growth and colors? Perhaps, if I wanted to spend a lot of money on equipment, and a lot of time on maintanince, 2 things I do not have. I think my style of reefkeeeping, I'd a good balance of growth color cost and time.

I like your style, I have been on a similar path for the past 12 yrs. Different strokes for different folks right?

 

[tankaddict]

Just keep doing what you're doing. If it aint broke dont fix it. Great looking tank btw.

 

[krshlln300]

Thats awesome I too have never did waterchanges, I just use a combo of a large refugium that is about 3/4ths the size of the display with different types of algaes. I also have some NPS gorgonians and many tube worms and other filter feeders to help with some export in addition to the standard CUC. I also only have a yellow whatchman and 2 firefish so nutrients would be kinda low to begin with.

 

[Motish]

Thats awesome I too have never did waterchanges, I just use a combo of a large refugium that is about 3/4ths the size of the display with different types of algaes. I also have some NPS gorgonians and many tube worms and other filter feeders to help with some export in addition to the standard CUC. I also only have a yellow whatchman and 2 firefish so nutrients would be kinda low to begin with.

Hi krshlln. Do you run a calc reactor? What else do you use to maintain your tank?

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

Well, the Tornados of March 2 that crossed my road and left me powerless for 3 days caused a lot of death in my tank. I lost all sps but one and almost all my snails.

I did a 50 gallon water change.

I picked up quite a few frags from the Dayton Frag swap and all are doing well.

Pics will come soon.

 

[Jackwkahn]

damn dude, that sucks. Perhaps your DSB/microfauna is providing most of the denitrification?

 

[Mangodude]

What is that??

Nice system btw!

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

Pavona

 

[jedidog1]

Well, the Tornados of March 2 that crossed my road and left me powerless for 3 days caused a lot of death in my tank. I lost all sps but one and almost all my snails.

I did a 50 gallon water change.

I picked up quite a few frags from the Dayton Frag swap and all are doing well.

Pics will come soon.

did you go to the worc frag swap? I was there to got some good frags