New to sps and can't keep anything alive

Chrisq0904

Chrisq0904

New member
Well apparently I suck when it comes to sps. I can't seem to keep anything alive. Even after several attempts. I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong.

Salinity: 1.022 refractometer
Mg: 1360 red sea
Alk: 9.25 Red Sea
Ca: 420 Red Sea
Phosphate: .018 Hanna ulr
Nitrate: not detected by API.

My DT is 75g with a 20l sump/fudge running cheato gfo and carbon. Every time I decide to dabble in sps the same thing happens I get a few frags they do fine for a week or so and then rtn from the bottom up. I can't keep anything. Montis, acros, millis, birds nest and so on. I just can't figure out what I am doing wrong. I do notice any pests at all. I used to have those clear flatworms not AEFW but no longer saw them which is why I decides to give it another shot a week ago.
 
How long has the tank been set up?

Has your refract been calibrated? If so probably need to get your salinity to 1.025 ish.

What type of water movement do you have?

Do you have fish in the tank, what type, how many?

What lighting? Photo period?
 
What lights are you using? You might want to check if your lighting is suitable for SPS. Did the SPS color thin out before dying?


Chrisq0904 said:
Well apparently I suck when it comes to sps. I can't seem to keep anything alive. Even after several attempts. I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong.

Salinity: 1.022 refractometer
Mg: 1360 red sea
Alk: 9.25 Red Sea
Ca: 420 Red Sea
Phosphate: .018 Hanna ulr
Nitrate: not detected by API.

My DT is 75g with a 20l sump/fudge running cheato gfo and carbon. Every time I decide to dabble in sps the same thing happens I get a few frags they do fine for a week or so and then rtn from the bottom up. I can't keep anything. Montis, acros, millis, birds nest and so on. I just can't figure out what I am doing wrong. I do notice any pests at all. I used to have those clear flatworms not AEFW but no longer saw them which is why I decides to give it another shot a week ago.
Click to expand...
 
Beyond what has already been stated (what is your light, and bump up your salinity), I would remove carbon and GFO for now, and add it slowly once your SPS are staying alive and growing. It can often be a cause of STN/RTN.
 
You said that you decided to dabble with SPS. Does this imply that you are successfully growing other types of corals?
 
Salinity is way low. SPS are not difficult, just gotta have a clean and stable tank. They can "survive" in high nutrient water (that is a relative term) but they usually brown out and look like crap. If you are having issues with STN, then there is something off with your water or lighting, most likely your water. Salinity is a good place to start.

If you got your frags from local guys that have healthy tanks (like marke ;)) then there's no reason they shouldn't at least survive.
 
Chris Lakies said:
How long has the tank been set up?

Has your refract been calibrated? If so probably need to get your salinity to 1.025 ish.

What type of water movement do you have?

Do you have fish in the tank, what type, how many?

What lighting? Photo period?
Click to expand...

I upgraded to the 75g about 6 months ago. Yes it has been calibrated and I compared it to a local store so it seems be in check. But just for piece of mind I'll order more calibration fluid just to be safe.

As far as fish I have 2 perc clowns, flame angel, yellow tang, yellow coris wrasse, melanarous wrasse and an engineer goby.

I am running led's that start at 0% at 730 slowly ramp up to 85% for a few hours then slowly ramp down to 0% at 8



ndolf said:
What lights are you using? You might want to check if your lighting is suitable for SPS. Did the SPS color thin out before dying?
Click to expand...


Didn't notice any color change before dying.

kaserpick said:
You said that you decided to dabble with SPS. Does this imply that you are successfully growing other types of corals?
Click to expand...


Yes I'm keeping all my softies, lps and anemones alive. Only thing I lost coral wise has been sps.

rovster said:
Salinity is way low. SPS are not difficult, just gotta have a clean and stable tank. They can "survive" in high nutrient water (that is a relative term) but they usually brown out and look like crap. If you are having issues with STN, then there is something off with your water or lighting, most likely your water. Salinity is a good place to start.



If you got your frags from local guys that have healthy tanks (like marke ;)) then there's no reason they shouldn't at least survive.
Click to expand...


I'll start working on getting my salinity up, I think I'll start topping off with salt water instead of RO w/ kalk that should slowly bring it up.

Haha I MAY have gotten them from him! I don't blame him in any way what so ever I know there's an issue with my tank. I've acquired pieces from several sources and same thing always happens.
 
I really hate 1.025 SG, since in Europe this is too high over here too low?

get it to around 33-35 promille, and stable.

Also how is the flow, imho flow is really important too.

Do a big water change 25% with a good quality salt. Have good flow, and put the sps high in a random high flow area, and you should keep it alive.

Recently i saw a big piece of monti that broke, and was in a strange spot in the tank. Proberbly for about 1 month now. It was still really nice, new flow. polyps extended and looks little brown, but fine.
 
Raise salinity. Lower phosphates. Try different placements. Maybe higher in the tank. Or even lower in the tank. Putting kalk in your ATO with some saltwater until your salinity is around 1.025 will help a lot IMO. Do a couple water changes for the phosphates. I didn't see anywhere you said you had a skimmer? Maybe there's some nutrients that the nitrate test kits can't pick up that are in your tank and bothering the sps. And just ride it out. Good luck.
 
"I really hate 1.025 SG, since in Europe this is too high over here too low?"

I think salinity is the same in most SPS growing waters unless you talking about tidal pools
 
Bigcefa said:
We were all new to sps at some point, that's not a constructive or helpful comment
Click to expand...

It wasn't meant to be either of those things, just sarcastic.

The OP has already received lots of helpful comments, I'm just injecti.g some of my strange humor.
 
dvanacker said:
It wasn't meant to be either of those things, just sarcastic.

The OP has already received lots of helpful comments, I'm just injecti.g some of my strange humor.
Click to expand...

I think you have about the same sense of humor i have, i try to find a joke in everything, gets me in trouble with my wife more than i care to say.:headwalls:
 
I'm mixing up salt now to do a WC and to also add some to my ATO container.

Shibby1 I am running a skimmer, I have a reef octopus sro1000int.

Dvanacker no worries about the comment I have the same sense of humor. I actually chuckled at the comment.
 
Chrisq0904 said:
I'm mixing up salt now to do a WC and to also add some to my ATO container.
Click to expand...

Don't attempt to raise salinity by topping off with SW. That's a guessing game and you're setting yourself up for even greater failure.

Yes that salinity is low. Slowly raise it with small water changes. You've got corals that are living and acclimated. Don't change the conditions they're used to quickly.
 
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