PLEASE READ: SPS thread ideas for this forum

Lots of good ideas.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10482096#post10482096 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TIMMYE
I think a good onewould be the practice of getting new SPS corals. From the dipping, QT, acclimation (lighting & flow), and just getting them used to new tank params. I think alot of people start off on the wrong foot when it comes to SPS and it leads them down the long bad road. Just my .02
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I like this idea because it's like, first things first.

So when do we get started?

I'm ready for something new to read.
 
i think an important one is understanding nutrients and their relation to color and growth. I have found that starving corals is just as detrimental if not more so than having too much.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10483082#post10483082 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drives300
i think an important one is understanding nutrients and their relation to color and growth. I have found that starving corals is just as detrimental if not more so than having too much.
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This is an excellent suggestion!
 
I'm delighted with the idea. I'd suggest another thread, too:

Sps For Rank Beginners,

ie, people who want to keep sps, but haven't a basic clue what par is and are only just on top of water quality. There is a tendency to have people drift through mushrooms to lps to sps, which means generally a tank that's got some specimens in it that have to be gotten out. So they've bought pricey lighting, but it's not the best. They've got an adequate skimmer, but...etc. IMHO there's a way to start out as a newbie headed for sps, and to get into sps with the easier species and not come into it with live rock loaded with hitchhiker mushrooms. There are some traps you could avoid with a little better startup advice.

And if the mod-gods could sticky these threads for a while, so they were always available, that would be a bennie.
 
I like all of these ideas just from all of the suggested topics I and alot of others could learn so much more.
 
It seems the folks with all these years of reefkeeping are no longer with us
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Or at least are no longer participating on RC. Time on RC is time you are not spending on your tank, your work, your family. I see a big difference from 6 years ago when it was easier to have a productive conversation here and people were more civil, honest, and respectful.

Minimizing base recession. I've had problems with base recession in Poc/Stylos. Not all but some. I'm not sold that the problem is always inadequate flow.

Aquascaping - of the coral, not the rock. I've never gotten past having a menagerie, a collection. I'd like to learn to group coral like FW tank people group plants, so that they grow out to make a natural-looking display intstead of just pieces stuck here and there.

Another issue for me has been system design simplicity, ruggedness, and automation. I get 5 week field assignments one or more times a year and its not easy to keep a system running unattended that long. And I'd like to make the thing run on as few watts as practical. It seems hypocritical to fret about wild reefs bleaching while I contribute so much CO2 annually to run my tank.
 
Wow. Great topics and suggestions.

So here are my thoughts.

I would like to have guest people do threads. But I think that that will have to be in the future. I would like to get some basic topics covered and get everyone used to these kinds of threads, so hopefully we can get more people involved as time goes on.

My other thought is to start with some basics and work our way to some of the more advanced ideas that were presented in this thread. In this hobby, people who do the best are those that plan things out and has a firm understanding of the basics. IMO this is one hobby that you can not run before you learn how to walk. So let's do some easier ones before we move to the more advanced ideas.

Lastly I think I am going to moderate these discussions more heavily than others. This way we can keep things on topic. I'll post some rules at the beginning of the thread and we can move from there. But basically it will be that flaming will have your post removed, and basic posts like " I use XXX, it's the best!!!" will be removed. The idea is to have the people post not only what they do but their reasoning behind it.

Anyway. I'm going to do the first discussion about alk, calcium and magnesium. They are three important aspects (that are interdependent of each other) in a reef tank that I think we should cover.

Feel free to comment in this thread for more suggestions as I will be referring back to this thread often to get new ideas.

Thanks everyone.
 
i see many great pictures here, with amazing specimens...but then you see the FTS and it can be a big let down with cramed corals and poor aquscaping. the best FTS i see, whether the owner realizes it or not has great color balance and spacing.

how about an SPS "art class" covering aquascaping and placement in terms of ideal for the coral but also in terms of growth, color, spacing and the other corals in the tank. look at totm tanks, and ask why they really look so good. this can include nutrients and coloring up of corals too.

jmo.
 
I've been around here a long time, and the signal-to-noise ratio has certainly changed. I too miss certain knowledgeable users that have moved on. I think many of them burned out answering basic questions over and over and over.

The problem I see is that most people fail to read basic reference information about the hobby that is readily accessible and has existed for years. Every SPS tank is about maintaining light, flow, and water quality. Do it any way you'd like, but if you cover these simple basics, your tank will be successful. The information is out there, and it is not difficult.

Online forums are great, but there is a lot of misinformation and bad advice out there. In fact, many people practically beg for bad advice by posting "what's wrong with this coral?" type threads. People want a quick fix, and this is the wrong hobby for that. A person cannot help another without fully understanding his system, and that is very hard to do over an internet forum. Its also too easy for a beginner to read "miracle threads" about intermediate topics like carbon dosing, amino acids, potassium, etc and believing they are a solution to basic husbandry deficiencies.

Ultimately, YOU need to grasp the basics on your own. YOU must understand the requirements of your animals and YOU must understand the method you chose to satisfy those requirements. You (or anyone) cannot possibly diagnose your problems without knowing how your system functions or is supposed to function. I honestly believe many people would benefit immensely by logging out and reading a few basic reefkeeping books. Combining bits and pieces of various methods is not an easy approach for a beginner. Books provide structure and clarity of basic principles.

That said, I think the forum would benefit from a stickied FAQ thread that at least: 1) explains basic requirements of SPS, 2) explains how to recognize and troubleshoot problems with those basic requirements, 3) list basic "starter corals" and impress how important it is to be able to keep these before progressing, 4) suggest several tried-and-true "recipe for success" methods that are known to work, and 5) provide a list of required reading (books and threads).

If such a thread existed, 90% of threads could simply be answered by "read the FAQ". It enforces established successful methods, rather than throw random suggestions at a user whose tank we do not understand. I have learned that I am the best person to help myself with my own tank. We should teach people how to do that. I believe it will lead to improved discussion here.
 
Lobster, that's a very well-taken point. I think somewhere in the stickies, too, we need an explanation of some of the terms we use so often. Everybody thinks they know what 'good flow' means. But our definitions are sort of individual. A lot of people understand that 'par' refers to lights. But not enough have a clue what it means, and on my second set of bulbs, *I* finally lucked onto a post that made Sanjay's beautiful tables make tank-applicable sense to me, and I've some some background in science. We need some 'gateway' informational posts, so that the real beginners can find some basics; and we need the really esoteric things that provide real useful discussion among you guys who really know what you're doing, so the rest of us can sit and listen to the cutting-edge stuff with better understanding.
 
FWIW, there already is a stickied SPS FAQ, with Joe's prior discussions on water flow, lighting, and water quality - not that I'm trying to argue against having these [and adding to them!] ....

That said, IMO it re-emphasizes Lobster's point ... as there is a lot of this same info already `out there' and available, but it's easier to ask the same thing again [and possibly get much worse info in the response].

I really like the ideas developing here, and look forward to contributing what I can. Some great ideas, and great points :)
 
Today I obtained some frags of:
Sunrise Monti, and a pink birdsnest.

I have them near the top, about 7inches under my banks of PC lights- Each bank has 2 x 96W, one is a dual actinic, the other a 10K daylight. They are about 3 months old.

I'm reading all about the main players here, Ca, Alk, Mg

Is there anything else they need to eat? Do you somehow spot feed them like my Maxi-mini anenome?

Thanks.
 
On magnesium, Ali, and cal

On magnesium, Ali, and cal

What I find amazing is that I have been having trouble keeping my calcium and alkalinity from fluctuations all the time, no one in the Miami, Florida area recommended that I check my magnesium labels. Is almost like they want you to keep replacing corals and buying products. Iam talking about al least 6 aquarium shops. I finally read here to check my magnesium. Anyway alot of bad advise . It turned out the magnesium label was at 1050 obviously low
 
Aquaguru said:
How about if you broke it down into categorties like

Acros: Flow, Light, Difficulty, Growth, Feeding

Millies: Flow, Light, Difficulty, Growth, Feeding

Montis: Flow, Light, Difficulty, Growth, Feeding

Just keep it real simple and straight to the point you know.
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Just wanted to point out that millepora are Acropora... hence the binomial Acropora millepora....
 
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