SPS road to success !!!! guys please input

[lsingh]

i am sure there all lots of threads regarding this discussion but i am curious if all the success full reefers can post their tank pictures with brief explanation of their daily or weekly husbandry regarding dosing cleaning flow and lightening ..
thanks!!! Sps are the most sensitive corals in the hobby and we all would appreciate any input for newbies!!!!:rollface::rollface::rollface:

 

[Denadai]

I´m a huge fan of "keep it simple"

I just do WC sometimes, clean the stuff, balling , sometimes carbon or gfo and that´s all

I had good tanks with BB, DSB,SSB,RSBS, mixed , T5, HQI, Leds, with and without skimmer etc

The better the " Pilot ", the better the tank

Some of my tanks :

 

[lusenut2]

What bulbs are you using in your T-5 setup. I like the way your 2nd picture looks.

 

[jda]

I don't do too many pictures since it goes against my belief that reefers need to get out and see some hobbyist tanks with their own eyes. Seeing pics on the interweb is not as good IMO.

My SPS tanks are pretty simple: at least 90-100G of water, calcium reactor, 3" of aragonite sand, real live rock, skimmers, dual controlled heaters and high quality halides. Also, I stay away from some salt mixes that I don't think are the best for highly coloring SPS. Never any GFO or carbon. Rarely do I use GAC.

I am patient and let the tank finish the full cycle (at least 10-12 months) where the sand and rock handle the nitrate and phosphate for the long term.

I also do not swap frags with nearly anybody that I have not seen their tank and do not know their QT/dipping practices. One pest can destroy a great tank.

I do think that the reefer matters more than the equipment for most tanks - in the 80 to 90 percentile. However, for the best tanks (90+ percentile), the best reefers will tend to gravitate towards the same types of setups and equipment.

 

[Denadai]

What bulbs are you using in your T-5 setup. I like the way your 2nd picture looks.

2x white , 4x blue, 2x purple

 

[Volcano1]

I had a mostly LPS and Softie reef for many years, switched over to mainly SPS at the beginning of the year.These are the differances I noted.
Seems like biggest differance I've found with SPS is stability.Especially ALK.Avoid Alk swings, keep your Mag 1300 -1500 it helps. SPS are more sensitive to water quality changing, and show if something changes.While other corals can handle "dirty" water, most SPS can't.I don't think you have to have all 0's on your phosphate and nitrate, but pretty low numbers. It keeps nusiance algae at bay. 0's usually cause a little color fading without some supplements.
This is a little tricky, becuase you need to feed your corals, without polluting your tank.Feeding fish a decent amount will let them poop enough to feed the corals, but you need a way to balance the nutrients.A good skimmer and good random water flow does alot to keep the stuff suspended and exported.You may need to use GAC, GFO or carbon dosing to remove the rest.It all depends on your numbers, try and keep them low, but not at 0.
Make sure you dip All your SPS before you put them in the tank.Many more bad pests with SPS, that are difficult to treat if they get into your tank.
I've used the Bayer dip with good results.
Moniter your system , especially at the begining.Make sure everything stays in check. Make adjustments slowly to correct issues.
This is the biggest things I noticed changing things over. There are differant ways to get ther and stay there. What yuo come up with is up to you, as some people prefer one approach to another. HTH's, just my observations I've gone through this year and what worked for me. YMMV.

Todd

 

[arc eye]

I´m a huge fan of "keep it simple"

I just do WC sometimes, clean the stuff, balling , sometimes carbon or gfo and that´s all

I had good tanks with BB, DSB,SSB,RSBS, mixed , T5, HQI, Leds, with and without skimmer etc

The better the " Pilot ", the better the tank

Denadai, do you do any sand bed maintenance? Vacuuming, stirring, etc.

 

[Denadai]

Denadai, do you do any sand bed maintenance? Vacuuming, stirring, etc.

No....nothing

 

[Lilmatty5dimes]

those are some of the best tanks i've seen. i'm sure they are about 1000x better in real life.

 

[shih87]

Myself is a fan of Denadai and believe in keeping your own SOP and keep your commitment to your tank. I use balling KZ method.

[albumid=7958&pictureid=56293[/IMG]