Aside from what a lot of other have said, I think the magic "switch" involves the amount of money that most SPS keepers invest in their systems in terms of equipment and cost to operate. When you spend a good deal of cash on something, it's more of a catalyst to be a better aquarist in terms of moderate feeding, maintenance, husbandry, cleaning the skimmer collection cup regularly, and keeping things neat and tidy while maintaining stable, acceptable parameters. Many people who say they barely do anything and have these amazing colors and growth have to be taken with a grain of salt (no pun intended). These are captive systems...they need maintenance and a keen, trained eye.
There are countless methods to growing the SPS sticks....refugiums, carbon dosing, zeo, large water changes, Berlin Method, etc. There will be another method next year for sure. One thing sticks out as the underlying theme....stability. There are successful SPS keepers with alkalinity from 6 - 12, calcium from 380 to 500, temperatures from 74 - 84 degrees and magnesium levels all over the board. One thing you find though is that the great ones have numbers that stay rock solid ALL THE TIME. This is the art of the game, and it doesn't seem to change.
I once read that famous reefer David Saxby said we don't keep fish, invertebrates or corals. We keep water...the rest just falls into place. How true that is. It's the Indian...not the arrow. You'll see every popular brand of salt, lighting, filtration method or any other aspect of the game maligned and praised by different people. Find out which one works for you and is more beneficial to your system and stick with it. Or better yet, mimic the traits of the great ones and save yourself the hassle of guessing Every time a zeo tank looks like the greatest colors and polyp extension in the world someone like Mark Polletti comes along with deep, rich colors, lots of well fed fish and nitrates between 5 and 10 to win a very well deserved tank of the month. The truth is...they all work.
None works better than the other because they've all proven successful at growing bright. colorful happy SPS. Some are just better at keeping their water box much more stable and free from sudden changes.
