Success with sps

[colettem]

I am thinking of starting with some sps corals soon (some small frags of the easiest types to grow). My tank has been running for 3 months and I have a few lps and soft corals (nothing hopefully that is incompatible with sps corals). Everyone talks about needing "nutrient poor" conditions to successfully keep sps corals but I don't fully understand exactly what this means - does it refer to having virtually zero nitrates and phosphates in the system, or does it refer to having crystal clear water that is heavily skimmed? - or both.

 

[clkwrk]

A nutirent poor enviroment isn't needed to keep them alive just to get them to color up and hold color . Nutrient poor is low to 0 po4 ,0 nitrate,0 nitrites and skimmed heavy.

Also by the looks of it this is you first tank ?So at 3 months I would say your not ready for SPS . But if you want to dabble in some then start with Monti digi, Bali slimer,monti cap or pocillpora.

 

[SunnyX]

Virtually zero nitrates and phosphate is key.

You want to keep these levels as low as possible, but SPS need small amounts of PO4.

I honestly never test PO4 an NO3, I go by what the corals look like.

If the corals are brightly colored and and growing I leave everything alone. If I notice some red algae,poor color or growth I them take out the test kits.

Running Carbon 24/7 is a great way to improve coloration and growth of your corals. The carbon removes harmful compounds the soft corals release, which if given time to accumulate will stunt SPS growth. The carbon also removes yellowing compounds which cause less light to enter the tank. The clearer the water, the more PAR the corals receive from the lighting.

If your SPS are growing and you have great coloration then you have nothing to worry about. If you are lacking growth and color then you will have to find the problem.

Pictures and parameters of the tank would help in providing more assistance.

Sunny

 

[clkwrk]

Re: Success with sps

0 phosphates and 0 nitrates is ideal for awesome colors but not absolute to keep them alive IMO.

 

[drock59]

alive and thriving are two different things. From the looks or your tank things are thriving.

 

[clkwrk]

I agree . Yes my tank is thriving .

But when one is first starting to keep sps they are more concerned with keeping them alive than they are in getting them to thrive . That comes later as we polish our husbandry.

 

[drock59]

But when one is first starting to keep sps they are more concerned with keeping them alive than they are in getting them to thrive

 

[colettem]

Thanks for the answers. Think I will try some of the less challenging sps types as mentioned above - will give acropora a miss until things have been going a lot longer. At the moment I need to wait until my alk and ca are more stable - have just started a calcium reactor this week to keep up with the demands of all the coralline, snails, lpss etc so when I've reached a stable level think I will invest in some aquacultured frags from the internet.

 

[JMBoehling]

Looking at your setup... Looks like you have a 150 Gallon reef with (02) 150W Halides and a Turboflotar1000. No insult intended, but that would work OK on a 55 gallon reef. I don't think your current lights or skimmer is large enough for a 150 plus a fuge..

Before wasting money on frags and getting frustrated over the next 9 months, go ahead and upgrade your skimmer to a nice recirculating model and get some T5's to up your PAR, or upgrade to 400 Halides...

$30 and $40 dollar frags add up....

Just food for thought

Later,

Jim