Coral Head
New member
Live rock, filter sock and skimmer.
The Dirty SPS Tank Club
- Thread starter Alex T.
- Start date
Live rock, filter sock and skimmer.
I wish I had time to be OCD. 
It should be stated again that a lot the things discussed in this thread are not for most people just starting out with SPS. You must have a handle on nutrient export and the ability to adjust your "doc" levels.
120-130 gallons TWV. I change 20-30 gallons monthly depending on how I feel.
DIY Vertex INS-180 recirculating skimmer, cleaned based on how dirty it is, usually twice a week.
40 gallon sump, (really just an Ikea tote) no baffles, no socks, no mechanical filtration, (socks or sponges).
It should be stated again that a lot the things discussed in this thread are not for most people just starting out with SPS. You must have a handle on nutrient export and the ability to adjust your "doc" levels.
120-130 gallons TWV. I change 20-30 gallons monthly depending on how I feel.
DIY Vertex INS-180 recirculating skimmer, cleaned based on how dirty it is, usually twice a week.
40 gallon sump, (really just an Ikea tote) no baffles, no socks, no mechanical filtration, (socks or sponges).
Alex T.
Active member
I wish I had time to be OCD.
It should be stated again that a lot the things discussed in this thread are not for most people just starting out with SPS. You must have a handle on nutrient export and the ability to adjust your "doc" levels.
120-130 gallons TWV. I change 20-30 gallons monthly depending on how I feel.
DIY Vertex INS-180 recirculating skimmer, cleaned based on how dirty it is, usually twice a week.
40 gallon sump, (really just an Ikea tote) no baffles, no socks, no mechanical filtration, (socks or sponges).
While I agree with this, when I got into the hobby and tried SPS, pristine water quality always made my corals go pale, recede and die. I had a friend decide he wanted to start keeping coral and had the most overstocked 155 gallon bow tank you've ever seen...all adult Blueface Angel, Queen Angel, Moorish Idol, Sailfin tang, 2 Yellow belly Hippo tangs, multiple clownfish, damsels and a large Barienne tang. Needless to say, his nitrates were over 50, with phosphates off the chart. He had a nice Constellation t5 fixture and upon stocking SPS they colored up and grew well. The picking was kept to a minimum because he fed more in one day than I would in a week. His skimmer was barely enough, and he did one moderate water change monthly. It was amazing, and embarrassing to me at the same time. Unfortunately, Hurricane Sandy put an end to his tank, and he's talking about coming back on a smaller scale. This was someone who'd never kept corals before (much less SPS), and asked questions as the issues arose. His water was actually green from all the nutrients. I'm not subscribing to making the tank so filthy it stinks from the net room. People have seen my maintenance routine and it's borderline obsessive, but I'm keeping some dirt in the water to see what results I get because so far everything's been positive. If I chased numbers and aimed for pristine water, I trust I'd find myself right back where I was when things went south in my last tank. Different tank..different approach.
Einstein once said that the definition of insanity "is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results"...or as a southern man told me one time..."if you do what you did, then you'll get what you got."
afernandez
Never Quit!!
Hahahaha! "if you do what you did, then you'll get what you got." Love it :lol2:
But I can agree with you from the beginning of my other tank, It super clean and cood never get corals to color up until I let it get "dirty" lol . I started doing water changes every two weeks and saw a big diffrence.
But I can agree with you from the beginning of my other tank, It super clean and cood never get corals to color up until I let it get "dirty" lol . I started doing water changes every two weeks and saw a big diffrence.
Alex T.
Active member
Ok, I've been doing water changes for most of the first year of the tank with natural seawater. About 2 months ago I switched to Instant Ocean just for the ease of use through the winter months, and may stay with it, but I'm getting very odd readings for IO. I mixed it yesterday to 1.025 and this morning my readings were:
Ca: 450
dKH: 11
Mg: @1300
This seems like odd numbers for Instant Ocean salt mix, and I was wondering if anyone else was getting these readings, or if they changed the mix and I didn't know about it...seems more like Red Sea Coral Pro numbers. I checked twice and got the same thing.
I'm only changing roughly 10% of the display so it won't skew the numbers. Just curious.
Ca: 450
dKH: 11
Mg: @1300
This seems like odd numbers for Instant Ocean salt mix, and I was wondering if anyone else was getting these readings, or if they changed the mix and I didn't know about it...seems more like Red Sea Coral Pro numbers. I checked twice and got the same thing.
I'm only changing roughly 10% of the display so it won't skew the numbers. Just curious.
It was reformulated about 4 or 5 years ago. Your numbers are consistent with what I get.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1714505
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1714505
Alex T.
Active member
...but 450 Ca? I always seemed to get 390-400 Ca a couple years back.
In the last few years the calcium portion has checked between 400 and 450, alk has been between 9 and 11 and mag has been between 1300 and 1500, considering testing noise, inaccuracies and stratification of the mix it isn't bad. I got the most variation using buckets, and the least with the box of bags. It is hard to mix a full bucket back to consistent levels and much easier with a 50 gallon bag, so I usually put a 50 gallon bag in an empty bucket and stir that around.
Alex T.
Active member
Good to know. I have enough buckets. Maybe I'll switch to the bags. Thank you.
Alex T.
Active member
...and on to the thread's purpose.
I received some new frags, ricordia, a bubble tip anemone for my tomato clown and a few LPS last week. All are doing fine except the favia brain frag which had a little recession around the edges showing the skeleton. I put it in a shaded area for now to see if it will begin healing. The RBTA seems to have settled into a spot in the front left corner of the tank. If it stays here I'll be happy. It's been almost a week and so far so good. I fed it a piece of krill which it readily accepted so hopefully it doesn't go walking on me. I know it's a risk in an SPS tank, but I just love the symbiotic relationship.
Everything appears to be doing well with my SPS. Colors seem to be getting better to my eye and polyp extension is good on all SPS. As of Sunday, my readings are:
Temp: 77-81
SG: 1.025
Ca: 410
dKH: 9.5
Mg: 1320
NO3: @5
PO4: .1 Sunday night (Hannah Checker)
VHO actinics on from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm
Kessil a150 Ocean Blues on from 11 am to 8 pm
3 250 watt Radiums on from 11:45 am - 7:15 pm
Fish stocking: Achilles tang, Bipartitus Leopard Wrasse, 1 Lyretail Anthias, 1 Dispar Anthias, 1 Fiji Yellow tail Blue Damsel, 1 algae blenny, 1 Bellus Angel, 1 Tomato Clown.
I may add a few more Anthias and a female leopard wrasse in the coming months. I feed 3 times per day. Each feeding is a cube of rinsed mysis with a pinch of NLS pellets. On Wednesday and Saturday I've been substituting the 3rd feeding with a quarter sheet of nori rubber banded to a heavy piece of PVC for the Achilles, but the Leopard wrasse and Bellus Angel seem to like the nori as well. I'm changing 25 gallons of freshly mixed IO saltwater every two weeks and it seems to keep my parameters just as I listed them above. I'm only going to change out GFO once per month. I realize .1 is a little on the high side, but with everything doing so well I don't see the need to change what I'm doing.
I've been taking some photos and working on getting a new camera for x-mas so I hope I'll have some nice progression shots by the new year of how everything's reacting to this regimen.
I received some new frags, ricordia, a bubble tip anemone for my tomato clown and a few LPS last week. All are doing fine except the favia brain frag which had a little recession around the edges showing the skeleton. I put it in a shaded area for now to see if it will begin healing. The RBTA seems to have settled into a spot in the front left corner of the tank. If it stays here I'll be happy. It's been almost a week and so far so good. I fed it a piece of krill which it readily accepted so hopefully it doesn't go walking on me. I know it's a risk in an SPS tank, but I just love the symbiotic relationship.
Everything appears to be doing well with my SPS. Colors seem to be getting better to my eye and polyp extension is good on all SPS. As of Sunday, my readings are:
Temp: 77-81
SG: 1.025
Ca: 410
dKH: 9.5
Mg: 1320
NO3: @5
PO4: .1 Sunday night (Hannah Checker)
VHO actinics on from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm
Kessil a150 Ocean Blues on from 11 am to 8 pm
3 250 watt Radiums on from 11:45 am - 7:15 pm
Fish stocking: Achilles tang, Bipartitus Leopard Wrasse, 1 Lyretail Anthias, 1 Dispar Anthias, 1 Fiji Yellow tail Blue Damsel, 1 algae blenny, 1 Bellus Angel, 1 Tomato Clown.
I may add a few more Anthias and a female leopard wrasse in the coming months. I feed 3 times per day. Each feeding is a cube of rinsed mysis with a pinch of NLS pellets. On Wednesday and Saturday I've been substituting the 3rd feeding with a quarter sheet of nori rubber banded to a heavy piece of PVC for the Achilles, but the Leopard wrasse and Bellus Angel seem to like the nori as well. I'm changing 25 gallons of freshly mixed IO saltwater every two weeks and it seems to keep my parameters just as I listed them above. I'm only going to change out GFO once per month. I realize .1 is a little on the high side, but with everything doing so well I don't see the need to change what I'm doing.
I've been taking some photos and working on getting a new camera for x-mas so I hope I'll have some nice progression shots by the new year of how everything's reacting to this regimen.
afernandez
Never Quit!!
sounds like my feeding schedule 
when i get home i feed pellets (like 5pm )then around (8-9) i feed frozen some times two cubes... then some time ill give them nori on the veggie clip @around 10-11 if i see my tangs niping on the rocks (it took them like 3 months to like the damn clip)
i feed heavy but i have around 15 fish that eat alot!
my lighting schedule on a 8 ATI DIMABLE SUNPOWER
4pm-5pm atinics ramp up 0-60%
5pm-530pm day lights ramp up 50%
11pm-1130pm day light ramp down 50-0%
11pm-12 atinics ramp downfrom 60-0%
this has worked well for me so i inted to keep doing it
when i get home i feed pellets (like 5pm )then around (8-9) i feed frozen some times two cubes... then some time ill give them nori on the veggie clip @around 10-11 if i see my tangs niping on the rocks (it took them like 3 months to like the damn clip)
i feed heavy but i have around 15 fish that eat alot!
my lighting schedule on a 8 ATI DIMABLE SUNPOWER
4pm-5pm atinics ramp up 0-60%
5pm-530pm day lights ramp up 50%
11pm-1130pm day light ramp down 50-0%
11pm-12 atinics ramp downfrom 60-0%
this has worked well for me so i inted to keep doing it
Alex T.
Active member
sounds like my feeding schedule
when i get home i feed pellets (like 5pm )then around (8-9) i feed frozen some times two cubes... then some time ill give them nori on the veggie clip @around 10-11 if i see my tangs niping on the rocks (it took them like 3 months to like the damn clip)
i feed heavy but i have around 15 fish that eat alot!
my lighting schedule on a 8 ATI DIMABLE SUNPOWER
4pm-5pm atinics ramp up 0-60%
5pm-530pm day lights ramp up 50%
11pm-1130pm day light ramp down 50-0%
11pm-12 atinics ramp downfrom 60-0%
this has worked well for me so i inted to keep doing it
I actually find that if I feed less my fish don't look right at all. Even with these feedings I would by no means say my fish are plump...and I'm not overstocked by any means. I think in a high flow tank like mine that they're always expending energy against strong, alternating currents and need their calories.
Alex T.
Active member
What are you trying to say Steve?
afernandez
Never Quit!!
I honestly feel terrible when I see them picking or nipping on the rocks ...In the wild where they come from they have food available 24/7 so I feel like have to feed or Give them something..
Dog boy Dave
New member
My tank is pretty dirty. I feed often and heavy. I try to feed natural low phosphate foods and do regular water changes. Algae will grow anyplace there is light and the fish cant reach to graze. However long term, in my sumps, most of my rocks eventually clean up so that they stay pink and algae quits growing.
Dog boy Dave
New member
Oh, My fish are fat. They eat mostly broccoli, norri and fresh frozen squid. They also graze constantly as they should.
Alex T.
Active member
My tank is pretty dirty. I feed often and heavy. I try to feed natural low phosphate foods and do regular water changes. Algae will grow anyplace there is light and the fish cant reach to graze. However long term, in my sumps, most of my rocks eventually clean up so that they stay pink and algae quits growing.
If that's what dirty can do then I'm shooting for obscene. Great job. I've followed your tank over the years and am always amazed at the thick and healthy fish and acros you keep. :eek1:
afernandez
Never Quit!!
My sump after a light cleaning
Alex T.
Active member
Dave, I love your videos. Your fish look so well fed and happy. Out of curiosity, what are your nitrates and phosphates?
My sump after a light cleaning
Looking great! I'll have to post some pictures of my sump on Sunday after I do my water change. I measured my po4 yesterday and it was .11 on my Hannah Checker. Nitrates have hit 10. I got a few Zebra Turbo snails for what looks like a little green algae on the underside of some rocks, but it doesn't look that severe. My SPS seem very happy with full polyp extension. A few of them have encrusted to the rocks they were glued on, so hopefully they start growing outward now that they've started laying down a solid base.
