Why are SPS so hard??

Daleo

Daleo

New member
I've tried keeping SPS through the years, in several tanks. I cannot keep SPS coral. It seems that they'll live for about 2-3 weeks then the RTN and peel off. Most of the time, it can be one frag, then another, then another, then all gone. The longest I've kept an SPS is 1 yr (green digitata).

I want to do SPS focused mixed reef in a couple months, but I don't want to spend all that money to fail in the end...

Any tips??
 
Do you keep up on bulb changes? What lighting on what tank? And what are your alk/ca/mg? Those things there are the basics.
 
They are not hard they just require diligent husbandry... You have to have stability... You have to take it slow.. You have to have low nutrients... you have to have high light and high flow... There are just so many thing they tank to live people think they are hard. Once you understand every aspect of keeping a tank pristine, you can have SPS... One has to get out of the old softy tank mentality and understand these tanks take a little more work.
 
Just by chance, we're you keeping Soft Corals, or leathers in the same system?The 2 really have chemical warfare with each other.

But Mock Pretty Much hit the Nail on the head...not just understanding how these creatures grow, but how they function, is also important.They are kind of like Women...Hard To Understand, Not easy to keep, Hard to find a good one, and they sometimes go crazy and leave you.

Cheers.
 
Reef264 said:
Just by chance, we're you keeping Soft Corals, or leathers in the same system?The 2 really have chemical warfare with each other.

But Mock Pretty Much hit the Nail on the head...not just understanding how these creatures grow, but how they function, is also important.They are kind of like Women...Hard To Understand, Not easy to keep, Hard to find a good one, and they sometimes go crazy and leave you.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

I have found my new sig!!!...LOL
 
Sorry don't have any specific specs at the moment. I took a break from SPS and I've been keeping LPS and softies for the past 6 months. I know calcium is typically 425 and alk is typically 9-11. Never test for magnesium. Nitrates are usually ~5ppm.

For SPS, is it best to have a skimmer or can a refugium be equally effective?
 
Took me at least a year to get anywhere with an sps tank. Now that I've gotten there, things have been pretty easy. I'm not really that diligent, but I know what to look for nowadays.

-dan
 
Took me at least a year to get anywhere with an sps tank. Now that I've gotten there, things have been pretty easy. I'm not really that diligent, but I know what to look for nowadays.

-dan
 
By my general lurking sense, yes - the vast majority of posters here run a skimmer. Many also have refugiums tied to sumps to help with A) macroalgae sucking up phosphates and B) providing refuge for little critters to thrive and supply the tank.


Let us know atleast what kind of lighting you are/were running.
 
Last edited:
I've done:

70w MH on a 10g
2 boostled par30 on a 10g
250w MH on a RSM 34g

and my latest project:

4x T5 ATI 48" on a 75g rimless.

I haven't tried SPS with the LEDs yet, but I may try them soon.
 
Reef264 said:
They are kind of like Women...Hard To Understand, Not easy to keep, Hard to find a good one, and they sometimes go crazy and leave you.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

LOL that is great... new favorite

Another of my favorite Reef Central quotes sbout SPS being tough:

"An SPS coral can RTN on you because it didn't like the score of a game, that it didn't see, on another planet, at night, Wednesday night." SeanT

Mock said it. Stability. Get all of your parameters in check, like temp, s.g. nitrate, phosphate, calcium, alk, and mag and then keep them there. This may involve higher grade test kits, a skimmer, refugium, gfo, carbon dosing, auto top off systems, dosing chemicals, more water changes, less fish, less fish food, ect. Every system requires something different. But if you can get your parameters in check AND keep them there you can keep sps. Provided you have strong lighting and strong flow.

If you haven't already, check out some of Randy Holmes-Farley's articles in Reefkeeping magazine. When I first started out these helped me immensely!
 
Reef264 said:
Hard To Understand, Not easy to keep, Hard to find a good one, and they sometimes go crazy and leave you.
Click to expand...


Haha....thats friggin classic. Love it.

But yes what other corals are you keeping? SPS and LPS/Softies grow in different environments in nature so needs are different.

And its not difficult, its more caring for their needs. Maybe its me but Ive had more luck with SPS than others. Ive lost softies and havent lost and SPS in the 6 months Ive had them. Be consistant on dosing and water changes, keeping nutrients low, and testing and understanding your systems needs as each tank will be different.
 
Mock said:
They are not hard they just require diligent husbandry... You have to have stability... You have to take it slow.. You have to have low nutrients... you have to have high light and high flow... There are just so many thing they tank to live people think they are hard. Once you understand every aspect of keeping a tank pristine, you can have SPS... One has to get out of the old softy tank mentality and understand these tanks take a little more work.
Click to expand...

Plus 1. IME SPS are not hard. I just keep the tank stable and leave it be.
 
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