[ShaunW]

Biologically available nutrients would be another factor to added to the equation.

It's a catch22, high specific nutrients with high nutrient removal.

[autoponicz]

great thread on sps......im still learning though.......now lets say p04 isbarely detectable on a liquid test kit......how about nitrates and how do they affect sps coloration?

	SPS Small Polyped Scleractinians - Sometimes known as Small Polyped Stony corals. These are hard corals that have extremely small polyps. They are typically on the difficult side and require Metal Halide lighting or dense Power Compact or T5 arrays. These corals are prized for their rareness and ability to be easily fragged into multiple colonies.

[Bob 1000]

I am pretty much new to acros but 8 months under pc's with close to no nitrate conditions from frags.. Has my acros doing well at the top of the tank.. 180 show, 125 sump.. Close to 30 fish... With a natureef denitrifier that introduces alk. as a biproduct of the end process of the cycle... Probably methanol that is used to cycle nitrates..but only a pinch and that I think kills much of paracites that should be in my system, Only because I have never used a QT tank and I have been doing this for close to 13 years...But still only credit myself as a NEWBIE...

	PC Power Compact Lighting, typically used in lower light aquariums supporting soft corals, LPS, and fish. Their low cost and cooler operating temperatures are an excellent choice for beginner aquariums and smaller tanks.

[fluidimagery]

I'm having some issues with some SPS now. I've been noticing a few of my corals aren't quite as bright as they used to be. Green Stag, colony of pocillipora, some type of acro. Meanwhile other pieces seem to be looking good and growing pretty fast (Millipora, a different type of acro, montis)

I just did a ALK / Calc test for the first time in about 2 months. Alk was at 10.4 and Calc was at 400, MG was at 1380. I have an aquamedic 2 part doser for the calc and alk which doses evenly. I just turned the alk down a bit and the calc up. Normally my alk is around 9 and calc at 460. MG I ran out of and need to pick some more up. I use Tropic Marin which I hear is naturally low in MG.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is if you think the Calc being low and alk being a bit high is causing the loss of color. I also have a few more fish in the tank but my PO4 has been around the same .1 it's always been (Hanna Meter) Nitrate is indetecable with my Salifert kit (but I hear that's pretty much a worthless test kit) Bulbs are only about 6 months old (2 x 175 12k SE MH)

	MH Metal Halide Lighting, typically used for high intensity light demanding corals such as SPS. Bulbs come in varieties of spectrums (7k, 10k,20k), and intensity (175W, 250W, 400W).

	SPS Small Polyped Scleractinians - Sometimes known as Small Polyped Stony corals. These are hard corals that have extremely small polyps. They are typically on the difficult side and require Metal Halide lighting or dense Power Compact or T5 arrays. These corals are prized for their rareness and ability to be easily fragged into multiple colonies.

[Irisservice]

nice thread...

[yiliyang]

I stick with my softies and LPS mostly.

	LPS Large Polyped Stony corals – In the aquarium hobby this is a common division of the species of stony corals based upon the visual assessment of the size of the polyps. Corals in this category were among the first stony corals to be kept successfully in captivity and include many very beautiful species. Commonly kept Genera include Euphyllia (hammer/frogspawn coral), Favia (brain coral), Plerogyra (bubble coral), Lobophyllia (meat/tooth coral), and Caulastrea (candycane coral). LPS corals also include the popular solitary non-colonial stony corals such as Fungia (plate coral), Cynarina (button coral), Trachyphyllia (open brain coral), and Herpolitha (tongue coral). Like their SPS counterparts, LPS corals require good water quality, intense lighting of the appropriate spectrum, adequate water movement and regular supplementation of calcium.

[SuRFeR BoY]

http://www.ultimatereef.com/TOTM/2007_may/ so i came across this guys website when doing some research and noticed something that i never heard of before... if you check it out.. under number 7 on his list, listed next to additives and i quote "I use a 50/50 mix of vodka/white vinegar to control my nitrates if and when needed." i would say this guy has decent knowledge on what he is talking about.. is this possible?

[2Sunny]

Quote: under number 7 on his list, listed next to additives and i quote "I use a 50/50 mix of vodka/white vinegar to control my nitrates if and when needed." i would say this guy has decent knowledge on what he is talking about.. is this possible?

The vodka-vinegar theory is too feed the bacteria that eat nitrate and thereby increase the overall number of nitrate eating bacteria, but the problem is you introduce unwanted bi-products in the process so constant dosing is believed to be deleterious. That other board, which shall remain nameless, has extensive discussions on the topic in the chemistry forum. Also, some folks have suggested that systems like the Zeovit system are in fact using an additive like "vodka-and-vinegar" in their regimen, and if my nose is to be trusted I would say that might infact be true because the Zeovit Ultra-Bak has a definite "vodka-vinegar" smell


Joe

[2Sunny]

Quote: Originally Posted by fluidimagery I'm having some issues with some SPS now. I've been noticing a few of my corals aren't quite as bright as they used to be. Green Stag, colony of pocillipora, some type of acro. Meanwhile other pieces seem to be looking good and growing pretty fast (Millipora, a different type of acro, montis)

First off your alk and calc are within "normal" parameters and are not having any effect on your corals. Secondly if you can measure PO4 you have too much by far for keeping colorful acros. Tell us some more about your system. Do you have a sand bed? What's your bio load? How about some pics? Anyways, just tryin' to help

Joe

	SPS Small Polyped Scleractinians - Sometimes known as Small Polyped Stony corals. These are hard corals that have extremely small polyps. They are typically on the difficult side and require Metal Halide lighting or dense Power Compact or T5 arrays. These corals are prized for their rareness and ability to be easily fragged into multiple colonies.

[EXPEDITION]

Great thread.

After reading through the whole thread i will add my 2 cents.I first agree with House Of Laughter,when he said back in the begining to "Feed Your Fish".I am still a newb to reefkeeping 8yrs,but have been keeping SPS from the very begining I had a 180g BB mostly sps reef with a huge fish load (22 fish),& i liked to keep them happy.My SPS were colorful but not "bursting" with color my PO4 stayed at .04 Hanna meeter.

On the other hand i was big on two SPS feeding suplements DY's oyster eggs,& phyto.My husbantry was very good with weekly 40g waterchanges.

With that being said i did notice the mention of saltmixes in here ever so slightly,which takes me to my objective.I was anal about my salt mixes,for some reason.Itried them all for a period of 4 month each.When i say ALL i mean ALL even that ZEO salt crap.I got the best colors by mixing 50/50 Reefcrystals,& Oceanic.

So IMO i would say that the best key to color in your stonies is great nutrient import,& better nutrient export (wet skimmimg)And a good balance of salt mixes that gets parameters as on spot as possible,& keeps the "snake oils" out of the enviorment.I to sold my calcium reactor to advance my PH,& have it stable,at 8.3 nite 8.1 -8.2 during the day.(Pinpoint)Growth was much faster,& the CA hovered around 430 with no additive,& weekly WC's.

With all that,my colors were very nice,& positivly had no browns.The Rose Millipora in my avtar was in my 180.I just got setteled down in my new place,& will be setting up a new tank after the Christmas tree comes down.

Happy Reefing everybody,& Merry Christmas.

	SPS Small Polyped Scleractinians - Sometimes known as Small Polyped Stony corals. These are hard corals that have extremely small polyps. They are typically on the difficult side and require Metal Halide lighting or dense Power Compact or T5 arrays. These corals are prized for their rareness and ability to be easily fragged into multiple colonies.