Lets talk SPS

[magicalmets]

? to all. im only dosing Cal,ALK,and MAG. should i be dosiing something else?

 

[duke62]

No those are the main three. There is things you can dose for lowering po4 and no3 but it's not necessary unless you are having a hard time keeping your levels in check. Po4 being the main parameter in check. I have seen other tanks with high no3 doing quite well.

 

[TheSherm]

What do the sps keepers here keep their ideal ph at? Since I switched from manual dosing to the pumps my ph has been much more consistent since i spread the dose over 3 separate times, but it can creep up pretty high (8.55) at the height of the light cycle. I think I would like to bring it down to the 8.3- 8.4 range but hesitate to reduce the amount of alk i am dosing. Any opinions, suggestions from anyone?

 

[mbg75]

What do the sps keepers here keep their ideal ph at? Since I switched from manual dosing to the pumps my ph has been much more consistent since i spread the dose over 3 separate times, but it can creep up pretty high (8.55) at the height of the light cycle. I think I would like to bring it down to the 8.3- 8.4 range but hesitate to reduce the amount of alk i am dosing. Any opinions, suggestions from anyone?

Don't chase the ph. Just keep cal alk mag stable.

 

[MIKE NY]

Don't chase the ph. Just keep cal alk mag stable.

x2..I don't worry about the PH because it changes through the course of the year lowering to a high of 8.0 in the winter and I don't notice any difference. The only times I see anything wrong is when the alk jumps or phos spikes.

 

[KingLurker]

Had to say a few words in here . I have a 20l with just an AC 70 running only filter floss and a seaclone hob skimmer . My lighting is a fishneedit 4 bulb fixture all ATI bulbs . I do not add anything to my tank . Weekly 5 gal water change and I use instant ocean . Sps has prospered in my tank ive seen growth in all my corals . I know it's a small system but I think the less u add in your water, the least likely u will have issues in keeping sps.

 

[charliethetuna88]

For me I seen the most diffrence when everything is balanced alk,to cal to mag,I keep this balance by using a cal reactor ,imo a cal reactor is a must have ,it disolves the agronite which has everything we need in a natural balanced form if Ur alk is good then Ur cal is good its a no brainer,,I have high nitrate in my take well over 10ppm and my sps is doing fine I think alk and phosphate are the 2 parameters that u will notice a diffrence in Ur corals

 

[CoralReefer]

I also have a calcium reactor vertex rx6 duo and I used to stress about my levels bc of all of my sps. Now I just make sure my bubble count and effluent stays consistent and In the short time I have had my reactor going I have seen huge gains in growth.

 

[charliethetuna88]

That's my next reactor ,I love vertex I just got the alpha cone and love it built like a tank ,

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[CoralReefer]

Yea I love Vertex now too after owning this reactor. It's so easy to set up a monkey could do it. If anyone wants to trade some frags let me know this is what I have I can frag at the moment.

Tyree setosa
Rainbow stylo
Green stylo
Pink birdsnest
Forest fire Digi
Purple haze monti
Red cap
Tyree meteor shower
Red table acro
Green staghorn

 

[charliethetuna88]

U selling any

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Jakef150]

Yeah dont chase ph..

Biocube 29, Mines ai sol blue at high peak 55w-65b-80rb, alk 9.5, cal 410-440, mg 1380
Water change every 2 weeks, algae scrubbler, co2 scrubbler, set doser alk 10ml every night to keep alk steady, feed every other day with mix food, target feed 1x a week

I have most common sps and some lps. It doing great..

2-3 sps has been stuck with green colors, suppose be different colors..dunno why

 

[CoralReefer]

Your colors are probably like that bc you have too much royal blue

Try 40 65 65 for your Ai sol that's what I used to run mine at.

 

[CoralReefer]

U selling any

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

Pm me I would prefer to trade but I will sell some but I'm in northern westchester

 

[charliethetuna88]

Ahhh I didn't relize Ur that far bro sorry

 

[magicalmets]

whats better for your SPS T5 LED or MH

 

[CoralReefer]

whats better for your SPS T5 LED or MH

Right now MH hands down.
January Ecotech is releasing the new Diodes close to UV cant wait to see how it compares to MH. I hope some day soon I can answer that question with LED.

 

[Adamc1303]

IMHO there are no set rules to maintaining an sps reef tank. Some believe in heavy feeding and heavy skimming while others starve the tank. Some do deep sand beds and some go bare bottom. The real keys as mentioned numerous time earlier are stability and patience. Once you find what works best for you be patient and don't make too many changes. Just let it come to you and the tank. I always found in the past that small er an more frequent water changes help tremendously in any tank. The remove waste and supply trace elements and when done is small increments they do not shock the system. I truly believe although I haven't tried it yet that if daily small water changes are done then a skimmer, calcium, carbon and gfo reactor wouldn't be needed. The water changes would ultimately be the only filtration. Water movement is essential to the filtration as well. Because if the water is always moving then detritus never settles in the tank and makes into the overflow box to be filtered in the sump You pair that with adequate lighting and your set!

 

[james1990]

I'm in the process of testing CAL,ALK, and Mag every day for a week or so to determine the consumption on my system.

During this, should I continue water change day as normal?

 

[duke62]

yes. check before and after the water change to see what the difference is