would like to keep sps...could use a little help/guidence.

[bueller]

Hey All,

Well, I'm really starting to like sps corals but could use a little help / guidence in how to go about keeping them. right now i just have lps & softies. Maybe someone local could Come over and give me hand...I'm better with a hands on lesson than reading e-mails Example: What I would need, Testing ect.... [Of course Beers will be on hand}

Also, if possible i would do it without using a co2 tank [No Room]

Thanks
Bueller

 

[Deanos]

What size tank do you have? How much water flow are you providing the tank?

What is your current lighting arrangement?

Do you have any fish which may eat SPS coral?

What are your calcium, alkalinity, magnesium and pH levels? How have you been keeping these levels stable?

What are your phosphate and nitrate levels?

Once you've answered these questions, the SPS experts here, will be able to better lead you down the road to a successful SPS reef.

 

[bueller]

Hey Deanos,

What size tank do you have? How much water flow are you providing the tank?

What is your current lighting arrangement?

Do you have any fish which may eat SPS coral?

What are your calcium, alkalinity, magnesium and pH levels? How have you been keeping these levels stable?

What are your phosphate and nitrate levels?

:duh: I should have listed this:
Tank: 90 gal tank 1 corner overflow 1.5 drain Believe 600gph
Flow: Mag 18 coming from the sump. 2- Seio 1500's in the tank for flow
Lighting: 2- 175 mh
Fish That eat SPS: Unsure.. 2- maroon clowns, 1-pink tail trigger, 1-Juv Emperor Angel, 3- tangs [ unsure kind]
Testing:
To be Honest I don't really test as much as I used to. I did test last week as follows:
Amm. 0
Nitrite.0
Nitrate.10
PH. 8.3
Phos. 0
as far as Calcium, Alk, Magnesium. I dose my tank 2 x a week with figi Gold. & Iron 1x a week. The Tank & All the lps & softies Look great.

Thanks
Bueller

 

[R32Brightliner]

What is the level of the calcium, alk, and mag??? Just because your softies and LPS look great does not mean your levels are optimal.

 

[bueller]

I hear ya, I haven't tested, will have to when I get home.

bueller

 

[lfsmarineguy]

Here is a few month old picture of my tank. It is a 50 gal with 192 watts of PC lighting on it and almost entirely SPS. I use an emperor 400 filled with my own mix of filter media, I run a 9watt UV 24/7 and I have 3 MJ1200. I also run a phos reactor filled with different types of media. On occasion I will drip kalk for top off water. SPS is not the easiest coral to take care of and by no means can just any system support them, but if you can setup a stable system and keep it that way they can adapt more easily than most people would think. I have better growth and color than some people I have seen with halides and bigger tanks. I wouldn't recommend this setup to start with it's been something of a pain and the tank I learned on by myself. Just read up and ask questions and you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[bueller]

I feel/ think I have a pretty stable tank [born feb 2006]. Haven't lost any fish. Very disciplined with my water changes [ I know...I need to be more with testing]. everybody looks/seems happy and eating well. I'm ready to take the challenge of sps just unsure on how to go about it. I have a 35 gallon top off container in my basement that feeds the tank in the dining room. maybe i can kalk drip [which i don't know how to do] the top off? just want to best/ less complicated method of having / caring for sps.

Thanks for any help.

Bueller

 

[fritz]

The trick to sps (IMO) is:
1. Stability of water parameters. Fish won't mind a swing in PH, Alk, Calcium or temp to much but sps corals will.
2. Flow. Someone on here said it best when they said that sps corals "eat, breathe and give off waste from the same hole." That being said flow is very important to make sure they can eat, breathe and get rid of their waste.
3. Food. This is done via lighting and zoaplankton / random who knows what.
4. Nutrients. These are bad, you don't want them. Water changes with RO/DI and good skimming will mostly take care of this.

 

[bueller]

I believe i have enough flow 2-seio 1500 plus the mag 18 from return. the temp, I've been having a little problem with the temp. at night it goes to 78 but during the day with the mh's on it has gone as high as 83. That's with 2- 3 inch fans sucking air out and 2-3 inch fans blowing across the top of the water. what's the first step i should do in regards to keeping sps.
thanks
bueller

 

[fritz]

Try some Montiporas and see how they do. You'll learn as you go. Also start testing for Alk and Calcium and figure out how you'll replace what the corals use up. (Either via kalkwasser or 2 part etc) Look at the flow produced by your setup. Does everything bob around in a different direction a few seconds? (That's the ideal) With two powerheads you could try pointing them both at the front glass dead center from opposite corners or pointing at each other from opposite sides. You can see what works best.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

i dont no if anyone has mentioned it but u might run into a problem with the juv emperor angel fish... it might pick at the sps or it might not..

the biggest important factor in sps is

-lighting (many people prefer metal halide lighting and some use t5 only and have good results) i use 2 250 watt xm 10k's SE's with tek t5 actnic supps..

-how u supply calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium (they use all 3 but more of the 1st 2) I recc. going with a calcium reactor makes things alot easier or you can use randy holmes farley 2 part alk and cal...

-sps corals dont like swings very much... (temp,alk,cal, salinity,ph)

-nutrients seems to be a good thing and a bad thing.. corals will use up some of the nutrients but eventually those nutrients will become phosphates which hinders the calcification of any animal that uses that method to grow..

what did u test phosphates with (what kind of test kit)

there are many diff. ways of doing things, many will argue what is the best way, but it all boils down to wat works best for you.. take the recc. on ur thread and try em out.. some things might not work for you and others will.. there is no 1 way of doing things..

u seem to have good flow... (remember random flow is prefered by sps)

good luck
tony...

 

[jackson6745]

If you keep your Phosphates extremely low, your corals will live. If you want them to grow and color up you need to buy a lot of sheit. You have to ask yourself if you're really willing to take the next step.

 

[cali_reef]

If you want them to grow and color up you need to buy a lot of sheit. You have to ask yourself if you're really willing to take the next step.

I am not!! can I get a refund:lol2:.

 

[jackson6745]

I am not!! can I get a refund:lol2:.

No but I'll buy your H+S skimmer at a hefty discount since it's so heavily used:tongue1:

 

[lfsmarineguy]

You don't have to buy a lot of stuff and your probably better off using as few additives as possible. I have reduced my dosing to just about a 10% water change once a week and that is all with few exceptions unless something is way off and needs a little help. Also, Fritz is right, you should try some montipora before jumping in just to see how they do. They are (mostly) one of the hardiest corals and can survive in just about anything.

 

[meschaefer]

That's with 2- 3 inch fans sucking air out and 2-3 inch fans blowing across the top of the water.

IMO having two fans blowing in and two blowing out is not doing the best way to have your fans set up. They should all be blowing in

Think of it this way, if you have 30 cubic inches of air blowing in, and thirty cubic inches of air blowing out, you have a total of 30 cubic inches of air moving through the hood. IF on the other hand you switch the exhaust fan, you will have 60 cubic inches of air blowing in.

Additionaly, the way fans cool the tank are through evaporation. So you want the fans blowing across the water. Exhaust fans are really inefficient for this function.

 

[charile1]

You don't have to buy a lot of stuff and your probably better off using as few additives as possible. I have reduced my dosing to just about a 10% water change once a week and that is all with few exceptions unless something is way off and needs a little help. Also, Fritz is right, you should try some montipora before jumping in just to see how they do. They are (mostly) one of the hardiest corals and can survive in just about anything.

What kind of salt are you using?