About to move 60 high-end SPS frags into my display. Where do I place them?

[305Reefer]

Over the last 3-4 months Ive been removing everything from my 90g display that isn't SPS. Ive upped my flow, maxed my current lighting (Maxspect Razor) and purchased a bunch of tiny little frags of some really hot corals. I've had them all on frag racks for the last 3 months to make sure they encrust and and start growing. Some haven't done as well as others but the ones doing good are beginning to encrust my racks so its time to put them on my reef.

What I dont know is where exactly to put them all. They are all currently on frag racks at about the height of my highest rocks in about 270par measured with a seneye. Aquatic Life t5 and radeons coming soon but for now thats as bright as this tank will get. I know I wont be getting the epic coloration of some of these corals without bright lighting but I still want to place them properly in the reef for future lighting upgrades..

So I know some of the SPS I have really color up in very high par, but I dont know all of them and I dont know which ones require less..

I have too many for individual tips (unless someone is feeling really generous with their time. But maybe some tips on how to place them based on general coral types. Which ones will look good regardless of how much light. Which look like crap without being baked in high par? etc.. Here's the list of what I have..

CB Maleficent
CB Holy Grail
CB Valhalla
CB Rainbow Twilight
CB OMG Acro
CB Gumdrop Acro
CB Beast Mode Acro
CB Golddigger Acro
CB Icecap Acro
CB Wet Dreams Acro
CB Aquaman Monti
CB Miami Orchid Acro
CB Strawberry Cheesecake
CB Big Papi Acro
CB Sick Nasty Acro
CB Purple Sticky Punch
CB Versace Acro
CB Flaming Unicorn Acro
CB Sexy Beast Montipora
CB Fruity Pebbles
CB Birthday Cake Acro

RRUSA Pink Floyd Acro
RRUSA Angrybirds
RRUSA Rainbow Loom
RRUSA WM Fusion
RRUSA Red Velvet
RRUSA Nothern Star
RRUSA Strawberry Fields
RRUSA Inferno
RRUSA Ultimate Orange Passion
RRUSA Pinky Dinky
RRUSA Badger
RRUSA Pink Venom
RRUSA Gold Nugget
RRUSA Orange Cream
RRUSA LE Fox Trot
RRUSA Diesel
RRUSA Equinox
RRUSA Lion King
RRUSA Nauti Spiral Montipora
RRUSA Aussie Gold Tort

RRC OG Jawdropper

TCK Mardi Gras
TCK Rainbow Matrix
TCK Candy Crush

Big R Walt Disney
BigR Freak Nasty Montipora

JF Flame Fox
JF Homewrecker

Vivid Confetti
HSF Leviathan Acro
WWC Kung Pao Montipora
PC Rainbow
SC Orange Passion

Thanks in advance.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

Holy smokes! Go big or go home, huh? That lists represents a lot of $$$. That's going to be one heck of a tank in a couple of years if you can get them to fit and they all make it!

 

[jda]

Smooth skinned down low. Stags in the low-middle so that they can grow upwards. Everything else in middle-top. Encrusting Montis on their own rock islands in the sand bed.

I would go slow and move 10 of them a week, or so. This gives you the best chance at noticing if one falls off... it sucks to realize a few weeks later that one of your prized pieces (and it is NEVER a bad piece) was dislodged and is now dead.

 

[Phelipe's Ocean]

That frag list is worth more than my city.

 

[305Reefer]

Smooth skinned down low. Stags in the low-middle so that they can grow upwards. Everything else in middle-top. Encrusting Montis on their own rock islands in the sand bed.

I would go slow and move 10 of them a week, or so. This gives you the best chance at noticing if one falls off... it sucks to realize a few weeks later that one of your prized pieces (and it is NEVER a bad piece) was dislodged and is now dead.

Good advice. I’m going to mount them in 2-4 sets, starting with the ones that are growing far too fast already. I’ve lost frags that way before so I’ll be extra careful mounting them. One of the reasons I want to make educated guesses when mounting because I’ll be locking them in pretty strong with tunze 2-part and super glue.

 

[Flexin]

Me being the geek I am, I would number them (on paper) then print a picture of the tank and map all of them out based on the guidance above. You will move some around for comparability etc. But it will help. I only did 15 at a shot and this was extremely helpful. I had a few versions just with placing 15, but when I was ready, none of the corals were out of water long and did not get shuffled once in the tank.

 

[305Reefer]

Me being the geek I am, I would number them (on paper) then print a picture of the tank and map all of them out based on the guidance above. You will move some around for comparability etc. But it will help. I only did 15 at a shot and this was extremely helpful. I had a few versions just with placing 15, but when I was ready, none of the corals were out of water long and did not get shuffled once in the tank.

Sounds like a plan. Thanks!

 

[Graffiti Spot]

Looks like you should ask Reef raft and cornmuffin because that's where most everything came from!

No but really those are two great tips.

 

[305Reefer]

Looks like you should ask Reef raft and cornmuffin because that's where most everything came from!

No but really those are two great tips.

Cornmuffin didnt get back to me. lol.. RR basically just said T5's are good, par unknown.. I guess it would be important to also note if they run ULNs or dirty systems or what. High Alk/Low Alk... My reef runs about 1ppm nitrate and .04-.08 phosphate at 8alk with about 100 par at the sand and 270 at the top.

 

[Abhishek]

Honestly I would slowly put them in around 200-270 PAR and be done with them. I have always and always seen people more concerned with light for acros when the most important factors might be water chemistry and flow.

One more small piece of advice - Once you have placed them , refrain from moving them every few months to find a "sweet" spot . Corals are extremely adaptive species and all they need is time and you to be patient and they will adapt in the best possible way.

Slow down and maintain absolute stable system and you will be rewarded with amazing growth and color.

Regards,
Abhishek

 

[AquamanE]

Hey 305Reefer. I think you might also find a lot of advice in your hometown reef club. The Florida Marine Aquarium Society. Meet dozens of reefers at our monthly meetings. Check out www.fmas1955.org. Or Facebook. Florida Marine Aquarium society.

 

[305Reefer]

Hey 305Reefer. I think you might also find a lot of advice in your hometown reef club. The Florida Marine Aquarium Society. Meet dozens of reefers at our monthly meetings. Check out www.fmas1955.org. Or Facebook. Florida Marine Aquarium society.

Already a member! I unfortunately never make it to meetings because they are a bit far from me. But I try to make it to the frag swap every year and I try to stay active on the RC FMAS forums.

Honestly I would slowly put them in around 200-270 PAR and be done with them. I have always and always seen people more concerned with light for acros when the most important factors might be water chemistry and flow.

One more small piece of advice - Once you have placed them , refrain from moving them every few months to find a "sweet" spot . Corals are extremely adaptive species and all they need is time and you to be patient and they will adapt in the best possible way.

Slow down and maintain absolute stable system and you will be rewarded with amazing growth and color.

Regards,
Abhishek

Good advice Abhishek. I put them all in, lowered the lights a tiny bit and now I'll just wait. The tank is a year old with me, and was running before I bought it... It's been extremely stable for the most part. Once the phosphates skyrocketed after a fluconazole treatment to kill bryopsis. It got to like .35 for about a week. It runs about .06 most of the time, .03 when I run GFO or dose nitrates to help my nitrogen bound fuge work.. Alkalinity has remained between 7.7-8.4 for the past 12 months. Most of the time its a rock solid 8.0dKH. Temps are rock solid too. Its been pretty stable. Thanks for the advice. Im gonna keep it level and straight and just let them grow! I'll worry about coloring them up etc when I have colonies not now when I have frags.

 

[Will Milberger]

You put them in my aquarium.

 

[Flippers4pups]

You put them in my aquarium.

LOL!

Some great advice given here! I would light acclimate them for sure. Sand bed for a couple of days and then move them up slowly to the desired location. Once there, don't move them again. This avoids as much stress as possible.

Awesome collection you have!

 

[Abhishek]

Already a member! I unfortunately never make it to meetings because they are a bit far from me. But I try to make it to the frag swap every year and I try to stay active on the RC FMAS forums.



Good advice Abhishek. I put them all in, lowered the lights a tiny bit and now I'll just wait. The tank is a year old with me, and was running before I bought it... It's been extremely stable for the most part. Once the phosphates skyrocketed after a fluconazole treatment to kill bryopsis. It got to like .35 for about a week. It runs about .06 most of the time, .03 when I run GFO or dose nitrates to help my nitrogen bound fuge work.. Alkalinity has remained between 7.7-8.4 for the past 12 months. Most of the time its a rock solid 8.0dKH. Temps are rock solid too. Its been pretty stable. Thanks for the advice. Im gonna keep it level and straight and just let them grow! I'll worry about coloring them up etc when I have colonies not now when I have frags.

They will color up once they are stabilized in the tank . I have found that if I do not tinker with acros , they always and always adjust to where I have placed them .stable Water chemistry and randomized flow go a long way even more than light in my experience

 

[Flippers4pups]

They will color up once they are stabilized in the tank . I have found that if I do not tinker with acros , they always and always adjust to where I have placed them .stable Water chemistry and randomized flow go a long way even more than light in my experience

Agreed on water pramameters and flow, but knowing par levels is a plus. Baking them from the start is stressful.

 

[The_Harris_co]

Over the last 3-4 months Ive been removing everything from my 90g display that isn't SPS. Ive upped my flow, maxed my current lighting (Maxspect Razor) and purchased a bunch of tiny little frags of some really hot corals. I've had them all on frag racks for the last 3 months to make sure they encrust and and start growing. Some haven't done as well as others but the ones doing good are beginning to encrust my racks so its time to put them on my reef.

What I dont know is where exactly to put them all. They are all currently on frag racks at about the height of my highest rocks in about 270par measured with a seneye. Aquatic Life t5 and radeons coming soon but for now thats as bright as this tank will get. I know I wont be getting the epic coloration of some of these corals without bright lighting but I still want to place them properly in the reef for future lighting upgrades..

So I know some of the SPS I have really color up in very high par, but I dont know all of them and I dont know which ones require less..

I have too many for individual tips (unless someone is feeling really generous with their time. But maybe some tips on how to place them based on general coral types. Which ones will look good regardless of how much light. Which look like crap without being baked in high par? etc.. Here's the list of what I have..

CB Maleficent
CB Holy Grail
CB Valhalla
CB Rainbow Twilight
CB OMG Acro
CB Gumdrop Acro
CB Beast Mode Acro
CB Golddigger Acro
CB Icecap Acro
CB Wet Dreams Acro
CB Aquaman Monti
CB Miami Orchid Acro
CB Strawberry Cheesecake
CB Big Papi Acro
CB Sick Nasty Acro
CB Purple Sticky Punch
CB Versace Acro
CB Flaming Unicorn Acro
CB Sexy Beast Montipora
CB Fruity Pebbles
CB Birthday Cake Acro

RRUSA Pink Floyd Acro
RRUSA Angrybirds
RRUSA Rainbow Loom
RRUSA WM Fusion
RRUSA Red Velvet
RRUSA Nothern Star
RRUSA Strawberry Fields
RRUSA Inferno
RRUSA Ultimate Orange Passion
RRUSA Pinky Dinky
RRUSA Badger
RRUSA Pink Venom
RRUSA Gold Nugget
RRUSA Orange Cream
RRUSA LE Fox Trot
RRUSA Diesel
RRUSA Equinox
RRUSA Lion King
RRUSA Nauti Spiral Montipora
RRUSA Aussie Gold Tort

RRC OG Jawdropper

TCK Mardi Gras
TCK Rainbow Matrix
TCK Candy Crush

Big R Walt Disney
BigR Freak Nasty Montipora

JF Flame Fox
JF Homewrecker

Vivid Confetti
HSF Leviathan Acro
WWC Kung Pao Montipora
PC Rainbow
SC Orange Passion

Thanks in advance.

How did that max spec light work? I have one and I’m issuing it over what’s gonna be a frag tank in the next week. Debating on weather I should keep it or sell it for something else. ( 2-ai primes) just gonna use it for the same thing which is starting the encrusting prices before transferring them over. My dt is over crowded with smaller pieces right now so I need an overflow tank

 

[305Reefer]

How did that max spec light work? I have one and I’m issuing it over what’s gonna be a frag tank in the next week. Debating on weather I should keep it or sell it for something else. ( 2-ai primes) just gonna use it for the same thing which is starting the encrusting prices before transferring them over. My dt is over crowded with smaller pieces right now so I need an overflow tank

I honestly love the way it looks, but its grossly underpowered for SPS.. I now have it over a 12" frag tank with just blues at 100% and its barely enough light.. So for very shallow, low light tanks its great.. but for sps and taller tank its really just not enough power..

 

[Hair Algae Wizard]

Following

 

[CMO]

I'd just say to figure out which ones are tables and mount those in appropriate locations so they don't shade everything below them (probably lower in the tank or on overhangs).

As for specific corals, I have a few on that list but the only ones I've really tested in various conditions would be the SC Orange Passion, PC Rainbow, and Vivid Confetti.

SC OP likes high lighting in my experience and is prone to STN if not mounted vertically when a frag (the shaded side tends to die if mounted horizontally on this one). I have mine in the 450-500 par range.

PC Rainbow. Looks gorgeous no matter where you put it. Very fast grower.

Confetti I prefer in moderate lighting around 300 par. Seems to have a deeper coloration and more green at these levels vs. lighter in high par.