Am I Ready for SPS?

[BCRIBS]

A. Total water volume ( Please include sump, etc.) Red Sea Reefer 170. (43 Gallons)
B. What are your parameters? ( CA, ALK, PO4,Salinity, etc.)
CA 425
Alk 8.0
PO4 0
Salinity: 1.025
Nitrate 1-2ppm
Mag: 1335
C. Type of lighting. Please include age, watts, and bulb/ballast name. Radion XR30w pro 65% on coral radiance for 10 hours per day
D. Filtration method (Skimmer, GFO, DSB, etc.) Skimmer, GFO, Carbon, Filter Sock
E. What types of corals do you keep other than SPS? 1 Leather, Zoas brain, LPS
F. How long has the tank been running? 3 months
G. What are you dosing? Dosing schedule? Was dosing once daily Ca and Alk, now 2 times per day, 3ml each time
H. Which brand of salt are you using? Red Sea Coral Pro
I. What brand of test kits are you employing? Hanna Alk/phosphate, Red sea, and Milwaukee SG
J. What are you using for CA/ALK supplementation? Was using BRS two part, started using b-ionic
K. What are you using for flow? (Pump names, how many, placement, etc.) Return Pump rio 1700, 1 ecotech mp-10.

Food, Reef Chili, Red Sea Energy, Reef Snow, Brine shrimp.

Hi, I was hoping if someone can provide me with some guidance to whether or not it makes sense for me to start investing in SPS. My system has been very stable since day 1, I Alk test daily with a hanna, I am borderline OCD :) and think I am ready for adding more SPS but I have been running into a little bit of trouble with a few starter pieces. When I bought my first montiporas from the store they had great color, then they started to fade out in my tank. I was thinking that my system is running too clean so I started feeding more. Color has not restored yet it has been 2-3 weeks. Is my system too new? I just installed dosing pumps, radion's are set @ 65% on coral radiance for 10 hours per day . Here is a shot of the tank. Any suggestions as to how I can get what I have to color up? I am thinking I should hold off in buying anything else. Anything I doing wrong? Water Changes @ about 7-10 days, 8%.

Thanks!

 

[hybridazn]

I would hold off, 3 months is very young for the tank to be totally stable. I would wait double that, longer if possible(recommended)

 

[BCRIBS]

Thanks for the reply. What parameters just out of curiosity would be unstable?

 

[hybridazn]

At 3 months ammonia spikes could still happen.

 

[helldiver]

I think it unstable plus your lights are Probably bleaching ur corals the intensity to to hidg

 

[BCRIBS]

I pulled real reef rock from a LFS that had it hooked up to their main display for months. I added fish on day 1 and never had and ammonia spike at all. No algae blooms, nothing. I have 9 fish and it has been a challenge to get my nitrates up in a 34 gallon display. Also using marine pure, the biological filter is out preforming inhabitants.

 

[BCRIBS]

I think it unstable plus your lights are Probably bleaching ur corals the intensity to to hidg

What would you dial the lights back to?

 

[hybridazn]

I pulled real reef rock from a LFS that had it hooked up to their main display for months. I added fish on day 1 and never had and ammonia spike at all. No algae blooms, nothing. I have 9 fish and it has been a challenge to get my nitrates up in a 34 gallon display. Also using marine pure, the biological filter is out preforming inhabitants.

If that's the case you should be OK for sps. As for your bleaching issue are you light acclimating the corals?

 

[BCRIBS]

Sorry our responses crossed.

 

[BCRIBS]

If that's the case you should be OK for sps. As for your bleaching issue are you light acclimating the corals?

I started at 50% then bumped it to 65

 

[BCRIBS]

Maybe I could have done that differently.

 

[helldiver]

What would you dial the lights back to?

Yez

 

[Kershaw]

Also make sure you have a good understanding of dosing.

 

[helldiver]

If your water parameters are not stable and your tweaking your water quality this could cause more stress on sps and bleach them but that is what i experinced on my tank i started out at 40 percent and now currently only on 50 percent but every tank is different

 

[Kershaw]

If your water parameters are not stable and your tweaking your water quality this could cause more stress on sps and bleach them but that is what i experinced on my tank i started out at 40 percent and now currently only on 50 percent but every tank is different

I have bleached a few at 65 percent with kessils. So now I start at 50. And work my way up 5% a week. All the way to 90%

 

[helldiver]

Agreed @Kershaw on a new tank i struggled with alk swings monitored alk twice a day a learned my low points and low ph and the was usually at night that is when alk should be dosed in my opinion.I learned later on about. Testing mg first and brought mg up to range then alk to range i wanted 8.5 preffered but my tank stays at 10 but it works for me and the ca 420-450 i think alk and temp are the key the temp needs to stay within 1 degree

 

[BCRIBS]

Also make sure you have a good understanding of dosing.

Thanks for the reply; I have been able to find the sweet spot of 6ml per day to hold alk between 7.9-8.2. The doser is able to dose 1 ml every 2 hours. right now I have it set to run 3 ml every 12 hours. Would you suggest breaking it up further? Say 2ml every 8 hours?

 

[helldiver]

@Kershaw i totally agree i wish i would have asked u before i lost 100 dollars in corals temp plays a big role in testing also

 

[BCRIBS]

I'm only testing for AlK 1 time per day.. Btw. Tested yesterday came out to 7.9, today same time 7.9. I guess I don't know what the swing is throughout the day.

 

[helldiver]

Have u ever tested your alk in evening hrs