Do we all wait for 12 months before having success with SPS?

[gbru316]

No worries. Thanks for the clarification.
I agree that not all people can buy Live rock or even want to for various reasons.
I’ve had live rock in my early years and reaped the benefits and dealt with the problems as well.
My choice was based on convenience and aquascaping.
As it stands I am content with my bare bottom and having seeded the tank from an established tank.
Aiptasia and vermetid worms are an issue which was introduced with livestock.
A hobby opens the door to our personal tastes.
Imagine what it would be like if we all had the same exact tank with same lights, filtration, rock scape and fish?
I’m always interested in seeing what my fellow hobbyist have envisioned and achieved with more and with less.

To the OP I say, Patience is key.
Take your time. Enjoy the process. There is no long lasting pride in instant gratification.
As with all things development and growth are a process which can be enjoyable if we take the time to appreciate it.
Our hobby is a process and meant to last

you know, when I started in this hobby dry rock didn’t exist. The only option was damp rock shipped in from either Tonga, Fiji, or the dense cheap stuff from the Caribbean.

it’s been interesting to watch the pendulum swing over the years.

 

[KonradTO]

My tank is going to reach the 12 months threshold within few weeks. I tried sps before, some encrusting montipora, some green birdnest and stylophora. Everytime they died for one reason or another. First time I think was due to too high nutrients. Then I had my ATO failing twice within a couple of weeks, with salinity alk etc dropping within minutes. My plan is to start adding some easy SPS, wait some time and see how they do, then add a couple more. Once they survive and grow for months without losses than I will consider sps. Before than I will enjoy the movement and colors of LPS and softies.

edit.
p.s. I started with a mix of dry and live rock, inoculated the sand with some sand from lfs. I had coralline growing since month 2 but still seems that sps do not like my tank

 

[flyfisher2]

It’s I


you know, when I started in this hobby dry rock didn’t exist. The only option was damp rock shipped in from either to ga, Fiji, or the dense cheap stuff from the Caribbean.

it’s been interesting to watch the pendulum swing over the years.

Some things for the better and some not.
Like all hobbies.... I used to race RC cars years ago. The hobby shop would sell all kinds of crap that came out for my RC10. Graphite this, improved shocks, you name it. You know what? The stock stuff was so much better than alot of that stuff. We just have to pick through and figure out whats better, worse, eye candy, and just plain old snake oil. You have to admit it's fun though.

 

[w8lifts]

I have 15 sps frags, tank is 2 months old and using dead rock, have coralline growing already, biggest issue was getting everything stable as quickly as possible. I use dosing pumps for everything and it also helps having a calcium reactor. My only issue is the snails looking for snack in the frag rack.

 

[gbru316]

Some things for the better and some not.
Like all hobbies.... I used to race RC cars years ago. The hobby shop would sell all kinds of crap that came out for my RC10. Graphite this, improved shocks, you name it. You know what? The stock stuff was so much better than alot of that stuff. We just have to pick through and figure out whats better, worse, eye candy, and just plain old snake oil. You have to admit it's fun though.

Oh man, I used to have an RC10T when I was a kid. My uncle raced locally and convinced my dad to buy one. He started to put it together, but he was basically Homer Simpson when it came to that sort of thing so I ended up finishing it up and playing with it. Never raced it -- just drove it around the yard and over dirt piles and stuff. I also dabbled in RC planes a bit before electric really took over.

I picked up an electric plane a few years ago for my son and I to fly, and while it's tons of fun, we're really limited to when we can fly it because such lightweight planes tend to struggle in any appreciable wind.

 

[flyfisher2]

Oh man, I used to have an RC10T when I was a kid. My uncle raced locally and convinced my dad to buy one. He started to put it together, but he was basically Homer Simpson when it came to that sort of thing so I ended up finishing it up and playing with it. Never raced it -- just drove it around the yard and over dirt piles and stuff. I also dabbled in RC planes a bit before electric really took over.

I picked up an electric plane a few years ago for my son and I to fly, and while it's tons of fun, we're really limited to when we can fly it because such lightweight planes tend to struggle in any appreciable wind.

Small world. Good times! We actually used tools and called it fun. LOL

 

[ReefGeezer]

I know it is recommended to wait 12 months before keeping SPS. But it seems some people (from YouTube channel) are able to keep SPS even when the tank is new, like 1-3 months new, and doesn't look like they use live rock, how do they do that?

The time period came about because we started worrying about only one piece of the puzzle, nitrogen management, without taking into account all the other processes that yield a stable ecosystem suitable for sensitive SPS corals. It takes a long time for nature to find our tanks and put in the stuff we overlooked!

It is true that tanks set up and maintained with all the pieces in place can support SPS corals in a few months, but that involves much more than sticking some dry rock in a tank and adding a bottle or two of some magic elixirs.

Anybody can put a bunch of frags in a brand new fish bowl and have them live for a while... long enough to make a video or claim success anyway.

Finally, SPS corals are just flaky. That's why frag tanks are popular for SPS keepers. You have to keep a separate colony of each of the corals growing in the frag tank in case the one in your display tank takes offense to the shirt you are wearing and instantly bleaches or starts to RTN!

 

[undermind]

The time period came about because we started worrying about only one piece of the puzzle, nitrogen management, without taking into account all the other processes that yield a stable ecosystem suitable for sensitive SPS corals. It takes a long time for nature to find our tanks and put in the stuff we overlooked!

It is true that tanks set up and maintained with all the pieces in place can support SPS corals in a few months, but that involves much more than sticking some dry rock in a tank and adding a bottle or two of some magic elixirs.

Anybody can put a bunch of frags in a brand new fish bowl and have them live for a while... long enough to make a video or claim success anyway.

Finally, SPS corals are just flaky. That's why frag tanks are popular for SPS keepers. You have to keep a separate colony of each of the corals growing in the frag tank in case the one in your display tank takes offense to the shirt you are wearing and instantly bleaches or starts to RTN!

This post has so much truth and wisdom.

I think the 12 months wait is for the bacterial being matured. So how some people are able to keep sps when their tank is new? Do all you guys wait for 12 months before keeping sps?

It has been said that there's no secret recipe for success in adding SPS to a new tank, but to a degree, I disagree, haha. There is a very basic formula anyone can use for keeping SPS instantly and maintaining the coral's health long term: Start with 100% true live rock from the ocean that's shipped underwater, then maintain fundamental husbandry.

But people LOVE to talk themselves out of this route: "you can't get live rock", "I'll get hitchhikers & pests", etc. I'd much rather deal with catching a hairy crab or two while I watch my SPS grow than I would the opposite: watch hair algae grow on my sterile dry rock while I wait 12 months for the tank to "be ready for SPS".

 

[Mikuchar]

I'm no expert by any means so take this with a grain of salt. I've been reefing for 3.5 years now coming from freshwater and what a rude awakening and bumby yet learning experience I've gone thru. Started with a 75 gallon now a waterbox 130.4. First off learned don't ever start a reef without a sub by using an overflow box! Next I've read and listened to too many so called experts telling you to add this try this method use this to color up grow faster you name it I tried it. I now have 2 ginormous boxes of half bottles of all kinds of additives trace elements equipment etc. Went thru dinoflagellates twice, cyno 3 times, and every bacteria and algae bloom you can think of. Worst was acro eating flatworms I got from 1 time not dipping and cost me in the end about 2000 in frags! So with all that being said the last yr. And a half the mixed reef 90 percent acro dominant is on cruise control growing like weeds.
First pick your lighting I perfer hybrid but pick it check your par levels set it and leave it. I personally feed my fish heavy and feed the corals reef roid once a week along with pytoplankton. Heavy export. Dual socks which I swap out daily, protein skimmer, rowaphos in a tumbler reactor to control phosphates, and a rain2waterfall algae scrubber which I switched from the clearwater brand and its amazing controlling nitrates! Also I would never ever run a reef tank without a uv sterilizer! A must in my opinion. I do a 10 percent water change religiously once a week using tropic marine salt. I run my alkalinity at 9-9.5, calcium at 440-450, and magnesium at around 1500 because of the torches and hammers I have. Flow flow flow eractic. I have a redsea 45 wavemaker along with 3 nero5, and a tunze wavemaker and switched my return nozzles out to flow generators. Keep it simple get your parameters where you need them and leave it there. Stability! Your corals will dictate to you there happy zone. I absolutely do not doubt anything else I do an ICP test once every 3 or 4 months and I may add some strontium, or iodine at that time when I see the results. Good luck hope this book I wrote lol helps. You will make mistakes have coral die on you but hang in there and it's all a learning experience that will reward you in the end!

 

[Reefer Matt]

Don't let anyone or anything discourage you. I had problems at first (live sand with dry rock), but after about 8 months, the tank stabilized. Now, at 4 years in, the coral are overgrowing the all sps tank (75g). Keep at it!

 

[Rmckoy]

I don't know how people stay interested the hobby with no corals for the first 5 years.

I don't know what killed your corals, but I seriously doubt it was because the tank wasn't a year old.

Have you measured the intensity of your lights? How is your flow? How stable is your alkalinity?

This ^

I couldn’t imagine setting up any system and not putting corals in it
That’s the main reason I got into the hobby to begin with .
It all comes down to stability !
with that said it doesn’t just happen in a set time .

 

[ninjamyst]

Easy SPS I usually add within 2-3 months. Birdsnest and digits are super hardy. Acros I wait 6 months for frags but I moved colonies to my new tank with new rocks within 2-3 months and they are fine. It all depends on your tank... there's no magic time table.

 

[KonradTO]

This post has so much truth and wisdom.


It has been said that there's no secret recipe for success in adding SPS to a new tank, but to a degree, I disagree, haha. There is a very basic formula anyone can use for keeping SPS instantly and maintaining the coral's health long term: Start with 100% true live rock from the ocean that's shipped underwater, then maintain fundamental husbandry.

But people LOVE to talk themselves out of this route: "you can't get live rock", "I'll get hitchhikers & pests", etc. I'd much rather deal with catching a hairy crab or two while I watch my SPS grow than I would the opposite: watch hair algae grow on my sterile dry rock while I wait 12 months for the tank to "be ready for SPS".

I mean, I don't know anyone in my area (or online for that reason) that sells true LR shipped underwater. I am sure in US there is much more choice in terms of aquaristic

 

[Dburr1014]

Hi all,

A bit frustrated recently with my 11 months old tank and loss of sps coral, and I am not talking about those difficult sps, I am talking about birdsnest, stylophora and montipora digitata.

My tank:
About 250L
Dosing ALK and Cal
Par level is about 200 on sand bed and 300 on top of the rock.
Dry rock

Water Parameters:
ALK: 8.0 to 7.7
CAL: 430
MAG: 1380
NO3: 5
PO4: 0.02-0.04

I admit I made some mistakes along the way, like letting NO3 bottom out for couple of months but already keep it at 5 for last few weeks, MAG drop to 1230 recently but already brought it up now, a wavemaker gave up on me. But things are getting quite stable now. I put some SPS frags in around 2 months ago (when my tank is about 8 or 9 months old), like Acropora Millepora, Montipora Digitata, Pink/Green Birdsnest and Purple Stylophora.
Millepora started encrusted on the rock and suddenly started peeling and it's dead now.
Montipora Digitata was half dead but coming back at the moment.
Pink Birdsnest dead, but I think this one is wild caught so may be difficult.
Green Birdsnest frag also dead.
Purple Stylophora started peeling now.

I know it is recommended to wait 12 months before keeping SPS. But it seems some people (from YouTube channel) are able to keep SPS even when the tank is new, like 1-3 months new, and doesn't look like they use live rock, how do they do that?

I think the 12 months wait is for the bacterial being matured. So how some people are able to keep sps when their tank is new? Do all you guys wait for 12 months before keeping sps?

Sorry for the whining, just wondering about everything of reef keeping.

A lot has been said in this thread and it mostly comes down to stability and diversification in your microfauna/bacteria.
OP, all those slight little mistakes add up to instability.
12 months are not just for the tank. It's also for the person to learn there tank, develop a plan on how to maintain the tank. This adds up to the stability piece. Seasoned reefers know all this and can definatly add sps way before 12 months.
Get the stability piece down and try again.

 

[Duncan62]

Hi all,

A bit frustrated recently with my 11 months old tank and loss of sps coral, and I am not talking about those difficult sps, I am talking about birdsnest, stylophora and montipora digitata.

My tank:
About 250L
Dosing ALK and Cal
Par level is about 200 on sand bed and 300 on top of the rock.
Dry rock

Water Parameters:
ALK: 8.0 to 7.7
CAL: 430
MAG: 1380
NO3: 5
PO4: 0.02-0.04

I admit I made some mistakes along the way, like letting NO3 bottom out for couple of months but already keep it at 5 for last few weeks, MAG drop to 1230 recently but already brought it up now, a wavemaker gave up on me. But things are getting quite stable now. I put some SPS frags in around 2 months ago (when my tank is about 8 or 9 months old), like Acropora Millepora, Montipora Digitata, Pink/Green Birdsnest and Purple Stylophora.
Millepora started encrusted on the rock and suddenly started peeling and it's dead now.
Montipora Digitata was half dead but coming back at the moment.
Pink Birdsnest dead, but I think this one is wild caught so may be difficult.
Green Birdsnest frag also dead.
Purple Stylophora started peeling now.

I know it is recommended to wait 12 months before keeping SPS. But it seems some people (from YouTube channel) are able to keep SPS even when the tank is new, like 1-3 months new, and doesn't look like they use live rock, how do they do that?

I think the 12 months wait is for the bacterial being matured. So how some people are able to keep sps when their tank is new? Do all you guys wait for 12 months before keeping sps?

Sorry for the whining, just wondering about everything of reef keeping.

I've got acros and montis that started in a brand new tank but it was started with uncured live rock and an established algea scrubber. 5 months In to this tank its stable and shows good growth. No water changes. It more about stability than age .

 

[Duncan62]

I mean, I don't know anyone in my area (or online for that reason) that sells true LR shipped underwater. I am sure in US there is much more choice in terms of aquaristic

KPaquatics

 

[KonradTO]

KPaquatics

That's a US company right? I am quite sure they don't have shops in EU.
Here few websites sell live rock but its either cured or riddled with pests.. if someone living in EU knows some good sources of live rock I am all ear

 

[undermind]

That's a US company right? I am quite sure they don't have shops in EU.
Here few websites sell live rock but its either cured or riddled with pests.. if someone living in EU knows some good sources of live rock I am all ear

Yeah that's right. I suppose we're pretty fortunate to have a few choices in Florida that ship around the US.

I've found also that LFS's can occasionally get a hold of live rock like we used to that comes in internationally, like the old days. This is less reliable and it's hard to get information on the source and how long ago it came out of the ocean, but it's worth asking. One of my LFS's can sometimes get branch rock that's supposedly from Australia. It looks just like Tonga branch and is very high quality.

 

[KonradTO]

Yeah that's right. I suppose we're pretty fortunate to have a few choices in Florida that ship around the US.

I've found also that LFS's can occasionally get a hold of live rock like we used to that comes in internationally, like the old days. This is less reliable and it's hard to get information on the source and how long ago it came out of the ocean, but it's worth asking. One of my LFS's can sometimes get branch rock that's supposedly from Australia. It looks just like Tonga branch and is very high quality.

Yes it think it's quite rare here. My lfs has some LR but they are basically dry rocks kept in a tank with water. More pests than benefit. I managed to find once some guy on Ebay that sent me some LR from his tank for 20€. Very good rocks covered with unknown stuff and not too many pests. But that is more hit and miss, and you know if its miss only once you paid. On the other hand I am happy they don't rip reefs for us, I mean, in a year you can still get some good bacterial diversity without the best rocks, so its fine this way.
I only wish I could get some small fragments of LR with some cool inverts and sponges from healty reef tanks in my area, that would be great. I love the diversity that comes with this stuff, and that you can find critters you did not know existed even after months

 

[PeterErc]

No live rock or sand, started with some coralline scrapings, kalkwasser in ATO, light and fish
02-06-15


06-10-15


01-06-2020