Going with some sticks now!

[Znut Reefer]

I agree keep everything stable, and lower the dkh to 9-9.5. And welcome to the colored sticks addiction.

 

[gar732]

I had good luck with ora stuff. They seem to be pretty hardy and are nice enough that you'll want to keep them. They've kept there color and grown even though my tank has gone through some pretty good swings. I'd just stay clear of the real pricey LE stuff or wild caught stuff untill you feel you've got the hang of it.

 

[nayrgaijin]

I was planning to go with LED's on my next setup, thanks for the tip ;)

Will be lowering my DKH :)
So between 8-10 should be ok?

 

[firsttime]

As already many have eluded stability is the key. I think more importantly stability of alk is key. SPS can tolerate calcium and mag swings . Also SPS react badly to light changes. therefore if you plan on changing bulbs make sure to use screens to make the light change gradual . Hope it helps.

 

[soccerbag]

Folks have covered most everything. In case I missed it, make sure you DIP EVERYTHING! Regardless of who you get it from, how big or small. Many folks have AEFW's and don't even know it yet. To avoid that PITA, make sure you dip everything and blast it with a turkey baster in the dip (thoroughly) before you put it in your display. Ideally, everyone would have a quarantine tank to make sure the acro is pest free before putting it into the display. While that it is not a luxury we all have, you can go a long way in ensuring the health and quality of your SPS by dipping them. It may take more time, but it just takes two (or one pregnant female) and you will be infested before you ever realize it. Dipping will help ensure other pests (redbugs, etc) don't get in the tank as well. RB's don't always die in a dip but those are treatable.

ORA corals (as mentioned above) are great ways to start out. I would make sure you can grow easy types of SPS before you ever try the wild colonies. The wild ones are some of the most beautiful but also the most difficult to keep. If you follow the instructions that others mentioned above (and read the stickies at the top of this forum), you will be good to go.

And yes, 8-10dkh is ideal but many will tell you they keep SPS dominated tanks that look amazing at 11-12 too. If you are (or plan on) dosing vodka to run a ULNS, you will want to drop your alk down to 8-9. If not, you should be fine where you are (unless you really want to bring it down).

 

[Antonias1391]

welcome to the club!! ive been loving it. just wondering soccerbag , why does the dkh need to be 8-9 for vodka dosing??

 

[soccerbag]

No scientific proof on this Antonias. I, and others, have noticed that a higher alk while dosing vodka "can" lead to burnt tips on acros. Not sure why that is, but many of us have noticed this over the past couple of years. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. But it's safe to say that it would be better for your acros to lower it down to 9 or below if you're gonna start a vodka regimen. Acros seem to respond better with alk in the 8-9 range with vodka. Hope that helps...wish I had something more scientific for you...lol.

I can send you some links if you're interested. Just shoot me a pm. : )

 

[Antonias1391]

ya sure would love to learn more about it. good science is good observation. id rather learn from what you guys have seen then have to fight something unnecessarily. alk goes up with large dosing of mag and Cal correct?? and once i get it down to a daily dose it should drop?? thanks again soccer :]

 

[soccerbag]

pm sent Antonias. And yes, typically a large dose of calcium will have an effect on alk (raising it). You shouldn't raise your Ca more than 50-60ppt / day. Some raise it by 100 per day but I wouldn't go over that. Mag can be raised by 100ppt / day but don't raise more than that in a 24 hr period. Assuming you are dosing 2 part, I recommend a doser to help you administer the alk, Ca, and Mag over the course of the day - this helps to prevent spikes. I know those can get expensive though. If you can stabilze your Ca, then your alk should stabilize as well (considering you are dosing alk solution as well). It always takes some time to "dial" everything in. Just keep a log of what you dose (how much and when). This can help you figure out the best amount for all three. Of course, these can change with water changes, evaporation, and coral growth....

 

[wishntoboutside]

welcome to the colored stick club. we don't discriminate too much. just get used to say brown is a color too. =). stability is the key.
i would always keep an eye on that alk. one always learns the hard way. get some monti's. you will also have better results with tank raised corals verus the aquacultured. dang if you were closer i would offer you some trimmings. best of luck and keep us posted with some nice pictures.

 

[nayrgaijin]

Thanks Craig, Antonias and Richard!

Richard what nice offer! I wish I lived closer now! haha
So Cal is probably awesome if you're in this hobby.

 

[Antonias1391]

ya pretty much :wink: also Craig i haven't been dosing my alk solution because its already at 9.6 i will be testing every thing today so i will start a new thread here for a chem discussion :]

 

[soccerbag]

Great idea Antonias! I am not chemist by any stretch of the imagination. I know what works but just don't have the means to verbalize it...lol

I know there are members here who could make much more sense than I can when it comes to this. : )

 

[Troylee]

You aint fooling me bro,I have never been a fan of the green slimer until I got a piece of Kraylens Bali Slimer......wait that isnt sounding right.....ughhhhhh....you know what im saying.......whatever forget it

I got all sorts of high end and le sticks and the Bali green slimer is still one of my favorites.....
The green polyps on the thing just pop like crazy and looks like green velvet.... Definetly a nice piece and very hardy...;)

 

[wishntoboutside]

updates? how is it going for you so far?