How hard is sps?

[reef guy 56]

I’m ignoring Acropora how hard is a SPS?

 

[Nate Chalk]

I’m ignoring Acropora how hard is a SPS?

can you reformat your question?

 

[reef guy 56]

Ignorin Acropora how hard is SPS like MontiPora etc.

 

[i cant think]

I’m ignoring Acropora how hard is a SPS?

SPS like Monti, Pocillopora, Stylo, and such are actually really easy! Just keep stable parameters and it should be good. I know Monti thrive in higher Magnesium but can thrive in almost any tank.

 

[Mschmidt]

They can build a pretty dense skeleton. when they are happy, though the flesh can still puff up.

 

[reef guy 56]

Thanks

 

[reef guy 56]

Any extra parameters I should look at like general hardness?????

 

[Dburr1014]

Ignorin Acropora how hard is SPS like MontiPora etc.

They both grow a calcium carbonate skeleton, so I think they're equal enough in hardness unlike soft corals like mushrooms and leathers.

Bad dad joke but I had to

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

Monti plates are easy

 

[reef guy 56]

They both grow a calcium carbonate skeleton, so I think they're equal enough in hardness unlike soft corals like mushrooms and leathers.

Bad dad joke but I had

You had me laughing hard. Can answer my question about general hardness aka gh??

 

[bradreef]

There is a whole spectrum of difficulty in SPS. Ranging from moderate to extremely hard. If you have stable parameters and dose or supplement ca and alk. Shouldn't be a problem with easier sps. Some of the difficulty sps you need to monitor much more such as nutrients, elements, ect.

 

[reef guy 56]

Can someone please answer my question if I should monitor general hardness or gh.

 

[Goaway]

The several acros i had, were just as good at growing as any monti I've kept. Worst thing about most acropora, when problems arise in a tank. They're the first to go.

If you can care for monti digitata, there are some acro species in the trade just as stable.

How difficult is monti digi?
5/10 difficulty.

Montipora red capricorn
3/10 super easy...

Acro Miyagi tort 5/10
And a look alike that's just as forgiving.

Unknown acro frag that survived a dino onslaught.


Tl;dr
Don't pass on acroporas that have been long in the trade if you can grow digitatas well.

 

[GlassMunky]

You had me laughing hard. Can answer my question about general hardness aka gh??

We don’t use GH in reef tanks, just alkalinity or kh, and calcium are the main 2

 

[Goaway]

Can someone please answer my question if I should monitor general hardness or gh.

You monitor calc, alk, nitrate, phos, ph if you're going to dive into sps.

 

[reef guy 56]

Now can we get on to the general hardness if I should test for it or not? That’s what I want to know at this point.

 

[Midrats]

See post #14

 

[Biokabe]

They both grow a calcium carbonate skeleton, so I think they're equal enough in hardness unlike soft corals like mushrooms and leathers.

Bad dad joke but I had to

If you hadn't, I would have. Thanks for taking on the hard jobs!

@reef guy 56, you should always test for your most important parameters. For reef aquariums, those parameters are:

Salinity
Alkalinity
PH
Calcium
Magnesium
Nitrate
Phosphate
Temperature

This will be true if you're keeping any corals, but it's very important with SPS corals. You should be testing daily when you're first starting out to get a handle on things, then at least weekly once you understand how your reef changes.

It's also helpful to have a copper test that you can use from time to time, especially if any invertebrates start mysteriously dying. Copper can sometimes get into your system even if you use an RO/DI system, so many people will just run something like Cuprisorb or ChemiPure Blue to absorb any copper that might be present.