How to successfully keep SPS Corals!

[bif24701]

Just curious with the sps keepers.
How long do you keep your frags at the bottom to get used to your lighting etc before you start to move them to their permanent location?

Once the corals are acclimated to the tank, if the sps frags have not started to encrust the plug, do you keep it on plug and glue it to the rock or do you keep the plug its on and glue that to the rock as well?

If its encrusted I would think that you would just glue the whole thing.

I would love to hear some thoughts on this too.

 

[mcarroll]

How long do you keep your frags at the bottom to get used to your lighting etc before you start to move them to their permanent location?

I would only do as you are decscribing if the corals in question came from a significantly lower-light environment than your tank. (Not a sure thing! This used to be significantly more common than it is these days.) I would leave them at least a week or two before moving them up.

Just in case...

If you use a light meter (lux or PAR, etc) to source and place your corals – in other words use a light meter to match the light in the new tank to the coral's light in its old tank – there might be no reason at all to do it.

And having said that...

If it's not too late, contact the former owner of your frag and get their measurement so you can just match them in your tank.

(P.S. It's not the ideal way to go, but even if neither of you have a light meter, there's still a better solution than guessing and waiting. Try a lux meter app for your smartphones....ideally you can both use the same app. The only real problem with apps is that some apps don't work with some phones....typical software issue. ;) Take some reference readings – of sunlight, for example; google for other references – to make sure your app is giving you good readings before you take it to your reef. Post here or even PM me if you need help anywhere along the way.)

 

[mcarroll]

Once the corals are acclimated to the tank, if the sps frags have not started to encrust the plug, do you keep it on plug and glue it to the rock or do you keep the plug its on and glue that to the rock as well?

If its encrusted I would think that you would just glue the whole thing.

It definitely depends on the coral, but if it's possible to remove the plug I do.

If part of the frag stays on the plug – voila – two frags!

Some frags can't be removed from their plugs, so – much like a new haircut – they just look funny for a while while things grow out. :P

 

[Travous]

I have a oceanic 29 gallon hex 4 years running now mushrooms and polly and zoas that's about it all grown from frags you guys may think I'm crazy but haven't tested the water in a year I change 10 gallons once a week my lights are homemade I run two canisters protein skimmer and a gfo thats it

 

[David Engh]

So to some one new to corals what would be good to start out with? What would be the easiest to get started so I don't get discouraged an give up? I have had my tank running for almost a year now with just fish and wanted to try my hand in corals but don't want to just pick something that looks cool and end up killing it/them. I do bi weekly water changes(20g) to my 125g tank with 40g sump. The only thing I have been adding is essential elements when I do my water changes. My resaults from water test (api test kit)
Ph- 7.8
Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-.50
Phosphate-.5
Kh-161
Calcium-480
Mag-1350
I don't use ro water cause I don't live in the city and have a good well I would assume and my water parameters have been consistent since I have started. Not sure about the calcium, phosphate, magnesium, or kh because I have only been testing those for about 2 months but since I have they are consistent.

My current stock in tank
1 foxface rabbit fish
1 niger trigger
1 yellow tang
1 sailfin tang
1 Sgt major damsel
1 volitan lion fish
Plus a bunch of clean up crew( snails an crabs)
So if you guys could give me a couple pointers/suggestions I would appreciate the insight because the tanks posted throughout this thread are amazing an I hope to have one even a tenth as beautiful and I would be happy. Just wanted to say good job to all an happy feeding.

 

[EJReef]

LUX readings won't match for different lighting types.

I would only do as you are decscribing if the corals in question came from a significantly lower-light environment than your tank. (Not a sure thing! This used to be significantly more common than it is these days.) I would leave them at least a week or two before moving them up.

Just in case...

If you use a light meter (lux or PAR, etc) to source and place your corals – in other words use a light meter to match the light in the new tank to the coral's light in its old tank – there might be no reason at all to do it.

And having said that...

If it's not too late, contact the former owner of your frag and get their measurement so you can just match them in your tank.

(P.S. It's not the ideal way to go, but even if neither of you have a light meter, there's still a better solution than guessing and waiting. Try a lux meter app for your smartphones....ideally you can both use the same app. The only real problem with apps is that some apps don't work with some phones....typical software issue. ;) Take some reference readings – of sunlight, for example; google for other references – to make sure your app is giving you good readings before you take it to your reef. Post here or even PM me if you need help anywhere along the way.)

 

[EJReef]

So to some one new to corals what would be good to start out with? What would be the easiest to get started so I don't get discouraged an give up? I have had my tank running for almost a year now with just fish and wanted to try my hand in corals but don't want to just pick something that looks cool and end up killing it/them. I do bi weekly water changes(20g) to my 125g tank with 40g sump. The only thing I have been adding is essential elements when I do my water changes. My resaults from water test (api test kit)
Ph- 7.8
Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-.50
Phosphate-.5
Kh-161
Calcium-480
Mag-1350
I don't use ro water cause I don't live in the city and have a good well I would assume and my water parameters have been consistent since I have started. Not sure about the calcium, phosphate, magnesium, or kh because I have only been testing those for about 2 months but since I have they are consistent.

My current stock in tank
1 foxface rabbit fish
1 niger trigger
1 yellow tang
1 sailfin tang
1 Sgt major damsel
1 volitan lion fish
Plus a bunch of clean up crew( snails an crabs)
So if you guys could give me a couple pointers/suggestions I would appreciate the insight because the tanks posted throughout this thread are amazing an I hope to have one even a tenth as beautiful and I would be happy. Just wanted to say good job to all an happy feeding.

I would not bother trying coral without RO/DI water.

 

[Russ Mann]

Many communities are treating their water with chloramines instead of chlorine. Didn't want to take any chances!

 

[Jonmf]

Many communities are treating their water with chloramines instead of chlorine. Didn't want to take any chances!

Now that's a set up!

 

[EJReef]

Many communities are treating their water with chloramines instead of chlorine. Didn't want to take any chances!

Just look at your supplier's water report.

 

[CoralManz]

Many communities are treating their water with chloramines instead of chlorine. Didn't want to take any chances!

With a such a top notch filtration system your reef must be ***** awesome.

 

[nl5882]

Man that's a crazy Rodi system. I recently upgraded mine to the aqua fx octopus, and I thought that was big.....

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Let's bump this awesome baby!

 

[Ghxst]

Double bump and a question:

My mixed reef is getting full and wanted to mount some sps to finish it off. I want to use several bare spots about the size of a 25 cent to 50cent that are being approached by zoas. How would you recommend mounting the SPS in those spots but higher than the bare spot to give the sps more time to grow and encrust before it gets over run by zoas. I was thinking of making a pillar out putty, super glue and rubble but have read the coral mounting putty can get nasty and dissolve. Since I can't trash my tank I also was thinking if going slowly by adding rubble with glue to make elevated features but then that can take a month to mini cycle the rock in my tank and has issues of its own.

 

[mcarroll]

Sounds like a dicey situation.

If the spot is optimal for your zoantids, it might not be optimal for a stony coral.

Do you know what in particular you're planning to add? Or a list you're working from?

 

[Ghxst]

Ha! Dicey it is. The tank is packed and these spots won't grow zoas cause I think the light is too strong there, but once the sps grows it will shade up that area and the zoas might have a realized nitche there.

Let me make a tank build, posting the recent progression and pics. That might help a little. And yes, one night I was on r2r and bought a huge 15 sps pack from one of our awesome members. There hot, and now I need to find homes so they stay hot. First time I have been dumb in a while but I wanted them

 

[gettaReef]

Double bump and a question:

My mixed reef is getting full and wanted to mount some sps to finish it off. I want to use several bare spots about the size of a 25 cent to 50cent that are being approached by zoas. How would you recommend mounting the SPS in those spots but higher than the bare spot to give the sps more time to grow and encrust before it gets over run by zoas. I was thinking of making a pillar out putty, super glue and rubble but have read the coral mounting putty can get nasty and dissolve. Since I can't trash my tank I also was thinking if going slowly by adding rubble with glue to make elevated features but then that can take a month to mini cycle the rock in my tank and has issues of its own.

I think glue and rock would be a good way to go. I wouldn't worry about a cycle if you're only using a little bit of rock. How tall are you thinking they'll be? I don't think they'd have to be very tall, just a few pieces of some rubble rock glued on top of each other would make for some cool shapes/pillars to place some sps, or could use one of 2 pieces of tonga branch glued. Share what you come up with!

 

[Ghxst]

Top is aprils fts with all the lights on and bottom is my new frags with just the white t5. Both phone pics, build coming tonight, I'll post up a link when it's done. My only sps I have had previously are some montis, bonzi, fat birds nest, o tried to make my tank as mixed as possible

 

[Ghxst]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/free-rsm-130d.302917/

As promised. When the lights turn on I'll take pics of the areas I want to build up into the light. I'll post em in my build thread as to let the pros continue to tell us how to grow sps!

 

[Reef Gadgets]

Great thread