New to SPS

[richserpe]

Hello all

I’ve decided to take the plunge ( no pun intended) into SPS corals. My tank (Red Sea 300xl Max Plus) has been filled with LPS up to this point. I have Acans, Zoas, mushrooms, torches, Duncan’s, elegance, Oulophillia and brains. As far as fish and inverts I have 2 clowns, 2 purple firefish, a starry blenny, a diamond goby, an elegance wrasse, orchid dottyback, yellow tang and a royal gramma. My CUC is hermits, astrea snails, cerith snails,fuzzy chitons, mithrax crabs, Pitho crabs, turbo snails, Nassarius snails and conches. My questions are: will any of these guys molest the SPS? How do I know if the SPS is alive? I know the polyps are tiny but I feel like I should see something waving around. They’re at the top of the tank under 2 Radion G6 15’s at 40% power. Here’s a couple of photos of what they look like. TIA.

 

[bubbgee]

SPS is easy to know if alive.

If it is peeling-- it's dying or dead. You'll see flesh peel off the skeleton.
If it's turning white -- it is bleaching or dead.
If it's turning brown but no algae growing on it -- still alive.
If it's turning brown or dark green and algae growing on it -- It's dead, Jim.
If it has polyp extended -- very much alive.
If it has fluorescent colors popping -- very much alive!

 

[Catawba_Valley_Reef]

Welcome to the addiction. Your fish and inverts sound fine and shouldn’t bother anything.

How do you know SPS are alive? Generally polyp extension and color. If an SPS turns white and has no polyps it’s a goner.

 

[richserpe]

SPS is easy to know if alive.

If it is peeling-- it's dying or dead. You'll see flesh peel off the skeleton.
If it's turning white -- it is bleaching or dead.
If it's turning brown but no algae growing on it -- still alive.
If it's turning brown or dark green and algae growing on it -- It's dead, Jim.
If it has polyp extended -- very much alive.
If it has fluorescent colors popping -- very much alive!

Thanks for the response. So given the photos, how am I doing? I picked up all of these at Reef a Palooza this past weekend. The top guy was from my LFS who I trust implicitly. He said that was the most forgiving SPS he had but I’d like to see more polyps. Maybe I’m being impatient.

 

[Troylee]

Thanks for the response. So given the photos, how am I doing? I picked up all of these at Reef a Palooza this past weekend. The top guy was from my LFS who I trust implicitly. He said that was the most forgiving SPS he had but I’d like to see more polyps. Maybe I’m being impatient.

They look happy! I’d say you’re doing fine! The top one looks like a golden rod you won’t really see polyps on it as they’re very small!

 

[richserpe]

They look happy! I’d say you’re doing fine! The top one looks like a golden rod you won’t really see polyps on it as they’re very small!

Thanks. Since I’m new to SPS I’m going to be watching them like a hawk to learn more. I’ll keep everyone updated. Thanks again.

 

[bubbgee]

Thanks. Since I’m new to SPS I’m going to be watching them like a hawk to learn more. I’ll keep everyone updated. Thanks again.

Wait until you're up late at night with a blue flashlight to check for bugs and PE. Then you're officially one of us.

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

 

[richserpe]

Wait until you're up late at night with a blue flashlight to check for bugs and PE. Then you're officially one of us.

Already there my friend. You should see the way my wife looks at me when I’m crouched in the dark with my flashlight viewing the night critters.

 

[exnisstech]

Welcome aboard, tank looks great.
My acro tank is a reefer 300 xl started 2 years ago. I felt I needed a challenge so I decided an acro dominate tank would fit the bill, and it has lol. Your tank will be a bit more challenging than mine because of all the LPS. Mixed reefs can be challenging with the different lighting and flow requirements. Not impossible but challenging but I'm sure your aware.
The worst part of keeping acros for me has been the random RTN. Go to bed at night with everything looking good and get up in the morning to a single bone white skeleton while every other piece is fine.

 

[richserpe]

Welcome aboard, tank looks great.
My acro tank is a reefer 300 xl started 2 years ago. I felt I needed a challenge so I decided an acro dominate tank would fit the bill, and it has lol. Your tank will be a bit more challenging than mine because of all the LPS. Mixed reefs can be challenging with the different lighting and flow requirements. Not impossible but challenging but I'm sure your aware.
The worst part of keeping acros for me has been the random RTN. Go to bed at night with everything looking good and get up in the morning to a single bone white skeleton while every other piece is fine.

I wake up to see my corals relocated and broken off (superglue? What superglue?) thanks to my 2 tuxedo urchins and fuzzy chitons. The bulldozers of the reef. Amazing how strong the emerald and mithrax crabs are too. They get under a rock and push it loose. Wish I had that kind of upper body strength lol.

 

[exnisstech]

We are able to keep some pretty amazing creatures. I have pincushion urchins and am always having rescue hermits and small snails. I had one find a little piece of GSP behind the rocks and carried it around for over a month before it looked so I stole it and mounted it lol

 

[Troylee]

Welcome aboard, tank looks great.
My acro tank is a reefer 300 xl started 2 years ago. I felt I needed a challenge so I decided an acro dominate tank would fit the bill, and it has lol. Your tank will be a bit more challenging than mine because of all the LPS. Mixed reefs can be challenging with the different lighting and flow requirements. Not impossible but challenging but I'm sure your aware.
The worst part of keeping acros for me has been the random RTN. Go to bed at night with everything looking good and get up in the morning to a single bone white skeleton while every other piece is fine.

Part of the game! I have about 80 different acros and haven’t lost one in about 8 months and woke up Monday to one dead! Can’t dwell on it just gotta keep doing my thang lol..

 

[bubbgee]

Part of the game! I have about 80 different acros and haven’t lost one in about 8 months and woke up Monday to one dead! Can’t dwell on it just gotta keep doing my thang lol..

After a while, all that sunk cost isn't painful anymore...

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

Did you mean easiest acro?

The easiest SPS are probably the montiporas. Monti caps and digitata. Also birds nest.

 

[exnisstech]

Part of the game! I have about 80 different acros and haven’t lost one in about 8 months and woke up Monday to one dead! Can’t dwell on it just gotta keep doing my thang lol..

It gets easier after a while for sure. I still have my first death mounted as a monument of sorts

 

[skey44]

Already there my friend. You should see the way my wife looks at me when I’m crouched in the dark with my flashlight viewing the night critters.

My wife doesn’t look at me. I think she’s chosen to go to bed and not have to see what I’m doing with the fish tank after hours lol! Your SPS look good!

 

[Sophie"s mom]

SPS is easy to know if alive.

If it is peeling-- it's dying or dead. You'll see flesh peel off the skeleton.
If it's turning white -- it is bleaching or dead.
If it's turning brown but no algae growing on it -- still alive.
If it's turning brown or dark green and algae growing on it -- It's dead, Jim.
If it has polyp extended -- very much alive.
If it has fluorescent colors popping -- very much alive!

So I have a question on this. I have a piece of PC rainbow acro that was given to me awhile back, I will post progressive pictures here when I get home. But the color is great! It was damaged with a couple dead tips when given to me, but is rapidly growing over those tips with new growth. But I did notice a couple days ago, on the back side, where it is growing up over the previously dead tips, it appears to be peeling back a bit. Can I send you some photos this evening and see if maybe you could offer some advice?

 

[skey44]

It gets easier after a while for sure. I still have my first death mounted as a monument of sorts

Yup I have a Pearlberry that fell into the welcoming mouth of an acan. I remounted the 3 remaining polyps and it’s still going months later. It’s in prime real estate though so I’m likely to move it somewhere I don’t have to see it as a constant reminder. I I’ll clear a good spot for my next round of frags coming soon.

 

[bubbgee]

So I have a question on this. I have a piece of PC rainbow acro that was given to me awhile back, I will post progressive pictures here when I get home. But the color is great! It was damaged with a couple dead tips when given to me, but is rapidly growing over those tips with new growth. But I did notice a couple days ago, on the back side, where it is growing up over the previously dead tips, it appears to be peeling back a bit. Can I send you some photos this evening and see if maybe you could offer some advice?

Sure. No problem. Might be a flow issue (too much), if it's peeling just a little bit.