Parameter stability guidelines?

[Mrcote1]

I'm still new to sps keeping (less than a year) and I dose all the main elements and have everything that people recommend for sps but one thing that seems very vague is the stability aspect. I test all important parameters every other week and I try to dial everything in as best as possible but I'll still get swing of like 20 or 30 ppm every two weeks sometimes. Is this considered stable enough, or is stable considered absolute no change in parameters (which I'm finding is VERY difficult to achieve)

 

[Flippers4pups]

20-30ppm of what?

 

[Mrcote1]

My magnesium swings about 30ppm. My dkh is usually always within 0.3 my calcium is within 20ppm, and my potassium is normally within 20ppm (although I've been increasing it to 400 from 300 lately so it's slowly on the move upwards). Temp is constant at 78 degrees, and salinity at 1.025 always. Nitrates never leave 0 and phosphates stay around 0.03ppm

 

[Twisted_Blenny]

you need to dose daily to see consistency. Test all your parameters and mark where you are at. Dont dose for 24hrs to see how much you parameters drop within the 24hr period, that will tell you what you need to dose daily. Cal/Alk are going to be the ones you watch the most. Mag not so much as that depletes very slowly. hope that helps

 

[ZoWhat]

To be successful at SPS....you should never leave the house and watch the tank 12hrs a day, 2hrs of which you should be doing water tests in triplicate, other 2hrs reordering all supplies and supplements

Of course I'm being sarcastically funny, but IMO you darn near have to do that to avoid STN

I quit all SPS like 4yrs ago and it was like 100lbs off my shoulders in stress



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