SPS FRAGS IN MY CHECKOUT

[Reginald Reefer III]

I do not change water in my 20g or 100g tanks. I run the moonshiners method in both, but have to monthly/daily provide correction doses that you would typically get from water changes.

 

[mimi117]

@Reginald Reefer III

How much did you spend in total to start the program, I have been thinking about it.

 

[Red_Beard]

If corals are looking great, and you have your dosing regimen in check, all parameters you test for are stable are you guys still doing bi-weekly water changes? I haven't done a water change going on two weeks and all my stuff looks super good in the tank right now.

I used to have this hammer coral back in the day and it would inflate so much under my metal halide, I used to use that as a gauge if something was up with the tank.

Yes, more or less. I have found SPS to be MUCH more appreciative of that than my LPS/softies. I had previously gone about a year with no water change and had more hammers, nems, zoas and mushrooms than i could count. SPS though look noticeably better and show markedly more growth with regular water changes.

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

@Reginald Reefer III

How much did you spend in total to start the program, I have been thinking about it.

Upfront cost is probably ~$400-$500 and a monthly test is ~$65

 

[mimi117]

@Reginald Reefer III But it was only that expensive because you needed a lot of the elements based on your ICP correct?

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

Your first couple of ICP's are going to require pretty much everything. There are also daily dosing elements. Here is what my last couple of ICP's looked like (100g):

APRIL 2025
Nickel - 1.24 mL 2/2 Day
Zinc - 0.4 mL 2/2 Day
Strontium - 5.33 mL 1/1 Day
Flouride - 34.16 mL 6/6 Day

DAILY
Iodine - 9 drops
Manganese 1.5 mL/day
Chromium - 0.2 mL/day
Cobalt - 0.2 mL/day
Iron - 0.1 mL/day
Vanadium - 2 drops
Selenium - 0.2 mL/day
Bacto Balance NP - 1.0 mL/day


MARCH 2025

Strontium 4/4 - 5.52 ml
Boron 1/1 - 51.10 ml
Flouride 5/5 - 32 ml
Rubidium 1/1 - 22 ml
Nickel - 5/5 - 1.7 ml
Zinc - 1 mL

Manganese - DAILY 1.0 ml
Chromium - DAILY 0.2 ml
Cobalt - DAILY 0.2 ml
Iron - DAILY .1 ml
Vanadium - DAILY 2 DROPS
Iodine - DAILY 6 DROPS
Selenium - DAILY 3 DROPS
Copper - DAILY 1 DROP

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

On my 20g (just switched it over since I already have everything) here is what the first ICP-MS came back for corrections and what I dose daily:

Nickel - 0.3 mL 3/3 Day
Zinc - 0.12 mL 2/2 Day
Magnesium - 16 mL 1/1 Day
Calcium - 25 mL 2/2 Day
Rubidium - 6.5 mL 3/3 Day
Potassium - 26.78 mL 3/3 Day
Molybdenum - 1.9 mL 5/5 Day
Bromide - 14.02 mL 7/7 Days
Flouride - 7.44 mL 12/12 Day

DAILY

Manganese - 0.2 mL/DAY
Iodine - 3 DROPS
Chromium - 1 DROP
Cobalt - 1 DROP
Vanadium - 1 DROP
Selenium - 1 DROP

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

I will also say that all of that will be for naught if you don't keep your salinity, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium and temp very stable with proper lighting, flow, and nutrients. All of these elements are supposed to be used in conjunction with an already rock solid husbandry program. 20g tanks (I have one) tend to be finnicky and unforgiving just due to the very limited water volume. Keep that in mind also!

 

[spsick]

Moonshiners is a pretty advanced technique I wouldn’t recommend to anyone with less than a few years experience.

Frankly I think it’s bananas to suggest that to a new hobbyist with a 20g tank. 5g weekly water changes are vastly more simple, cost effective, and consistent.

@mimi177 I highly recommend seeking out advice from 1 mentor source you can trust. You don’t need a $300 pump or a $500 dosing program to be successful.

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

Moonshiners is a pretty advanced technique I wouldn’t recommend to anyone with less than a few years experience.

Frankly I think it’s bananas to suggest that to a new hobbyist with a 20g tank. 5g weekly water changes are vastly more simple, cost effective, and consistent.

@mimi177 I highly recommend seeking out advice from 1 mentor source you can trust. You don’t need a $300 pump or a $500 dosing program to be successful.

I agree.

 

[Tonycass12]

Moonshiners is a pretty advanced technique I wouldn’t recommend to anyone with less than a few years experience.

Frankly I think it’s bananas to suggest that to a new hobbyist with a 20g tank. 5g weekly water changes are vastly more simple, cost effective, and consistent.

@mimi177 I highly recommend seeking out advice from 1 mentor source you can trust. You don’t need a $300 pump or a $500 dosing program to be successful.

Spot on, this is great advice for a bigginer. All I do is keep up on my 2 part dosing and testing with waterchanges every other week (only about 10% of total volume). No other additives. Sps thrive so long as things are rock solid stable and you have good light and flow. It can just take some time for a tank to mature to a point that it can really achieve that stability.

 

[Borat]

The order should be:
- day 1: add water
- day 2: wait to cycle (maybe 2 days)
- day 4-5: buy lots of clownfish and tangs, maximum 1 tang per gallon
- day 6: buy holy grail acropora, torches and other exotic corals, quickly post pictures of the tank

 

[luxe]

The order should be:
- day 1: add water
- day 2: wait to cycle (maybe 2 days)
- day 4-5: buy lots of clownfish and tangs, maximum 1 tang per gallon
- day 6: buy holy grail acropora, torches and other exotic corals, quickly post pictures of the tank

It was funny when I read it. Then I read it in Borats voice. Aaahhahahahaha Great success!

 

[spsick]

Frags in my checkout
Sps are a delight
So many polyps sway

Check out the trees in your checkout. Arbor day

Can y’all stop spamming the @Battlecorals posts, please?

 

[Tonycass12]

We doing this again? Didn't this almost result in a ban with the forums getting spammed by this stuff last year?

Frags in my checkout
Sps are a delight
So many polyps sway

Check out the trees in your checkout. Arbor day

 

[Hemmbone20]

On my new tank I didn’t do a water change for the first 3 months because there was no need to. In fact my challenge was fighting zeros on nutrients.
You should do a water change if you have coral consuming elements or if you want to export nutrients. It depends on your system as to when to do your first WC.

 

[mimi117]

Yea, just vacced a bunch of fish doo doo and did a 4 gallon water change, alk went from 9.9 to 10.5, salinity is 1.024.

I'll probably stick to vacuuming the sand weekly/bi-weekly and doing small water changes like 1-2g at a time, I want stability :)

I have one Hygger wave maker on the front left side of my tank, thinking of adding another one on the right back side of the tank, you guys think its over kill, I switched from pulse/wave mode to random mode and I think the tank likes that type of flow better, its over all a lower flow but more random, so the right side of my tank is low flow and the back right is super low flow, funny enough all the detritus ends up on the power head side but towards the rear of the tank.

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

The order should be:
- day 1: add water
- day 2: wait to cycle (maybe 2 days)
- day 4-5: buy lots of clownfish and tangs, maximum 1 tang per gallon
- day 6: buy holy grail acropora, torches and other exotic corals, quickly post pictures of the tank

 

[Mattiejay6]

We doing this again? Didn't this almost result in a ban with the forums getting spammed by this stuff last year?

You know this was a part of his sale. If the admin didn’t like it I’m sure they would’ve reached out to him to alter his sale terms

 

[Mattiejay6]

Can y’all stop spamming the @Battlecorals posts, please?

I’m thinking that is not gonnnna workkkk