SPS keep bleaching. Help!

[Lavey29]

Your tank just isn't ready at 7 months even with the existing rock you started with. Your biome isn't ready to support SPS at 7 months. Neither was mine with STN like you describe. After a year, I began adding frags. 38 frags with no losses. Now all colonies and mini colonies. Actually had to give some away and start with some new frags again for space issues.

 

[Kasrift]

I'd guess you could turn the flow on all your powerheads. SPS need decent flow. Otherwise I'd say maybe not enough biodiversity in the tank. To be honest, monti caps are considered fairly easy so I would look at something else that might be bothering the corals. Coral beauties can peck at SPS polyps from what I hear.

 

[gbroadbridge]

That couldn't be further from the truth. My tank is 4 months old this go around. Already stocked with SPS showing big growth.

That said it is advised to let your tank mature 6+ months before trying SPS. It makes it easier. I have tons of experience and am confident in my ability to provide a good environment. Mine are thriving and I have only had one loss which I believe was because of a blenny that hung out on this coral constantly.

You're entitled to your opinion of course - a lot of folks like to rush and believe you can buy a magic bottle potion and have an instant reef, one that took nature millennia to establish.

FWIW, I've been keeping fish in glass cages since 1975 and there is still much unknown about exactly what is going on in any of our tanks especially at the bacterial level.

 

[aaron186]

Your tank just isn't ready at 7 months even with the existing rock you started with. Your biome isn't ready to support SPS at 7 months. Neither was mine with STN like you describe. After a year, I began adding frags. 38 frags with no losses. Now all colonies and mini colonies. Actually had to give some away and start with some new frags again for space issues.

I will pump the breaks and stick to LPS/softies for a while.

I’m curious though if I want to do an SPS dominated mixed reef and have high lights and high flow, what LPS/softies can I easily grow while still preserving space for SPS later?

 

[aaron186]

If it’s not a light issue should I leave my lights alone? I’m getting 350 par at top of my rocks

 

[Kasrift]

If it’s not a light issue should I leave my lights alone? I’m getting 350 par at top of my rocks

350 sounds perfect in my opinion. Those lights are also supposed to be stellar and what I'm putting in my next build.

 

[braaap]

I will pump the breaks and stick to LPS/softies for a while.

I’m curious though if I want to do an SPS dominated mixed reef and have high lights and high flow, what LPS/softies can I easily grow while still preserving space for SPS later?

It depends on your aquascaping. High light and high flow typically isn't a great combo for softies. But maybe you have lower flow and light areas? We don't know. It also depends on what you like. I don't like LPS all that much. But I like zoanthids.

 

[Lavey29]

I will pump the breaks and stick to LPS/softies for a while.

I’m curious though if I want to do an SPS dominated mixed reef and have high lights and high flow, what LPS/softies can I easily grow while still preserving space for SPS later?

You have a slightly larger tank then my xl300. I think you have to much flow. I use 2 MP40s at 28% during the day and 20% overnight. You can make an SPS dominant mixed reef tank work. Just takes time and commitment to the hobby. You are are the right path. Try a few cheap tester SPS at 10 months. Stability is key.

 

[aaron186]

It depends on your aquascaping. High light and high flow typically isn't a great combo for softies. But maybe you have lower flow and light areas? We don't know. It also depends on what you like. I don't like LPS all that much. But I like zoanthids.

Yea I made a zoa garden on rubble island that I glued together and it’s growing in already. But I’m reluctant to put zoas on my larger rock structure so they don’t overtake it. Especially if I’m waiting longer to add sps

 

[crazyfishmom]

There are softies that like the 200 PAR range that you currently have in your tank. Leathers and sinularia as well as pipe organs tend to do well in high flow med PAR and they’re super pretty and provide lots of movement to the tank.

If you want to add bacteria, I would just stick to microbacter 7 for a few weeks. More about trying to compete out the potentially bad bacteria rather than magic in a bottle.

My current tank is 3 months old. I started with live rock and already have tons of coralline and SPS are taking off.

I would definitely wait till you see coralline in your tank. Not fool proof but gives you good indication that your system is getting to the right maturity for SPS. Every system matures at the rate it will and a balanced biome is definitely pivotal to SPS success.

 

[aaron186]

You have a slightly larger tank then my xl300. I think you have to much flow. I use 2 MP40s at 28% during the day and 20% overnight. You can make an SPS dominant mixed reef tank work. Just takes time and commitment to the hobby. You are are the right path. Try a few cheap tester SPS at 10 months. Stability is key.

Yea I went overboard. I won a BRS giveaway and got the larger gyres for free. They were way too big for the side panels snd obstructed view. Tank is in my modern living room so WAF prevents me from putting the power heads on the side panels. So I put 2 MP40s on the back wall and then hid the big gyres on the sides of the overflow vertically. The gyres point to the back corners so you can barely see them. When I started having issues I thought maybe it was flow since all the power heads are on back wall behind rocks. The compromise I made with wife was to add the smaller gyres on the side walls. She hated the MP40s sticking out. So now I have 6 power heads in the tank. Everything is tuned down low to 20-30% though and the torch and hammer I have seems to move gently to moderately. Food seems to disperse pretty evenly as well

 

[aaron186]

There are softies that like the 200 PAR range that you currently have in your tank. Leathers and sinularia as well as pipe organs tend to do well in high flow med PAR and they’re super pretty and provide lots of movement to the tank.

If you want to add bacteria, I would just stick to microbacter 7 for a few weeks. More about trying to compete out the potentially bad bacteria rather than magic in a bottle.

My current tank is 3 months old. I started with live rock and already have tons of coralline and SPS are taking off.

I would definitely wait till you see coralline in your tank. Not fool proof but gives you good indication that your system is getting to the right maturity for SPS. Every system matures at the rate it will and a balanced biome is definitely pivotal to SPS success.

Thanks. I have coraline growing already

 

[Lavey29]

Yea I went overboard. I won a BRS giveaway and got the larger gyres for free. They were way too big for the side panels snd obstructed view. Tank is in my modern living room so WAF prevents me from putting the power heads on the side panels. So I put 2 MP40s on the back wall and then hid the big gyres on the sides of the overflow vertically. The gyres point to the back corners so you can barely see them. When I started having issues I thought maybe it was flow since all the power heads are on back wall behind rocks. The compromise I made with wife was to add the smaller gyres on the side walls. She hated the MP40s sticking out. So now I have 6 power heads in the tank. Everything is tuned down low to 20-30% though and the torch and hammer I have seems to move gently to moderately. Food seems to disperse pretty evenly as well

One thing to consider is with powerheads on the backwall, you are forcing water across a short path to bounce off your front glass panel. Consider long term effect on your Red Sea seams which is why I believe powerheads running to high or short distance like yours contribute to seam failures.

 

[MoshJosh]

I will throw my hat in with the folks saying tank age is NOT the problem. I have SPS in much younger tanks starting to encrust. . . That's not to say a more mature tank isn't ideal or going to improve odds of success. . . but still.

Obvious questions but. . . what is temp and pH and are their big fluctuations? How are you dosing if you are dosing? Is dosing causing big alk swings?

 

[Lavey29]

I will throw my hat in with the folks saying tank age is NOT the problem. I have SPS in much younger tanks starting to encrust. . . That's not to say a more mature tank isn't ideal or going to improve odds of success. . . but still.

Tank age is only a factor when you're average reefer and not adept at stability in water chemistry, flow, lights, etc... as the tank ages it naturally becomes more stable and predictable. Now very experienced reefers can start corals much sooner and be successful because they have learned the tricks of the trade.

 

[Reefer Matt]

Could be a lighting issue. I’d try lowering the par for a few months to see if it helps.

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

Because you started with dry rock, your biome isn't as diverse as it would be with live rock. Other than adding actual live rock the best way to increase the bacterial diversity is to add live sand to your tank or sump. If you have local reefers with successful SPS tanks see if you can get a cup of sand from them and add it to your tank. Another fantastic source of live sand is Indo Pacific Sea Farms (www.ipsf.com) Get the mix and match special and include the Wondermud, Liquid N reducer and Live Sand Activator. These are all collected locally in Hawaii so the bacteria are from the Pacific Ocean. If neither of these options work for you then a variety of bottled bacterias will help. My favorite are the Prodbio products, but they are not widely available here. MB7 Dr. Tims, etc will do in a pinch.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Because you started with dry rock, your biome isn't as diverse as it would be with live rock. Other than adding actual live rock the best way to increase the bacterial diversity is to add live sand to your tank or sump. If you have local reefers with successful SPS tanks see if you can get a cup of sand from them and add it to your tank. Another fantastic source of live sand is Indo Pacific Sea Farms (www.ipsf.com) Get the mix and match special and include the Wondermud, Liquid N reducer and Live Sand Activator. These are all collected locally in Hawaii so the bacteria are from the Pacific Ocean. If neither of these options work for you then a variety of bottled bacterias will help. My favorite are the Prodbio products, but they are not widely available here. MB7 Dr. Tims, etc will do in a pinch.

^^^^ 100%

 

[Dburr1014]

My friends mother's cousin's son can grow sticks and he told me you should wait a few more months.
JK


Fishless systems are hard, you have to feed the system differently than one full of life. I feed heavy and filter heavy. Things just grow. 11 fish in a 75.

Honestly, I agree you should wait a few more months. I the mean time, can you get a small rock or sand from a buddy or a lfs?
Maybe from a couple sources?
It will increase you biome.

You have the lights and flow, I think it's just a matter of time now.

 

[crazyfishmom]

Thank you this is really helpful. I don’t know anyone in my area with rocks I can take other than my LFS. I have been super cautious with what I put into my tank so I’m reluctant to get something from LFS

Do you have a bacteria you reccomend?

I have found lots of people on Facebook marketplace selling live rock. And then I annoy them for lots of information on their system. I tend to keep a small tank where I then QT the rock for a few days to make sure I don’t find any aiptasia or other pests.

It’s tough! But worth it to introduce more biodiversity.