SPS Keep Dying - Please Help - Tank Parameters Seem Ideal

hobbyreefer · Apr 17, 2020

Where is the best place to buy Miracle Mud?

User · May 1, 2020

hobbyreefer said:
Where is the best place to buy Miracle Mud?

Bump!

Id like to know also, thanks

sgrosenb · Jun 28, 2020

Hey folks - MAJOR update here. In March pulled out about 80% of my dead rock and replaced it with 40lbs of live rock from Tampa Bay Saltwater and 100lbs of live frock from KP Aquatics (for those of you keeping score, I like KP Aquatics rock a LOT better). Now, faster forward to today, where I have 8 SPS frags that are all either growing or encrusting very nicely and have been for about 1 month. Colors are amazing, great polyp extension, etc.

After my experience, I am a 100% believer in the idea that live rock is the key to adding bacteria, sponges, etc etc and getting corals to thrive. I would STRONGLY caution people against setting up a new tank with 100% dead rock. The difference in my tank from 3 months ago is astonishing and undeniable - corralling algae exploded, corals look perfect, and there's way more life to look at in the tank via featherdusters, small crabs, sponges, shrimp, etc. I am no pro at this, and am not in the marine field at all, but for my experience, all signs point to live rock being the key.

-A (finally) happy reefer

jda · Jun 28, 2020

I am glad that you went this route. I give this advice to many, many people and most just add nitrate and phosphate, worry about their alk and other thing that don't amount to much or anything. Live rock is like magic and there is no real substitute for it.

Graffiti Spot · Jun 28, 2020

That’s good! Can we see how the tank looks now? I wish more would take the advice that people like jda give because I don’t see this fad of dosing nitrate and phosphate lasting.
I am actually ordering from kp right now since it’s been a while since I changed out some rock which I used to do every year or two in small amounts. So you had no ammonia spike with all that rock and you just dumped it in the tank without curing it in some fresh saltwater? I haven’t ordered from them before.

sgrosenb · Jun 28, 2020

Pedoconfuego said:
That’s good! Can we see how the tank looks now? I wish more would take the advice that people like jda give because I don’t see this fad of dosing nitrate and phosphate lasting.
I am actually ordering from kp right now since it’s been a while since I changed out some rock which I used to do every year or two in small amounts. So you had no ammonia spike with all that rock and you just dumped it in the tank without curing it in some fresh saltwater? I haven’t ordered from them before.

Correct - no ammonia spike, no dunking, no curing, etc. I just put it right in the tank. BUT - I picked it up directly from KP Aquatic's shop and transported it home in water. Make sure you order his rock shipped in water if you want to replicate what I did. Philip is awesome - I'd suggest maybe contacting him via email first to confirm. He's very responsive.

HuduVudu · Jul 19, 2020

sgrosenb said:
Some great feedback - thanks all. @jda I do live right near the ocean - do you think that grabbing a few handfuls of sand would get me a good bit of the way there (keeping it in ocean water the whole time as not to let anything die)? Or possibly couple that with the Wondermud that @SawCJack00 mentioned (ipsf website says Wondermud has "Reef Amphipods, Mama Mia Worms, Baby Bristle Worms, baby shrimps, baby snails and as a very diverse assemblage of reef phytoplankton and zooplankton."

Would I be well on my way to bacteria and microfauna needed? Not sure where to get sponges from... I'm tempted to just buy a few pieces of live rock from Tampa Bay Saltwater, but I worry about hitchhikers, etc.

Thanks for all the help.

Get pieces of rock, they don't have to be big. One thing to note is that Florida rock is known for mantis shrimp. Be aware that you might get some of those and deal with them before they get big.

juarec0201 · Nov 21, 2023

My tanks going through similar issues as you described with your sps. I went with a large dry rock start with small live “bare” rock from GLR. I can’t keep montis wonder if I didn’t have enough biodiversity when I thought I did.