The SPS Q&A Thread.

[SunnyX]

I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread here in this forum simply to answer any questions you may have on maintaining a successful SPS tank. I may not have all of the answers but I am willing to help and anyone else who would like to help out is more then welcome to.

So, what are the pressing concerns you guys and gals are having?
Are you lacking color?
Are you having algae issue?
Is your SPS growth not to your liking?

Remember, there are no dumb questions so do not be shy to ask. :ooh:

Pleas fill out this form when asking a question. It will help us find a solution much quicker and with greater accuracy.

A. Total water volume ( Please include sump, etc.)

B. What are your parameters? ( CA, ALK, PO4,Salinity, etc.)

C. Type of lighting. Please include age, watts, and bulb/ballast name.

D. Filtration method (Skimmer, GFO, DSB, etc.)

E. What types of corals do you keep other than SPS?

F. How long has the tank been running?

G. What are you dosing? Dosing schedule?

H. Which brand of salt are you using?

I. What brand of test kits are you employing?

J. What are you using for CA/ALK supplementation?

K. What are you using for flow? (Pump names, how many, placement, etc.)

 

[revhtree]

My sps growth is doing going, but I don't have the same success as others. My friend has a 90 gallon and he has sps corals almost twice the size of basketballs. Yea I know he doesn't have much room. He actually has them growing from the back and now almost touching the front glass and this is on a 90g corner tank! His tank has been set up longer, but talking everything in account, I don't get nowhere the growth.

We have the exact lighting, skimmer, and calcium reactor. I think I just cant get my dialed in right.

 

[soccerbag]

Rev, I had a calcium reactor for about a year. It was a very nice one but I couldn't keep the thing dialed in right to save my life. I'm always envious of those who can set it (a reactor) and keep their alk stable. After a YEAR of basically zero growth on my SPS, I switched to 2-part with a LiterMeter 3. Not starting the argument that 2-part is better than calcium reactor!! However, I started getting great growth once I was able to stabilize my alk and keep it stable for months. I, unfortunately, missed out on a year of growth but things are growing quickly now. Of course, all other parameters have to be solid as well, but alk is one of the biggest factors in SPS. If you can get that reactor dialed in to the point that your alk is VERY stable for a few months straight, I believe you will notice more growth. The LM3 (or any good doser) helps me keep my alk solid at 8.0 with no swings. And it just takes one "swing" to stunt the growth for months.

 

[SunnyX]

Ill take the bait and say that a 2-part dosing system is better than a Calcium reactor. I had all sorts of reactors on my old system from Deltec Kalk stirrers to GEO Calcium reactors. The easiest and best method I have found to supplement my SPS growth has been a 2-part dosing system.

Rev, seeing that you have the same equipment as your friend how is your water quality in comparison? Are your nutrients at the proper levels? How about water clarity? Are you running any media such as carbon? You would be amazed at how much light the yellowing compounds such as phenol can block out!:cry:

The problem with your growth may not be as large as you may think. Sometimes it can be as trivial as running carbon or changing your photoperiod by an hour.

 

[WWC]

I've notice that my acros show receding at the base when Nitrates reach around 40, but at the same time they love to have about 20 nitrates

 

[soccerbag]

Wow, Victor, I didn't know you kept your Nitrates that high. Very interesting. It certainly works for you - that's for sure.:bigsmile:





Sonny, I have "stickied" this thread. Hope that's okay. I believe it will be quite large - very quickly....

 

[revhtree]

Thanks guys I will check into the dosing system. Any good advice about that and equipment recommendations? I hate adjusting the reactor!

PS. I will start up the carbon as well. :)

 

[soccerbag]

Yes, the carbon will help immensely, as Sonny said. There are so many options when it comes to dosers Rev. Litermeter3 is awesome but expensive. There are many different types out there (at all price points). Shoot me a pm anytime and we can discuss it.

IF you decide to go with 2-part, the easiest way is the 2-part from Bulk Reef Supply. It's easy to mix and you only have to mix ingredients once a month or so. BRS makes it very easy with online calulators, etc. You can buy the system in convenient 1-gallon make up packets or buy bulk materials (what I would recommend) to save some money. There are "cheaper" ways to get these ingredients, but I'm happy to pay for the convenience from BRS.

 

[revhtree]

I currently own the BRS mixes that you speak of. :) I use them to gte my alk, cal, and mag up to par when my reactor is not doing the job. I would love to know that my reef was getting exactly what it needed!

 

[cee]

I too ditched my CaRX years ago and have never been happier. I could never maintain stable alkalinity w/o turning the media to mush and dropping the tank pH too low. If you only dose Ca and an alkalinity supplement you need to keep an eye on Mg and Sr as I find they get used up and water changes do not add enough. However, I have some rather large colonies, not just a bunch of frags, so your mileage may vary.

Carbon helps immensly IME. I've run it for the 7 or so years my tank has been up. Some of the colonies are still with me after all that time. You may even want to consider GFO depending on your phosphate levels (I don't use it anymore in my SPS tank).

I find that keeping dKH right around 8.0 +/- 0.5 is about ideal for me. Some people keep it higher but I've experienced tip recession when I do that. My nitrates run around 0.5 but they've always been low so I cannot comment on running higher levels.

Photoperiod is also important. More is not necessarily better. I think I run about 6.5 hours on the halides. When I use to run longer, I found corals browned out a bit more. By no means am I saying I'm 100% pleased with all the corals' color, but I think that comes with the territory. We're always striving to get better color. Also, I find that some corals can take up to 1 year to really adjust to a new environment so sometimes you just have to be patient.

Dave

 

[TopNotchCorals]

Thanks guys I will check into the dosing system. Any good advice about that and equipment recommendations? I hate adjusting the reactor!

PS. I will start up the carbon as well. :)

+1 on the dosing rather then ca reactor and also on the BRS products Rev.I got there 2part plus magnesium and also 3xDrews dosers.I am very happy with the product and pricing and would highly recommend them.As far as carbon and GFO I also went with the BRS single reactors instead of the dual reactor so I can have seperate control over the 2 products.And also if your gonna run carbon Id definitely go with there ROX brand I cant say enough good things about that carbon.

 

[TopNotchCorals]

Do you think I would get better color from my sps if I switched out my Powermodule with a LED fixture Sunny?Also how would my sps react with the change from T5 to LED's?

 

[SunnyX]

I've notice that my acros show receding at the base when Nitrates reach around 40, but at the same time they love to have about 20 nitrates

Well at about 40 nitrates recession should be expected, or at least highly likely. Could I interest you in some vodka? :tongue: LOL

You guys have some amazing pieces and setups so keep doing what you are doing. I wouldn't be comfortable with nitrates that high, but with extra skimming and a more efficient nutrient export system you should be good to go.

Its tough giving you a specific recommendation beyond the basics, especially considering that your store systems are probably tied all together.

 

[m and m]

I've notice that my acros show receding at the base when Nitrates reach around 40, but at the same time they love to have about 20 nitrates

I would die to see how your things run behind the shows.

 

[SunnyX]

Yes, the carbon will help immensely, as Sonny said. There are so many options when it comes to dosers Rev. Litermeter3 is awesome but expensive. There are many different types out there (at all price points). Shoot me a pm anytime and we can discuss it.

IF you decide to go with 2-part, the easiest way is the 2-part from Bulk Reef Supply. It's easy to mix and you only have to mix ingredients once a month or so. BRS makes it very easy with online calulators, etc. You can buy the system in convenient 1-gallon make up packets or buy bulk materials (what I would recommend) to save some money. There are "cheaper" ways to get these ingredients, but I'm happy to pay for the convenience from BRS.

+1. Get the Two part kit from BRS with the jugs and dispensers. I dose mine manually daily. I may go with a dosing pump down the road but for now everything is going fine.

 

[SunnyX]

Do you think I would get better color from my sps if I switched out my Powermodule with a LED fixture Sunny?Also how would my sps react with the change from T5 to LED's?

Before considering LED's I would focus first on what you do not like with your current system. What is wrong with your colors? Are your corals brown or simply not bright enough?

What bulbs are you running and what is your photoperiod like?

Are all of your parameters in check?
While LED's are bright, if you are not getting good enough colors with a Powermodule then there may be something else wrong with your system.

 

[TopNotchCorals]

Before considering LED's I would focus first on what you do not like with your current system. What is wrong with your colors? Are your corals brown or simply not bright enough?

What bulbs are you running and what is your photoperiod like?

Are all of your parameters in check?
While LED's are bright, if you are not getting good enough colors with a Powermodule then there may be something else wrong with your system.

DKH is at a steady 10 and CA 450 mag 1400 all via BRS 2part and magnesium Im also running BRS ROX carbon 24/7 and BRS HC GFO.I dont like the pastel colors im getting with T5's basically.As far as bulb configuration from front to back:blue+,blue+fiji purple,blue+,blue+,aquablue special

 

[red02]

did any of you guys have trouble with you mag when you had a cal reactor i have to add mag every 2 days

 

[m and m]

So I have two questions for this thread, I have my system running for about 8 months now with zero po4 probs about a month ago i had a very bad hair algea and other algea outbreak. I added a phos rex about how long do you think i will start to see my corals color up again and the algea to go away? Second I have never had the colors i see others get do you think it is due to a slightly higher po4 lvl?

 

[soccerbag]

So I have two questions for this thread, I have my system running for about 8 months now with zero po4 probs about a month ago i had a very bad hair algea and other algea outbreak. I added a phos rex about how long do you think i will start to see my corals color up again and the algea to go away? Second I have never had the colors i see others get do you think it is due to a slightly higher po4 lvl?

How do you check your PO4 m and m? Hanna or other test kit? Just curious. Higher phosphates can definitely cause color loss (amongst many other issues with SPS). As for the algae issues, this is a perfect scenario for vodka dosing. I have seen it wipe out major algae outbreaks. If you're using GFO, it may help but will likely take months to see any difference. MB7 and vodka dosing can help much faster (if used properly in the tank). Have you dosed vodka before?