The SPS Q&A Thread.

[SunnyX]

Oh, and please fill out this form when asking questions. it will help us solve your issues much quicker and with greater accuracy.

thanks,

Sonny

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.)

 

[tapout]

Well sonny i will make a reply. I have had success with lps and zoas and palys and would now like to try sps. I recently have acquired some acros, millies, and montis (thanks for the great pieces i got from you) and would like to know if my tank sounds optimal for sps and what improvements I could make. My sps are coloring up somewhat but not much, I think i light shocked the montis I got i placed them fairly high when I got them because they came from metal halide lights and they bleached out, they still have polyps I have since moved them down so I hope they recover. Some of the acros have bleached tips I'm thinking alk swings, and some of the tips have a bit of algae is it high po4 or not enough flow? I just want to hear from the experts on what I should be doing so thanks for anyone's help in advance :)


A. Total water volume ( Please include sump, etc.)
50 gallon cube 24x24x20 12 gallon sump

B. What are your parameters? ( CA, ALK, PO4,Salinity, etc.)
calcium 450 alk I have been trying to keep at 9 but it has been swinging I know this is probably my greatest problem it seems it goes down 2-2.5 dkh in just a few days does this sound possible? po4 between 0.05-0.1 on an elos test kit

C. Type of lighting. Please include age, watts, and bulb/ballast name.
ATI powermodule 6x24 B+,B+,kz fiji, ab special, B+,B+

D. Filtration method (Skimmer, GFO, DSB, etc.)
sump has 3 chambers in the first i have the drain and 120swc cone, in the middle I have a refugium with fiji mud, chaeto, grape caulerpa, and Ochtodes , 3rd chamber I have the 3rd chamber and a 1200 maxi to a brs reactor with seachem matrix carbon and phosban.
E. What types of corals do you keep other than SPS?

F. How long has the tank been running?
since december of 09

G. What are you dosing? Dosing schedule?
I have been using esv B-ionic and had only been dosing about every 3-4 days trying to changes this to a daily routine.

H. Which brand of salt are you using?
ESV salt

I. What brand of test kits are you employing?
elos ca, elos po4, elos alk, salifert mag

J. What are you using for CA/ALK supplementation?
esv 2 part
K. What are you using for flow? (Pump names, how many, placement, etc.)
I have an ecotech mp40 on the right side of the tank closer to the front pane about 5 inches from the top (tank has a center overflow) tunze 1073.02 for the return.

I do have a reefkeeper lite keeping tabs on the temp keeping it between 77-78 and my lighting cycle at 8 hours actinic and 4 hours daylight (should this be more less?) the ati pm is about 10 inches above the water. I also keep the water topped off with a tunze osmolator.

Thanks for the help!!!!! Jared Singh

 

[SunnyX]

Hello Jared. Check my comments below in the Blue

Well sonny i will make a reply. I have had success with lps and zoas and palys and would now like to try sps. I recently have acquired some acros, millies, and montis (thanks for the great pieces i got from you) and would like to know if my tank sounds optimal for sps and what improvements I could make. My sps are coloring up somewhat but not much, I think i light shocked the montis I got i placed them fairly high when I got them because they came from metal halide lights and they bleached out, they still have polyps I have since moved them down so I hope they recover. Some of the acros have bleached tips I'm thinking alk swings, and some of the tips have a bit of algae is it high po4 or not enough flow? I just want to hear from the experts on what I should be doing so thanks for anyone's help in advance :)

Montis should always stay near the sand bed in T5 setups. I have never been able to keep a monti other than the super man higher than the sandbed. Algae on burnt tips is normal, but your PO4 is slightly elevated. How often are you feeding?

A. Total water volume ( Please include sump, etc.)
50 gallon cube 24x24x20 12 gallon sump

B. What are your parameters? ( CA, ALK, PO4,Salinity, etc.)
calcium 450 alk I have been trying to keep at 9 but it has been swinging I know this is probably my greatest problem it seems it goes down 2-2.5 dkh in just a few days does this sound possible? po4 between 0.05-0.1 on an elos test kit

While it is possible to see large shifts in ALK, but you would have to have a system with a dense collection of corals. You will need to find a way to dose the tank daily. y only dosing every few days you are allowing the ALK to drop slowly and rise rapidly. This is a recipe for disaster. Pick yourself up a couple of these: Drew's Doser Peristaltic Dosing Pump (1.6 ml/h) - English when you can. While you're at it, get the two part that they offer as well and ditch the ESV. This will same you money and you should only need to mix the product once a month.

What is your MG at? MG help to regulate ALK/CA depletion.

C. Type of lighting. Please include age, watts, and bulb/ballast name.
ATI powermodule 6x24 B+,B+,kz fiji, ab special, B+,B+
NICE!

D. Filtration method (Skimmer, GFO, DSB, etc.)
sump has 3 chambers in the first i have the drain and 120swc cone, in the middle I have a refugium with fiji mud, chaeto, grape caulerpa, and Ochtodes , 3rd chamber I have the 3rd chamber and a 1200 maxi to a brs reactor with seachem matrix carbon and phosban.

Everything looks good, but why the caulerpa and fiji mud? Ditch that stuff and run an join the Probiotic revolution. Dosing of bacteria and vodka is a much better alternative than a fuge.

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

F. How long has the tank been running?
since december of 09
Cool
G. What are you dosing? Dosing schedule?
I have been using esv B-ionic and had only been dosing about every 3-4 days trying to changes this to a daily routine.
See B

H. Which brand of salt are you using?
ESV salt
I have to experience with this salt but I hear good things.

I. What brand of test kits are you employing?
elos ca, elos po4, elos alk, salifert mag
Look good
J. What are you using for CA/ALK supplementation?
esv 2 part
K. What are you using for flow? (Pump names, how many, placement, etc.)
I have an ecotech mp40 on the right side of the tank closer to the front pane about 5 inches from the top (tank has a center overflow) tunze 1073.02 for the return.

I do have a reefkeeper lite keeping tabs on the temp keeping it between 77-78 and my lighting cycle at 8 hours actinic and 4 hours daylight (should this be more less?) the ati pm is about 10 inches above the water. I also keep the water topped off with a tunze osmolator.


The lighting schedule will vary from reefer to reefer. I like to leave my blues on for 12 and daylight for 7. You will have to observe the corals and adjust accordingly. Corals too light, back off the photoperiod. Corals dark, increase photoperiod.
Thanks for the help!!!!! Jared Singh

 

[tapout]

Montis should always stay near the sand bed in T5 setups. I have never been able to keep a monti other than the super man higher than the sandbed. Algae on burnt tips is normal, but your PO4 is slightly elevated. How often are you feeding?
thanks for the monti advice
While it is possible to see large shifts in ALK, but you would have to have a system with a dense collection of corals. You will need to find a way to dose the tank daily. y only dosing every few days you are allowing the ALK to drop slowly and rise rapidly. This is a recipe for disaster. Pick yourself up a couple of these: Drew's Doser Peristaltic Dosing Pump (1.6 ml/h) - English when you can. While you're at it, get the two part that they offer as well and ditch the ESV. This will same you money and you should only need to mix the product once a month.
I will work on getting dosing pumps. Do I run them off the reefkeeper lite or should I get a dosing pump controller?
What is your MG at? MG help to regulate ALK/CA depletion.
I try to keep it at 1400 but tested it right now as I am writing this and it was 1260 so there is part of the problem.
Everything looks good, but why the caulerpa and fiji mud? Ditch that stuff and run an join the Probiotic revolution. Dosing of bacteria and vodka is a much better alternative than a fuge.
I will read up on this. Is it possible to have both? I really like the microfauna that the fuge produces I have tons of stomatella, amphipods, and mysis. I have a mandarin and a flaming prawn goby in the display that this helps feed.

What are you using for flow? (Pump names, how many, placement, etc.)
I have an ecotech mp40 on the right side of the tank closer to the front pane about 5 inches from the top .

does this sound like good placement?


The lighting schedule will vary from reefer to reefer. I like to leave my blues on for 12 and daylight for 7. You will have to observe the corals and adjust accordingly. Corals too light, back off the photoperiod. Corals dark, increase photoperiod.

I will keep an eye on how my corals looks seems like my lighting schedule is a little low.

thank you very much sonny for your help I really appreciate it!
Jared

 

[ronnie]

I ran dosing pumps off of my AC Jr. - I had to dilute the two part as it would only do 1 minute increments and my pumps were too fast. But it worked and I was very successful. You would have to look into the DA models - I'm unfamiliar with them.

Mg of 1260 isn't too bad. Anything lower than 1100 and I've noticed I have a hard time keeping Ca and Alk up. I run mine around 1300-1400, but it does drop slowly into the 1200s when my reactor gets low on media.

How well does your macro grow? I know the elos PO4 test kits are a bit better than most, but they still may not do a great job of accurately measuring phosphates. If your macro grows quickly, then you likely have more PO4 than you are registering. I'd look at replacing your phosban if you haven't done so in a while if that is the case.

HTH,
Ronnie

 

[Werdlone]

Everything looks good, but why the caulerpa and fiji mud? Ditch that stuff and run an join the Probiotic revolution. Dosing of bacteria and vodka is a much better alternative than a fuge.
I will read up on this. Is it possible to have both? I really like the microfauna that the fuge produces I have tons of stomatella, amphipods, and mysis. I have a mandarin and a flaming prawn goby in the display that this helps feed.

If you start vodka/bacteria dosing you will notice that your macro algae will wither and die off as your nutrient levels drop. Don't worry about micro fauna, they will continue to grow within your tanks' live rock, etc. I personally use microbacter 7 and dose svedka vodka..both for my tank and myself:) your key to getting great colors and great growth with sps is just stability. you must keep low nutrient levels and keep alk/ca stable...Ca reactor or 2 part ..it cannot flux too much or you will never get good results. I've seen tanks with alk levels at 12 or 7 that both look awesome..the key is that they are stable at that level. If you run a vodka/bacteria system try to stay on the lower alk level like 7-8.

 

[SunnyX]

Thanks for the insight, Andy!!! :D Jim and I need to swing by your place soon. ;)

Everything looks good, but why the caulerpa and fiji mud? Ditch that stuff and run an join the Probiotic revolution. Dosing of bacteria and vodka is a much better alternative than a fuge.
I will read up on this. Is it possible to have both? I really like the microfauna that the fuge produces I have tons of stomatella, amphipods, and mysis. I have a mandarin and a flaming prawn goby in the display that this helps feed.

If you start vodka/bacteria dosing you will notice that your macro algae will wither and die off as your nutrient levels drop. Don't worry about micro fauna, they will continue to grow within your tanks' live rock, etc. I personally use microbacter 7 and dose svedka vodka..both for my tank and myself:) your key to getting great colors and great growth with sps is just stability. you must keep low nutrient levels and keep alk/ca stable...Ca reactor or 2 part ..it cannot flux too much or you will never get good results. I've seen tanks with alk levels at 12 or 7 that both look awesome..the key is that they are stable at that level. If you run a vodka/bacteria system try to stay on the lower alk level like 7-8.

 

[tapout]

Thanks ronnie, andy and sonny for your help. Ronnie I just started running the reactor last week was doing everything passively and why my phosphates were probably more then they are now. Looks like I am gonna give vodka and micobacter 7 a shot. When using this method do you still run GFO or Carbon in a reactor? thanks jared

 

[SunnyX]

Thanks ronnie, andy and sonny for your help. Ronnie I just started running the reactor last week was doing everything passively and why my phosphates were probably more then they are now. Looks like I am gonna give vodka and micobacter 7 a shot. When using this method do you still run GFO or Carbon in a reactor? thanks jared

Keep running the carbon, ditch the GFO.

Sonny

 

[tapout]

Awesome thanks!

 

[sarajo]

hello trying my hand at sps, heres my tank parameters
A. Total water volume
75 gallon tank minus dsb and rock about 60 gallon net

What are your parameters
cal: 440
Alk: 150
po4: .03 or less
No3: 0 according to api test
salanity: 1.026
mag: 1400

Type of lighting
2 175 watt iswaski 15000K bulbs and 4 vho 454 110 watt bulbs

Filtration method
ATB multi skimmer
DSB
carbon and poly filter in brs reactor ran 24/7

What types of corals do you keep other than SPS
toadstool
fungia
chalice
zoas
green star
torch

How long has the tank been running
will be 2 years this December

What are you dosing
mb7 1 ml a day
vodka .4 a week
lugols 1 drop a day
iron 8 drops every other day
brs 2 part 60 ml spread out thru the day
mag when needed to keep at 1400

Which brand of salt are you using
reef crystals

What brand of test kits are you employing
api for calcium and nitrate
sailfert mag and nitrate
lamotte alk and calcium

What are you using for CA/ALK supplementation
was esv now dosing brs 2 part for the cost savings

What are you using for flow? (Pump names, how many, placement, etc
1 mp40 on the end blowing the entire length of the tank
1 tunze 6025 modded in the back corner

my main questions are I would like to get more color from my corals i'm sure its probably from my po4, but if I dose more vodka my corals really seem to pale and lose their color. I'm going to try the ecobak pellets in the coming weeks any experince with them.

 

[bevoboy]

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

75G display, 40G sump

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

Sal - 1.025
Ph - 8.2
Alk - 9
Cal - 440
Mag - 1360
PO4 - .05

C. Type of lighting. Please include age, watts, and bulb/ballast name.
2x250 MH, Hamilton 10k, galaxy dual electronic. Bulbs less < 1 month

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

Redline 125 skimming wet
BRS jumbo running SeaGel
(about to setup an addl reactor with biopellets)
red mangos and rock rubble in fuge
Rio 2100 return


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

Toadstool
hammer
frogspawn
red lobo
galaxea
acans
polyps/zoos
shrooms
rics
favia

F. How long has the tank been running?

16 months

G. What are you dosing? Dosing schedule?

dosing calcium, trace elements as needed

H. Which brand of salt are you using?

D-D

I. What brand of test kits are you employing?

Elos and API

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

Seachem

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

MP10 x 2, opposite ends of tank

I've been growing LPS and softies since setting up this tank. Started adding SPS several months back. I seem to have hit the sweet spot because my corals are starting to really take off. SPS include idaho grape, orange cap, supernatural cap, reefer madness, green stylo, blue tip acro, tri color validia, tri color birdsnest, lokani. I'm hoping that integration of the biopellets will help drive nutrients even lower and will see even more growth and coloration.

 

[Troylee]

No experience here with the pellets but I just started using stones in a reactor with mb7/vodka and my tank is spotless but my sticks are losing colors fast.... Make sure to have Aminos on hand and be prepared to use them...;)

 

[xmjxflipx]

sonny i have a questions....i know u stricly run the vodkya/mb7 dosing......do you think ud ever try using the beads/pellets like ecobak? just wondering if it would be something ud consider trying in your system since it is somewhat similar to the vodka dosing regimen and accomplishes the same goal to reduce nitrate/phosphate.

 

[bevoboy]

No experience here with the pellets but I just started using stones in a reactor with mb7/vodka and my tank is spotless but my sticks are losing colors fast.... Make sure to have Aminos on hand and be prepared to use them...;)

Thanks for the tip. I plan to "phase in" the use of the ecobak (20% recommended dosage increments over 5 weeks). Hopefully this will allow acclimation to the change in water conditions...but we'll load up on some aminos and monitor closely.

 

[Troylee]

sonny i have a questions....i know u stricly run the vodkya/mb7 dosing......do you think ud ever try using the beads/pellets like ecobak? just wondering if it would be something ud consider trying in your system since it is somewhat similar to the vodka dosing regimen and accomplishes the same goal to reduce nitrate/phosphate.

Not to speak for sunny but he has posted somewhere that he wouldn't change because of the cost... Vodka is the cheapest thing in this hobby lol....

 

[xmjxflipx]

oh...lol thanks troylee..

 

[SPS Addict]

Lee, becareful with those stones they take out some good stuff out of the water such as potassium. That's why you see those zeovit guys always dosing stuff to supplement whats been taken out by the zeolites. Just dose more Vodka if you want your tank cleaner. Just my opinion and experience.

No experience here with the pellets but I just started using stones in a reactor with mb7/vodka and my tank is spotless but my sticks are losing colors fast.... Make sure to have Aminos on hand and be prepared to use them...;)

 

[SunnyX]

Hello, your parameters and system look good. Increasing coloration can be tricky, but with a little work you can get there. The dosing of MB7/Vodka is a balancing act. You need to dose enough while feeding your fish the right amount of food. It can take a while, but you will be rewarded with a robust reef once everything is dialed in. I did not see it anywhere, but are you running carbon?

Thanks,

Sonny

hello trying my hand at sps, heres my tank parameters
A. Total water volume
75 gallon tank minus dsb and rock about 60 gallon net

What are your parameters
cal: 440
Alk: 150
po4: .03 or less
No3: 0 according to api test
salanity: 1.026
mag: 1400

Type of lighting
2 175 watt iswaski 15000K bulbs and 4 vho 454 110 watt bulbs

Filtration method
ATB multi skimmer
DSB
carbon and poly filter in brs reactor ran 24/7

What types of corals do you keep other than SPS
toadstool
fungia
chalice
zoas
green star
torch

How long has the tank been running
will be 2 years this December

What are you dosing
mb7 1 ml a day
vodka .4 a week
lugols 1 drop a day
iron 8 drops every other day
brs 2 part 60 ml spread out thru the day
mag when needed to keep at 1400

Which brand of salt are you using
reef crystals

What brand of test kits are you employing
api for calcium and nitrate
sailfert mag and nitrate
lamotte alk and calcium

What are you using for CA/ALK supplementation
was esv now dosing brs 2 part for the cost savings

What are you using for flow? (Pump names, how many, placement, etc
1 mp40 on the end blowing the entire length of the tank
1 tunze 6025 modded in the back corner

my main questions are I would like to get more color from my corals i'm sure its probably from my po4, but if I dose more vodka my corals really seem to pale and lose their color. I'm going to try the ecobak pellets in the coming weeks any experince with them.

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

75G display, 40G sump

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

Sal - 1.025
Ph - 8.2
Alk - 9
Cal - 440
Mag - 1360
PO4 - .05

C. Type of lighting. Please include age, watts, and bulb/ballast name.
2x250 MH, Hamilton 10k, galaxy dual electronic. Bulbs less < 1 month

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

Redline 125 skimming wet
BRS jumbo running SeaGel
(about to setup an addl reactor with biopellets)
red mangos and rock rubble in fuge
Rio 2100 return


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

Toadstool
hammer
frogspawn
red lobo
galaxea
acans
polyps/zoos
shrooms
rics
favia

F. How long has the tank been running?

16 months

G. What are you dosing? Dosing schedule?

dosing calcium, trace elements as needed

H. Which brand of salt are you using?

D-D

I. What brand of test kits are you employing?

Elos and API

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

Seachem

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

MP10 x 2, opposite ends of tank

I've been growing LPS and softies since setting up this tank. Started adding SPS several months back. I seem to have hit the sweet spot because my corals are starting to really take off. SPS include idaho grape, orange cap, supernatural cap, reefer madness, green stylo, blue tip acro, tri color validia, tri color birdsnest, lokani. I'm hoping that integration of the biopellets will help drive nutrients even lower and will see even more growth and coloration.

 

[JRF]

OK Sonny and others, here you go: this may be kind of long. I have a mixed reef, about half sps and half lps. 2 of my acros are behaving abnornally. Both of them now have absolutely no polyp extension and it looks as if the coralites are empty ( polyps MIA ). One of the acros is beginning to turn white in several places ( like the base color is slowly fading away ). The other acro in question still has color but no polyp extension at all. Both corals in weeks past had great PE. Although I have many other acro's that are doing great and looking great, and growing. The acro in question that still has its base color fell off a rock about 2 weeks ago and since then, no PE as i have desribed, the other one did not fall but started to show no PE about a week later. The 2 acros were not near each other ( on oposite sides of the tank ).
I have 17 fish in the tank, one of them is a Copperband Butterfly I introduced to the tank 3 weeks ago to rid the tank of an aptasia issue ( which he did very well - aptasia free now ) but I have never seen him eat any fish food when I feed the fish each day. So, Im wondering of the Copperband could possibly have eaten the polyps right out of these acro's...since there are no more aptasia to eat...? I have never witnessed the Copperband nipping at corals, but I cannot watch the tank continuosly. OR, could it be possible that the one acro that fell has just not re-adjusted after the fall ( even after 2 weeks ) and the other one is just dieing for no apparant reason ( it was a wild caught specimin I aquaired from an LFS back in July this year ). Any thoughts? Thanks
A. Total water volume ( Please include sump, etc.) 249 gal.

B. What are your parameters? ( CA, ALK, PO4,Salinity, etc.) CA- 420ppm , ALK - 8, PO4 - undetectable with a salifert kit , Salinity - 1.025 , MAG - 1250, NO3 - 0 with API kit

C. Type of lighting. Please include age, watts, and bulb/ballast name. 2 - 400W 20K radiums 3 months old, and 2 - 65W 460nm PC's also 3 months old.

D. Filtration method (Skimmer, GFO, DSB, etc.) LArge Aerofoamer skimmer, carbon , only a very shallow sand bed to cover the bottom

E. What types of corals do you keep other than SPS? mostly LPS, but 1 Nepthea soft coral also

F. How long has the tank been running? Tank is an upgrade from a previous smaller tank , so overall about 18 months old.

G. What are you dosing? Dosing schedule? Mb7 at 2.5ml per day , just started with doing bio fuel this week at a small rate of 3 ml per week. I feed AA's 3 times a week, Zooplankton-M 3 times a week, reef snow 3 times a week, and reef roids occasionally. PLus feed fish every day.

H. Which brand of salt are you using? Reef Crystals

I. What brand of test kits are you employing? API , salifert

J. What are you using for CA/ALK supplementation? BRS recipie 1

K. What are you using for flow? (Pump names, how many, placement, etc.) return pump ( Ehiem 1262 ) does around 700gph , MP20 , and a closed loop run by a Blackfin 6000gph.