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Innovative Marine Aquariums

first time.trying to keep SPS... tips and tricks that are helpful


alexm2251

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burtbollinger

I think the most important thing I learned and failed to do was stability of alk (KH) I think you really need to get to know what's going on with alk. in the tank, how it wants to rise and fall, how you keep it stable, etc.

I'd also really pay attention to making sure the water in your water changes has the same parameters as what your pulling out. real easy to mess that up...

 

I didnt follow both and my few SPS suffered.

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Picture does not show up.

 

My general rules (these are mainly for acros but work well for any SPS):

 

KH is the key, it should be on the low side and rock solid stable. I run mine at 6.7 but 7 or 7.5 would be fine. The closer you are to natural levels the less issues SPS seem to have.

 

Be careful with water changes using a high KH salt, you can swing KH and cause a lot of damage.

 

Try and keep your PO4 as stable as possible. Low is good of course but a stable .10 will do better than constantly swinging PO4 from .10 to .03 and back.

 

Do everything SLOWLY. SPS don't do well with changes.

 

SPS like food, sometimes more so than LPS. If your SPS go pale it's most likely not enough food for the amount of light provided.

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I never knew it is better to have alkalinity on the lower end. I always see requirements as like 7-12dKH so I shoot for 10 which is near the middle. Figured if I forgot to dose one day it's not as big of a deal.

 

I have yet to venture into acros. But my monti bird nest and seposa are doing really great in my pico. It's a 5G tank and it uses about 1 to 1.5 dKH a day. I dose with seachem reef builder and it didn't seem to bother anything even when I dose the maximum amount of 2.8dKH.

 

Picture does not show up.

 

My general rules (these are mainly for acros but work well for any SPS):

 

KH is the key, it should be on the low side and rock solid stable. I run mine at 6.7 but 7 or 7.5 would be fine. The closer you are to natural levels the less issues SPS seem to have.

 

Be careful with water changes using a high KH salt, you can swing KH and cause a lot of damage.

 

Try and keep your PO4 as stable as possible. Low is good of course but a stable .10 will do better than constantly swinging PO4 from .10 to .03 and back.

 

Do everything SLOWLY. SPS don't do well with changes.

 

SPS like food, sometimes more so than LPS. If your SPS go pale it's most likely not enough food for the amount of light provided.

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My sps experience was the opposite. Low alk caused my lps and sps to not be happy.

 

As soon as I got it stable at 9, things perked up, coloured better, and growing.

 

In general ca and mag is also important.

 

Depending on corals mine have preferred high turbulant flow.

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My sps experience was the opposite. Low alk caused my lps and sps to not be happy.

 

As soon as I got it stable at 9, things perked up, coloured better, and growing.

 

In general ca and mag is also important.

 

Depending on corals mine have preferred high turbulant flow.

 

It sometimes will depend on nutrient levels, but running higher than 8 is risking a quick disaster and most long time acro keepers will agree. I've found birdsnest have some of the same issues but others seem not to care.

 

Do you have an example of SPS you've had for a while that like the higher Alk?

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I've read a lot, but my husbandry isn't perfect.

 

Everything I've read says (in order of importance):

  1. Stable Alk (between 7 and 10) - High nutrient systems (high N/P) can have higher KH, low nutrient system should stick closer to NSW (reasons unknown - much anecdotal evidence).
  2. Know your nitrates. Nitrates don't have to be super stable, but they should not be 0 and should not be 40. Having nitrates available during daylight hours between 1 and 8 will give you the best growth and color. Also having a small amount of phosphate available (not 0) will help. These are "nutrients". They cause algae to grow because the algae can use them in photosynthesis. Just as algae can use nitrates and phosphates, so can Zooxanthellae. If you notice that you have very pale coral, you may just need more nitrates.
  3. Flow. Turbulent flow around your SPS colonies is critical for good nutrient exchange.
  4. Light (Lower priority than base parameters and flow) Stable Alk / Nutrients / Flow are all more important than lights. I've seen people grow some sweet SPS under LED / Halide / T5 / cheap DIY fixtures / even compact fluorescents.
  5. Trace elements... gets tricky here... There's definitely tons of evidence that Iron, Iodine, Potassium, heavy metals, etc play a role in coloration and coral health. Once everything else is dialed in, this is something to experiment with. But I wouldn't even bother until you've tracked your ALK and Nitrates for a month. I can almost guarantee that if you can keep your Alk at 8 and Nitrates at 2-4 that you'll have good color.
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9 is not considered a high alk. 11 and above is. Many run their alk at 9 with no issues at all but you see a lot of ppl having issues with corals generally when alk hits below 8 and above 10.

 

 

7 is right on the border of low.

 

I have birdsnests(i have quite a few as i have 2 tanks) stylophora, and pocillopora.

 

My pocillopora was saved from a store, it had next to no flesh. Not only has it grown, the skeleton is almost completely covered and full polyp extension.

 

I have no acro, sorry i just don't like them.

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I keep mines at 9 my acro seems to be happy and my bird nest getting good growth. I use red sea pro so I aim for 9. I do weekly water changes between 5 to 7 gallon water changes in my 42. I dose NoPox 1 ml a day.

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Put it in! Seriously, both my acropora, may be stylo... and the Monti are the best growing corals in my mostly softie tank. Didn't do much but add them, they are both in the upper portion of the tank though. The stylo is about quadruple the 50cent size I originally bought and the monti covered a small plug, I have to lawn mow it on a regular basis now to keep it in line.

 

The only other thing is I like my tank to be pretty clean. But for the most part, just put them in and watch.... :P

 

1t2bld.jpg

 

o90i1k.jpg

 

HaHa, I found a pic of it when I bought it Dec. 2014:

4v4cj6.jpg

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I keep mines at 9 my acro seems to be happy and my bird nest getting good growth. I use red sea pro so I aim for 9. I do weekly water changes between 5 to 7 gallon water changes in my 42. I dose NoPox 1 ml a day.

whats your nitrates at?

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