SPS checklist? (from your own experience and stories)

[kwirky]

Curious, if somone were to convert their tank over to an SPS tank (or start a new one), what are some of the things they would need? Almost like a check list.

I know the proper lighting is one thing, but what do you all have that's worked the best? certain bulbs/wattages/setups? certain light cycles, etc etc.

More flow is important, but what KIND of flow do most of you see the best? Random, turbulent, laminar?

Water age? How long before you can start to get some livestock?

certain foods? grow your own, or frozen? or powdered?

anything else that can be thought up?

things like that. All I read in the books is that "SPS are hard, need lots of water flow and lots of light" (paraphrased lol) but can't find much for specific care instructions. I know 250W MH or T5's are the general norm, but not much beyond that.

[Chaloupa]

tagging along as I have the same questions....am just doing up our new 150g that I would like to keep SPS, Acro's etc and need the same advice or suggestions!

[j83]

SPS Checklist:

Like you said strong lights - Many would recommend Metal Halide but some are having success with T5's. And some have success with good ol' flourescents. The stronger the lights though, the better growth and colour you are more likely to get. Strength of halide would depend on depth of tank. 24 inches and less I would think you would be good with 250 Watt lights, anything over that depth you would be looking at 400 watts. Double ended or mogul? That debate goes on and on and on. The reason I like Double ended is because you can fit them in a more compact casing/canopy.

Flow - strong, but not direct. Direct flow will result in lack of polyp extension, which results (somewhat) in a lack of feeding, and in my opinion the aesthetics aren't as great as when the polyps are extended. Best options are the Vortech and Tunze streams, which produce a lot of flow with a not-so direct stream.

Calcium Reactor - highly recommended as SPS need and use a lot of calcium. You can always supplement it but for ease of use, nothing beats a calcium reactor. It pays for itself in the long run.

Prisitine water conditions - clear, low-nutrient water is ideal for the growth of SPS. The clearer the water the greater the light penetration and the greater the feeding of the coral (coral feed off algae within their tissue that get excited/fed by light). Low nutrients are necessary as higher nutrients can lead to higher nitrate levels, which corals aren't that fond of.

Time - in my personal opinion SPS are more colourful and has greater aesthetics than softies and most LPS but because of their need for high water quality, time needs to be devoted to maintaining the water.

Protein Skimmer - although some run tanks without them - with success. I would recommend a quality skimmer (euro-reef, aqua-c, deltec etc.) to remove organic wastes. Taking one look at the collection cup of a quality skimmer after a few weeks of breaking in, it is tough to argue against not having one.

Hope that helps a little bit. . .

[ClubReef]

I agree with everything that J83 has said. Another tip is to keep your parameters stabile and consistent.

Do things gradual or you risk tissue recession, bleaching, browning or stunt growth.

Things I worry about the most:

1)Calcium/Alk/Mag - Keep these numbers where you like them..adjust gradually if they get depleted. The key here is to make sure you test frequently.

2)Temperature - keep your temperature stable. Avoid big and wild swings ie. 10 deg in one day

3)Lighting - Make sure you don't over or under expose. Overexposure will lead to lighting of corals..underexposure leads to darkening. If you need to make adjustments..do so gradually.

4)Water changes - do them regularly..even if your P04 and N04 are zero...you will replenish trace elements.


Hope this helps.

[kwirky]

Originally Posted by j83

Calcium Reactor - highly recommended as SPS need and use a lot of calcium. You can always supplement it but for ease of use, nothing beats a calcium reactor. It pays for itself in the long run.

how about a dual channel dosing pump dosing DIY two part? would the two part mix be able to keep up with the calcium demands of an SPS dominated tank? sounds easier to setup and maintain than a calcium reactor. WAY cheaper in the long, run, too.

and how fast do SPS frags grow in an adequate system, if somone didn't have the $$ to buy entire colonies to start off with?

[Scavenger]

Here's my SPS checklist. Hope it helps!!

Unlimited funds: Not in this lifetime
Unlimited time: Do I really need a social life?
Big A$$ tank: See unlimited funds
Lots of geeky friends to brag about polyp extension: Working on it
Degree in Chemistry: I gotz me a graid twelv. Izent that gud enuf?
High flow: Going to go buy some prune juice
Lighting: Bought out a failed Grow Show.


Hey look, I'm half way there!

[christyf5]

I guess it depends on what size tank we are talking here. IMO, a two part system could work in a smaller system but as corals grow they become more "calcium hungry" and I'm not sure a two part system could keep up. Well I'm sure it could but I'm not sure your wallet could I used Kent Liquid Reactor on my tank (90gal) for less than a month before I threw in the towel and bought a calcium reactor. Daily dosing was just a huge PITA not to mention having to test the water so often to make sure I had decent Ca levels. A dosing pump might be the answer for that one. I guess you'd have to sit down and figure out the cost effectiveness. My tank went through half a 64oz container in about 3 weeks so combined with having to dose it every day, I just wasn't interested in maintaining Ca without a reactor.

[kwirky]

Originally Posted by christyf5

My tank went through half a 64oz container in about 3 weeks so combined with having to dose it every day, I just wasn't interested in maintaining Ca without a reactor.

I've been using DIY two part mix. I bought 10 lbs (4.54kg) of solid form, food grade calcium for $50 from littlesilvermax. When mixed up, that's 40L of calcium mix . My current dosing for my softie/lps tank is 7.5g calcium/b.b.soda (baked baking soda) per day (two tablespoons of each mix). I'm assuming if my calcium demands were double for an SPS tank, I'd go through 15g per day, which would last just about a year.

Even if it was double again (30g calcium a day), using a dosing pump to supply the two part wouldn't be a problem. I'm thinking of a litermeter III, because of their reliability and programability. With this kind of usage, I'd be going through $100 a year in calcium, and probably $10 a year in baking soda. I'd just have to do my regular water changes to restore the magnesium.

Just considering various options. Myself, I'm planning on getting some sort of "automatic" calcium maintenance system this summer, so next year when school gets crazy, it'll be one less thing to worry about.

Ok, so back to lighting...What kind of lighting has everyone noticed good colour/growth in their sps? any certain MH bulbs, or certain bulb combinations in T5? What are the benefits of supplementing actinic to a MH setup?

What about the risks of bleaching? From your experiences, what's caused your SPS to bleach? Lighting? Flow? Water Parameters? Any stories to tell?

I like how this has been going, so far, btw. Good to hear of people's experiences. Already, the general husbandry requirements of SPS has been explained better than I've seen in any book

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

My friend Marie in Powell River uses Geisemann 250w DE 13000k bulbs (3) over a 175g bowfront with excellent results (high growth & great colour). And its a deep tank too.

[albert_dao]

Personally, I think T5 is superior to MH/MH-PC/MH-VHO/MH-T5 on tanks less than 24". From that point on, MH takes a step up (you're getting into the 400 watt+ range here).