SPS checklist? (from your own experience and stories)

[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).

[ClubReef]

I personally use the CaCl and Baking soda suppliment that is similar to your current dosing routine. It's definitely doable for SPS and has it's advantages (no pH worries). It also has draw backs in that you have to dose it manually unless you purchase a dosing unit like you have stated. My tank is at a stage where I'm finding that I need to dose more and more every month..I'm at about 220ml of each part daily..this can become a headache especially when you have to prepare the Baking Soda (ie Baking it). Either way Ca Reactor or 2part will work.

If your tank is stable and paramenters in check, you can grow your sps by 1" a month using the 2part method! It also depends on genetics of the SPS, flow and lighting.

Here is a set of growth shots from April of last year to Jan of this year (10K lighting in April and 13K lighting in Jan) using 2part method. These pictures have been cropped to show the subject..but I left the rock in to show asomewhat accurate proportion of the subject.

[marie]

As Anthony said, I have 3 250w de 13500k geisemans, a calcium reactor and I drip kalk.
Pictures for growth comparison, this one was taken Nov 26th


and this pic was taken Mar. 9th so it's a little over 3 months


And Anthony took a bunch of the montipora home with him a few weeks before the last pic was taken

*Edit* the reason the last picture looks so green is because the ballast for the vho's died

[kwirky]

Originally Posted by ClubReef

I My tank is at a stage where I'm finding that I need to dose more and more every month..I'm at about 220ml of each part daily..

how many grams of calcium media do you think you mix for every liter of water? I mix 250g per 2L.

And bleaching? what can anyone say has caused bleaching in their tank?