Am I Ready for SPS?

[nina&noah]

I'm learning about Corals slowly. Currently I only have a Hammer, Tongue, Xenia, GSP, and many mushrooms. I'm looking into getting my first SPS. Problem is, I know nothing about them. What problems could I run into? How will I know my tank is ready and can support them? I'm having a bit of a phosphate issue, so I know I will need to take care of that first. Is there anything else I should look for?
Maybe someone can direct me to a good place to learn about these corals.
My tank is 90 gallons with MH lighting.

 

[coralreefer]

your water needs to have pristine quality (aka no nitrates, nitrites, or ammonia). metal halide lighting is good for sps. if your tank has something wrong with it like bad water quality, not a sufficient temp., or something along those lines, your sps could develop RTN or rapid tissue necrosis.

 

[gatorwpb]

other than the things listed above, the most commonly overlooked issues with sps are calcium and alkalinity. frequently a tank with lots of softies or lps will have low alk, because they can survive with low alkalinity, where sps will RTN very quickly.
so my suggestion is make sure you have a calcium and alkalinity test kit (salifert or elos preferred) and buy a 2-part dosing product (most common quality one is B-ionic 2-part) and dose those until you get your values in the correct range.
Calcium 400-450 ppm
Alkalinity 7-9+ dKh.
Another player in the calc and alk equation is magnesium, but mag does not need to be paid attention to as much as calc and alk. It is still important, but in a beginner sps tank, it can be brought up through water changes. I rarely dose with magensium. One indication that mag is an issue is if you have problems keeping your calcium at proper levels.
There are enough "can I keep sps?" or "whats wrong with my sps?" threads in this subforum to give you an indication of the types of problems or issues people have with keeping sps.
Good luck, once you start, the addiction takes control.

 

[nina&noah]

Thanks! Both posts gave me some great information. Are all of the SPS about the same, or are there some that are easier to keep than others? What are some good "beginner" sps corals?

 

[gatorwpb]

Originally Posted by nina&noah
http:///forum/post/2932193
Thanks! Both posts gave me some great information. Are all of the SPS about the same, or are there some that are easier to keep than others? What are some good "beginner" sps corals?
Once you get the hang of them, most become easy to keep. Also, the aquacultured sps always seem to do better than the wild ones you often get at a LFS. Look for frags swaps or others sellign frags locally. You can save wild corals from harvest and usually get a hardiers coral.
As for species, the montiporas are generally considered the easiest. Monti. caps, monti digitat, and encrusting montis. Ive found that a. millepora and green slimers are pretty hardy.

 

[coralreefer]

Originally Posted by GatorWPB
http:///forum/post/2932887
Once you get the hang of them, most become easy to keep. Also, the aquacultured sps always seem to do better than the wild ones you often get at a LFS. Look for frags swaps or others sellign frags locally. You can save wild corals from harvest and usually get a hardiers coral.
As for species, the montiporas are generally considered the easiest. Monti. caps, monti digitat, and encrusting montis. Ive found that a. millepora and green slimers are pretty hardy.
+1

 

[subielover]

What are your calcium and alkalinity levels at? What kind of skimmer are you running? What lighting fixture?

 

[nina&noah]

Originally Posted by subielover
http:///forum/post/2933368
What are your calcium and alkalinity levels at? What kind of skimmer are you running? What lighting fixture?
Uh oh, I think I'm in trouble. I don't have a skimmer and I didn't know there was more than one lighting fixture. How would I know what kind I have?
I need to go buy a alkalinity test, because I only recently learned that I should be testing for both. I tested my calcium today and it was at 420. I dosed with the 2 part cal and alk kit.

 

[coralreefer]

well you mentioned above that you have metal halide lighting. that will be plenty for all sps. calcium and alkalinity are very important in keeping sps, so i would recommend getting a test kit for both

 

[aquaguy24]

wat type of salt are u using..starting off with a great salt makes sps coral keeping a little easier...salts like reef crystals, oceanic and tropic marine pro are some good ones just to name a few...lower grade salts are fine to use but ur gonna do a lot more dosing..

 

[nina&noah]

Originally Posted by aquaguy24
http:///forum/post/2933594
wat type of salt are u using..starting off with a great salt makes sps coral keeping a little easier...salts like reef crystals, oceanic and tropic marine pro are some good ones just to name a few...lower grade salts are fine to use but ur gonna do a lot more dosing..
I use natural ocean water.