Got some SPS Today

[gregm779]

Well, I decided to try some SPS because nobody around here has any good soft corals this time of year. I picked up 2 acros and a montipora. It is my first personal experience with these types of corals and am looking for any tips or hints about them. I know they love a lot of light of course but I was wondering if they liked a lot of flow or calm water. One of the acros was called a chip acro and the other was a green birds nest. It may be hard to tell with these pics because I just put them in and they haven't opened up.

 

[gregm779]

Acro 2

 

[gregm779]

Montipora, Sorry my Anthias loves to have his picture taken

 

[solonfairy]

SPS corals require very mature systems, tons of light, tons of random water flow, perfectly balanced ca-dkh-pH chemistry, and extremely low no3-po4 levels. they do not tolerate flux in salinity or temperature
these corals arent for the faint of heart

 

[dburr]

2 nd pic is the BN and the 3rd is the monti cap. Never heard of a "chip"??
Give some good flow and brite lights.
Good lick with them.

 

[reefer44]

acropora are to "myth" sorounded in my oppinion......they are not as hard to keep healthy as it is portrayed....yes they need good lighting, good flow, and good water quality.......the hard part with sps is getting good growth and coloration....but if there is good polyp extension/solid color (doesn't matter if it is brightly colored, jsut as long as they aren't white), look for expecially good polyp extension (opening) at night, with this sign and as long as the water is fine and lighting is good the coral is healthy and happy....
hope sps have hooked another person :joy:
Brad

 

[reefer44]

by the way the "green birdsnest" is not an acropora it is seriatopora hystrix.....and the "Chip's Acro" is an ORA raised coral (i also thing the birdsnest you have is also ORA)....this basically means it was a clip from a wild colony that was grown inside a tank.......therefore the corals are more hardy in an aquarium then wild colonies (since they were raised in an aquarium)........so i think these were very good choices for your first sps.
Brad

 

[reefer44]

oh and one more thing........maturity of the system does not matter as long as the water is in good condition (i had acros in my tank withing 3 days of the setup, although the live rock was fully cured and had been in a tank for awhile)
Brad

 

[solonfairy]

i will restate. Maturity IS important. Maybe not so much the system, but is needed for the hobbyist. Except for a few scenarios with tank upgrades, the maturity of the hobbyist parallels the maturity of the system.
"hard part getting good growth and coloration"
"doesn't matter if it is brightly colored"
growth and color potrays health. if a coral isnt growing and is browned out or bleached then it isnt healthy
and color and growth are the holy grail rolled up into one for most stony keepers.
you are right reefer44. there is no myth for those who have educated themselves with the husbandy of these animals and have the proper equipment and experience to take care of them. but for a new stony hobbyist that asks if they'd like calm water, there is a lot of myth to be uncovered.

 

[gregm779]

Thanks for all of the help. My tank has perfect params and I already watch my calcium and alk because of my other corals so I don't think it will be a big change. I just wanted to make sure and that's what this site is for. All of my other corals do really well and hopefully these will grow quickly (in aquarium terms of course) so that they become more impressive. I'm sure they are tank raised because they had bases which is better in my opinion because I get a hardier coral without taking more of the reef.

 

[reefer44]

SolonFairy:
first: my first coral was an acropora.......2 years ago in my 55g....guess what it is still alive, and i had no idea what i was doing....
about 3 of the corals in this tank have been with me from the beginning
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/show...hreadid=144419
second: the reason corals show bright colors is believed to be because they are showing pigments to help shield them from UV....there for if you have lower light there is less UV, so the coral hides these pigments but stays healthy.......another reason for brighter colors is less dense zooanthelea (sp) so the bright colors are masked, but when there is a situation where the zooanthelea (sp) can flourish (lower lighting, higher nutrients), a healthy coral may appear brown
third: growth depends on the situation, if the coral shows good polyp extension and overall good health and its not growing, would you say its not healthy?????...........a few different species of acropora only grow very slowly in the wild.....
before you call someone out check ur resources
Brad

 

[golfish]

Originally posted by SolonFairy
and color and growth are the holy grail rolled up into one for most stony keepers.

That pretty much sums it up for me...

 

[solonfairy]

check my resources?
thanks for the lecture, but i am pretty well versed on what you've offered (or tried to offer)
Here is my tidbit.
Simply: higher nutrients equal more zooxanthellae because the nutrients fuel the symbiotic algae. These nutrients often consist of organic phosphates. Organic phosphates impede calcification and stunt growth. Most organisms' primary objectives are to grow and reproduce. Browned out SPS corals will do neither very well.
I know where the bow down emoticon is. If i see a chance to use it i will.

 

[reefer44]

no lecture just what i understand to be true.........you know it seems to me like we are sort of agreeing doesn't it??????............like i said before i would strive for color and growth (which i have both of )...............i am just telling the guy not to worry when he has a brown coral and the reason for it...which you agree with correct??????..........when i say healthy i mean you wont have a brown coral dieing.....i am not sure if i am being clear or not???
Brad

 

[solonfairy]

its all ok... no bad blood here
my only problem was your defamation of the "myth"
while more experienced reefkeepers like ourselves understand that the "myth" is more of a reference to advanced husbandry, new reefkeepers shouldnt be led to believe there is nothing difficult about keeping stonies. Difficulty relates to skill/experience.
Keep on reefing!

 

[reefer44]

yes i know what you mean.....the only reason i said this is because many reefers i talk to (work at reefsplendor) that only keep soft corals wont even try sps because they think they are impossible....but by no means are they easy.....one must do a lot of research to keep healthy.....
Brad