Making the jump to SPS, any tips for my system?

[matt2364]

Hello - I have tried a few different SPS frags of the past six months with zero luck. With the recent addition of a calcium reactor I am once again, ready to try SPS. I am going to outline my system specs and maintenance, please offer any recommendations for changes necessary or beneficial to the care of SPS corals.55 Gallon tank with:
100# of LR
20 Gallon Sump
Aqua EV-120 Skimmer w/ Quiet one 3,000 (780GPH)
Poseidon P4 return pump (1,200GPH)
2 x Koralia #3's (850GPH x 2 = 1,700GPH)
Total water movement = 2,900GPH Turnover = 53x
2 x 175W 14,000K MH (No reflectors); 2 x 40w actinics; 12 x blue LED moonlights
Life Reef LCR1 w/Mag 5; 10# Co2 tank; ARM media;
Milwaukee PH controller
Biomedic Temperature Controller w/ 2x75w heaters
ATO auto top off w/25 gallon RO/DI storage tank
3-stage RO/DI water purification system
Maintenance:
Red Sea Pro Salt; 20% water change monthly
Clean Skimmer out once a week or so
Take halides out and clean every few months; halides have about 4 months on them
Parameters:
PH: 8.4
Ammonia: 0
Nitrates: 0
Nitrites: 0
Phosphates: 0
Calcium: 400 (Raising to 450)
Alkalinity (DkH): 13.0 (Lowering to 11.5)
Salinity: 1.028 (Lowering to 1.025)
*I am currently dosing to get my calcium up to 450 manually, and trying to lower alkalinity to around 11.5. I am not going to get any SPS until I can get my reactor to maintain these levels stably. Also, I just bought a refractometer and realized how off my hydrometer was, currently lowering to 1.025
Invertebrates: Haitan purple tip anemone, cleaner shrimp, fire shrimp, flame scallop, and a pistol shrimp.
Fish: In the QT right now, just got done battling some ick. I have a single fairy wrasse. Soon I will be purchasing 2 false percs and a mandarin goby.
Corals: Purple, blue, green, hairy, and another random mushroom, zoos, 2 x toadstool leathers, green goniopora, galaxea coral, red monitopora, 3 x frogspawn, ricordia, palyenthoas, and a pavona.
Here is a fairly recent FT shot:

From the above picture where would you recommend putting the first SPS frags that I get? I was thinking somewhere to the right of the anemone, outside of the reach of it's tentacles obviously. Any other ideas?

 

[matt b]

That coral is a pavona and it is a SPS. So you are already keeping SPS. And I bet you got it from reef systems

And I would start the corals on the bottom/middle and I would start out with something like a green or orange montipora. Or maybe a montipora digitata.

 

[matt2364]

Yep, lol. I did get it from reefsystems, it seems to be a very hardy coral. I have seen noticeable growth in just the two months that I have had it. I did just buy two pieces of montipora from a fellow reefer. I am going to see how those go before I make the jump to any difficult SPS.
On another note, my friend OSUAquarist and I were playing to come out to reefsystems this weekend to check everything out. How is the big tank coming along, anything in it yet? Also, how is the coral selection right now? Any monitpora digtata?
Also, what would you consider to be some of the quickest growing SPS?

 

[matt b]

Originally Posted by matt2364
http:///forum/post/2870199
Yep, lol. I did get it from reefsystems, it seems to be a very hardy coral. I have seen noticeable growth in just the two months that I have had it. I did just buy two pieces of montipora from a fellow reefer. I am going to see how those go before I make the jump to any difficult SPS.
On another note, my friend OSUAquarist and I were playing to come out to reefsystems this weekend to check everything out. How is the big tank coming along, anything in it yet? Also, how is the coral selection right now? Any monitpora digtata?
Also, what would you consider to be some of the quickest growing SPS?
The 900 is running and has fish in it but he went to LA to hand pick corals from whole salers and sent back a bunch of fish and put them all in there and they all have velvet I think its called. LOL. But the coral selection is very good right now. There are some super nice purple polyp digitata. It is not like the normal ORA stuff. The tips and everything is purple. Normaly it is just the polyps. And IMO the fastes growing SPS would be green cap or montipora digitata.

 

[matt2364]

Ouch, that sucks, not sure what "velvet" is, but I am sure it is not a good thing.
Do you have any idea on how much the purple polyp digita is? I was not planning on buying any SPS until after christmas since I will not be here for a week or so to monitor everything, but if they are a good deal I might not be able to pass them up.
Any recommendations for my tank on keeping SPS? You think there is enough flow and everything?
I will probably be out Friday or Saturday sometime, hopefully I will see you there. By the way I have been keeping up on your 180 tank build, looking very nice. I wish I had the space for a 180. I cannot wait to move next year so I can get a bigger tank.
Two more questions for you:
1) What are the easiest SPS to keep?
2) What types of SPS are the ones with long hairs on them?

 

[matt b]

That is about the same amount of flow I had im my 75g that had almost all SPS. The easiest SPS would be something like a green or orange montipora or montipora digitata. He sells the purple digitata for 29.99 for the normal purple polyp and there are some really good size peices. And the ones with purple tips and everything for the same price but they are smaller. The ones with long hairy looking polyps are acropora millipora. He has some super nice green/yellow ones for 29. They are not the easiest but not anything hard to keep.
I do not see anything that would be keeping you from growing SPS. That pavona you have I would say it is close to the same range as acros. What was your salinity at? I have seen so many people come in with the same problem and their salinity being way off and that was the problem.

 

[matt2364]

Yean, I just bought a refractometer and realized that my salinity was at 1.028, by hydrometer said it as 1.025. Damn, hydrometers. Anyways, would this high of salinity kill corals over time?
I really really like the millipora. Once I have a few sucessful acros I am definitely going to get some nice milliporas.

 

[matt b]

Originally Posted by matt2364
http:///forum/post/2870298
Yean, I just bought a refractometer and realized that my salinity was at 1.028, by hydrometer said it as 1.025. Damn, hydrometers. Anyways, would this high of salinity kill corals over time?
I really really like the millipora. Once I have a few sucessful acros I am definitely going to get some nice milliporas.
It could without a doubt give them a little shock.

 

[matt2364]

It has been consistently 1.028 since I set up the aquarium in February this year. I never knew hydrometers were so inaccurate. Well hopefully my corals will start to do better once I get this back down to where it is supposed to be. I have been taking out 2 1/2 gallons or so a day of saltwater to bring the number down slowly.

 

[matt b]

I meant give them a shock when adding them. Cause most stores keep the salinity at least below 1.023. So 1.023 to 1.028 is a pretty big jump unless you acclimated them really slow. And most stores keep it below that.

 

[matt2364]

Ohh I see. Yeah...I never acclimate my corals for salinity, just temperature acclimate. I have never really heard of people doing a full acclimation on corals, is this recommended usually, or would it be fine when I get my salinity down to 1.025?

 

[gatorwpb]

people do acclimate with drip acclimates, but many people actually do various dips. iodine dips, interceptor dips, revive dip, there are so many. I have never dipped any corals and rarely acclimate - temp only.
Ive been lucky in not getting pests by not dipping. But the theory on acclimating is that the coral pulls the polyps back into the skeleton and as they slowly open back up, that serves as the acclimation. certainly acclimating will be less stressful, but the sps get stressed regardless.
also, just a side note, for flow calculation, you do no include the volume of water taken up by the rocks, so you have to figure what the net volume is, meaning its probably even higher. not familiar with the return pump but use the gph after head loss.
but it looks like you are well on your way to being set for sps. Ive had high salinity and high alk before with no ill effects. just bring them down to more natural levels and you wont have any problems.
also, for 175w bulbs, consider the Iwasaki 15ks when you have to replace them as they have super par almost on the level of 250w bulbs.

 

[matt2364]

for flow calculation, you do no include the volume of water taken up by the rocks,
Yeah, I know. I have 75 gallons total space (55 gallon + 20 gallon sump) and I was just assuming the rocks take up 20 gallons. Hard to know exactly how much they take up.
Do you think my SPS would be much better off if I got some sort of wave maker or should they be fine with just the two power heads.
Thanks for the recommendation on the bulbs, I will definitely get those whenever I decide to replace. They seem to be pretty expensive though, I bought both of my bulbs for $30.00 each. with shipping. The Iwasaki's are like $95 each with shipping.

 

[matt b]

Originally Posted by matt2364
http:///forum/post/2871137
Ohh I see. Yeah...I never acclimate my corals for salinity, just temperature acclimate. I have never really heard of people doing a full acclimation on corals, is this recommended usually, or would it be fine when I get my salinity down to 1.025?
No you do not need to acclimate 99% of corals. I was just saying unless you did acclimate them slowly it would be a big shock for them to go to 1.028.
And no, A wave maker is not needed. Yeah corals will like it but that has nothing to do with it if they die. I would take the snail guard things off the koralias though. They block alot of flow. And I have never seen a snail crawl into the powerhead.

 

[matt2364]

Thanks for the snail guard advice, I will definitely do that.
About the flow, SPS do not like direct flow do they? I have heard from someone that if you point a PH directly at a sps you could kill it because the polyps cannot extend or something like that? Is this true?

 

[matt b]

Originally Posted by matt2364
http:///forum/post/2871247
Thanks for the snail guard advice, I will definitely do that.
About the flow, SPS do not like direct flow do they? I have heard from someone that if you point a PH directly at a sps you could kill it because the polyps cannot extend or something like that? Is this true?
That is the same with any coral. No corals like be bashed. But from the looks of your tank pics there should be no problem. The best thing is to have good random flow (IE, not having flow directly on them but good flow through out the tank. I normaly put on power head in the back right corner facing the middle/back wall and one powerhead on the front left facing middle/front. Just so that the flow is not straight on any corals but giving the tank good flow. Its all about playing around with them.

 

[gatorwpb]

Originally Posted by matt2364
http:///forum/post/2871216
Yeah, I know. I have 75 gallons total space (55 gallon + 20 gallon sump) and I was just assuming the rocks take up 20 gallons. Hard to know exactly how much they take up.
you dont include the sump volume either. the powerheads arent moving around water from the sump...

but powerheads without wavemakers are just fine. Just have the flow from them collide into each other or bounce off the glass like MattB described.

 

[matt2364]

Gotcha, thanks for the correction, appreciate it.

 

[reefcolors]

tank stability IMO is important. If one of your parameters is off correct it slowly if you and not all at once.