? on SPS

[mopar9012]

So yesterday my LFS had 2 SPS frags, they said they didnt have any SPS custumers so they gave me a deal on the 2.
Now i dont plan on letting them die but if they do, how will I know?

 

[lion_crazz]

One of the easiest ways to tell if they are dieing is if they start to turn all white (starting from the bottom). This is called bleaching.
What kind of corals did you get?

 

[mopar9012]

Blue Tipped Staghorn Acropora.
They look alright to me, but i dont really have an eye for SPS yet.
Calcium in the 400 range is alright. Right?

 

[fishieness]

yes. Ca there should be fine. what lighting do you have and what about water flow?
good luck with them

 

[mopar9012]

I have 175W of MH over a 29 gal.
I have a 400 maxi jet and a 300 surge for power heads. Would that be enough?
Also i just looked at one, one side is white and the other is tan. Now if it is dieing, can i turn it around under the right cricumstances?
The other frag has no white.
And thanks, Ill need it.

 

[promisetbg]

You need to know your alkalinity too. Too low & it will kill them. How old is the tank, and how much turnover do you have? Do you have a protein skimmer? The white side of the sps, does it look like the flesh is peeling off?

 

[mopar9012]

My alkinity is low, I just tested it and I will be bringing it up, along with my pH.
With the 2 power heads its a total of 700gph in a 29.
The tank is probably a year and a half old. I have a protein skimmer.
As far as the peeling, no it doesnt look like that.

 

[fishieness]

i would guess the white side is just from not being exposed to light because of shading from the other.

 

[mopar9012]

Alright, does my flow sound good?

 

[tx reef]

Bring the alk. up slowly. Also, don't use a buffer for pH....when you calcium and alkalinity are correct, your pH will be where it needs to be.

 

[aztec reef]

Originally Posted by mopar9012
Alright, does my flow sound good?
no not really. you wanna have at least 15x turnover in a reef. in a sps tank even more up to 20x is ideal. i would get at least one more powerhead or get a stronger one to replace one of the two.

 

[fishieness]

Originally Posted by Aztec Reef
no not really. you wanna have at least 15x turnover in a reef. in a sps tank even more up to 20x is ideal. i would get at least one more powerhead or get a stronger one to replace one of the two.
???
he said he has just over 22X and you said it isnt good enough because you need at least 15X? lol
22X is pretty good. it depends how much of your tank is sps and how much you need all around. i have a 42X

 

[aztec reef]

Originally Posted by fishieness
???
he said he has just over 22X and you said it isnt good enough because you need at least 15X? lol
22X is pretty good. it depends how much of your tank is sps and how much you need all around. i have a 42X
you're right.. what can i say?

my bad

 

[fishieness]

Originally Posted by Aztec Reef
you're right.. what can i say?

my bad
lol. we all make mistakes

 

[aztec reef]

lol, my coffee is just starting to kick in .. so

 

[volcom69]

Try to get as much flow as possible with ur sps i have a manily sps domiant tank and i have over 2000 some gph in my tank, but ur lighting sounds good to me. If anything u got a good acropora to start with i like the staghorn as long as u have everything right its a fast grower. Just make sure u monitor the calcium and alk. You have a pic of it we can prob tell u the exact name of the staghorn and more info on it.

 

[mopar9012]

Originally Posted by volcom69
Try to get as much flow as possible with ur sps i have a manily sps domiant tank and i have over 2000 some gph in my tank, but ur lighting sounds good to me. If anything u got a good acropora to start with i like the staghorn as long as u have everything right its a fast grower. Just make sure u monitor the calcium and alk. You have a pic of it we can prob tell u the exact name of the staghorn and more info on it.
i would take a pic, but i have a really crappy camera.
thanks for all the help everyone