some sps beginner questions

runn3rb3an

runn3rb3an

Active Member
Hey guys I'm getting a 28 gallon nanocube hqi for christmas with metal halides and was hoping to put some sps in it. Besides perfect water what else will I need to keep these corals healthy? Should I does the water with anything? How much flow do I need?
Thanks a lot!
 
9supratt4

9supratt4

Active Member
Hello again

For SPS, I dose alkalinity, magnesium & calcium. That's it. Occasionally I will dose and feed the corals Phyto...very occasionaly. You need good flow. Most SPS like high flow. If you can make the flow rate 10-20x's your capacity, you should be good to go. So on a 28 gallon, I'd shoot for a turnover rate of 450 gallons an hour.
Other than that, pristine water is really the key to any SPS system.
 
nycbob

nycbob

Active Member
hv plenty of lr and flow in the 28 nano, if u r planning to keep sps down the road. dont add sps until 4-5 months after setup. a new setup is very hard to support delicate corals. as for dosing, no need. weekly water change is enough unless ur nano is filled to capacity with sps and lps.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Agreed. And of course if you get the itch to dose just because others do it or you LFS says you have to, verify the need by testing your water first. If going into SPS down the road I suggest you save up your pennies and get Sailefert Calcium and Magnesium test kits.
 
runn3rb3an

runn3rb3an

Active Member
hm sounds a lot easier than I thought it would lol. I already have calcium so Ill start dosing that once I get some corals. thanks
 
9supratt4

9supratt4

Active Member
Originally Posted by runn3rb3an
http:///forum/post/3185894
oh another thing, can you have two sps growing right next to eachother and touching or will they fight?
Most will fight. It really depends on the 2 corals. I try to make sure none of my corals touch.
 
runn3rb3an

runn3rb3an

Active Member
ok thank you. last thing lol. what should I be looking for in a healthy sps? and how fast do they usually grow?
 
9supratt4

9supratt4

Active Member
Originally Posted by runn3rb3an
http:///forum/post/3185901
ok thank you. last thing lol. what should I be looking for in a healthy sps? and how fast do they usually grow?
Healthy SPS...bright colors...white tips (means they are growing)....if you can see them at night....good polyp extension.
Each type of coral grows at different rates....my monti cap grows like crazy!! so does my elkhorn. My birdsnests not as fast. My staghorns are pretty quick growers. But my acros I have a REALLY slow!!
 
runn3rb3an

runn3rb3an

Active Member
Originally Posted by 9supratt4
http:///forum/post/3185904
Healthy SPS...bright colors...white tips (means they are growing)....if you can see them at night....good polyp extension.
Each type of coral grows at different rates....my monti cap grows like crazy!! so does my elkhorn. My birdsnests not as fast. My staghorns are pretty quick growers. But my acros I have a REALLY slow!!
cool thanks
 
kpclown

kpclown

Member
I am very new to this and am trying to decide on a coral list I would like to have for my tank. I also just started a JBJ 28 hqi and am currently waiting for the cycle to complete. I really like the appearance of the Acropora and Montipora but I have a few questions. When they grow too large or in other words they need trimmed, what is the process for doing this without damaging the coral? How much room do they need to grow out in order to prevent warfare with each other?
 
nycbob

nycbob

Active Member
Originally Posted by KPclown
http:///forum/post/3190773
I am very new to this and am trying to decide on a coral list I would like to have for my tank. I also just started a JBJ 28 hqi and am currently waiting for the cycle to complete. I really like the appearance of the Acropora and Montipora but I have a few questions. When they grow too large or in other words they need trimmed, what is the process for doing this without damaging the coral? How much room do they need to grow out in order to prevent warfare with each other?
u shouldnt add sps until the tank is real mature, like after 6-8 months. if u success with sps, fragging it is fairly easy with a bone cutter. acro and monti r fast growers, but will still take a while to double or triple in size.
 
starfishprime

starfishprime

Member
Originally Posted by runn3rb3an
http:///forum/post/3185857
hm sounds a lot easier than I thought it would lol. I already have calcium so Ill start dosing that once I get some corals. thanks
Just remember that calcium is not the only thing to consider. Most calcium doses come with a two part buffer, that you will need for Alkalinity. Kalkwasser is the exception but requires a much more meticulous dosing method.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top