what are my chances?

[dima96]

i found some great deals at the lfs this morning. i got a refractometer, a finger leather 5# of ls (slowly adding a dsb), 12 gal ro/di water and a 5# piece of lr that was covered in life. this piece of rock has 3 different type of zoos, a bout 30 feather dusters, a quarter sized carpet anemone a messed of tulip anemones, two small colonies of caprocornus (sp) and a silver dollar sized colony of some other encrusting sps. all for $141,i think i got a steal. i wondering should i expect anything out of the sps colonies? i'm running 370 watts (will be 500 watts next weekend) of pc over a 75 gal the sps are about 2 inches under the water and about 5 away from the bulbs? the water quality is good dkh just under 10 and the cal is about 350. and the polyps were out while the light were on.

 

[michaeltx]

youll have to watch to make sure they are tulip anemones and not majanoe anemones they look real simliar.
the SPS corals depending on what species may not make it long. there are a lot that wont do good under anything less that MH there are a few species that do good under PC but not many. also if the have bright colors on the tips its certain that they will turn dark brown with an increase of zoo symbiotic algae in them (cant remember how to spell it) LOL
I would also bring your calcium up to about 400-450 its a little low,.
SPSfreak is a good one on the SPS corals so wait on him to see what he says about it.
Mike

 

[dima96]

ok , i'm sure they are tulips, bright green with red tips just like pics i've seen here. they rock came out out a nano with pc but that means nothing as far as i know. i'm working on getting the dkh and cal up to 10-11dkh and 400-450. i just stopped running a po4 sponge. anything else short of hailides i shoud do for them?

 

[michaeltx]

thats about the only thing you can do as far as I know other than feeding them . if you can get pictures I am sure that somebody will be able to id them and tell you how they will do.
kewl on the tulips I have only seen pictures of them nice looking anemones.
Mike

 

[dima96]

i really think i made out. i'll try to post some pic in the am. getting that rock was a right time right place type deal. btw after one day i'm wondering how i lived w/o the refractometer, they work great. worth every penny.

 

[michaeltx]

LOL I have heard they are great I still have yet to be able to get one. but I will in the near future my swing arm needs a stomping LOL
sounds like you did pretty good especially sense you got the rocks sand and a refractometer.
MIke

 

[dima96]

i found a new lfs that was just opened by local reef club members and it is a part time help pay for the hobby type place. great stuff and great prices. i know a couple of place to get them pretty cheap email me if you would like me to tell you where. "dima96@comcast.net". btw swing arms suck

 

[michaeltx]

YGM

 

[attml]

If you got Montipora Capricornis you will have a better chance for survival than with most acros (MH is recommended) as they require medium to high lighting. If you are planning on keeping them in your current tank under the PC lighting then make sure you have them in the path of really good indirect flow. SPS corals need a lot of water movement for good oxygen exchange and food transport. As MichaelTX said also make sure you have good Calcium and Alk. If you aren't using a buffer currently Kent Tech CB (part A & B) does a good job keeping the CA & ALK elevated. Feeding Golden Pearls or Cyclo-peze is also helpful to SPS and I occasionally see my Montipora Capricornis grab a piece of Brine or Mysis shrimp in it's polyps when I am feeding my fish. HTH

 

[dima96]

Montipora Capricornis is one of them. still not sure about to other never seen anything like it. will try to get a pic tomorrow. right now i feed Cyclo-peze every other day and dt's. is there any reason i should be using golden pearls.

 

[attml]

Nope - you only need to feed one of them.

 

[dima96]

cyclop-eaze is a frozen food. the stuff is bright orange and of a similar size to daphnia (sp). i think they are water fleas of some sort. some of my fish eat it and the corals get the rest. golden pearls and dts are similar but one in live (dts) and the other dead (golden pearls). hth

 

[dima96]

waterfaller, if you can get your hands on some cyclop-eaze, you should try it . the corals and some of my fish really like it. mine came on bar form. the bar has lasted me 9 monthes and should go 3 or 4 more.

 

[attml]

DT's is Live Phytoplankton (vegetable) which is used for feeding Clams & other filter feeders. Golden Pearls are a Active Sphere Larval Diet (meat). Some corals will accept Phyto but not all. SPS corals don't touch phyto as they are carnivourus. CYCLOP-EEZE is a new biologically engineered organism of the Copepod family (meat). Most SPS keepers use Golden Pearls, Cyclop-eeze or a finely blended mix of scallops, fish, clams, shrimp etc.. to feed their SPS corals.

 

[dima96]

attml thanks, just learned something new. not the this current tank will ever be a sps tank.

 

[spsfreak100]

I completely agree with Michael that you should raise your calcium around 450ppm. Any lower than 400ppm, calcification will be extremely slow and may stunt the growth of the scleractinians. You may want to try a two part additive to raise the calcium level. With some Trial and Error when I first started, 20ml of a two part additive will raise the Calcium Aproximently 10ppm-20ppm. I would dose around 20ml of a Calcium Buffer every 24hrs until you acheive a calcium level of around 450ppm. Regular dosings of Kalkwasser (also known as Calcium Hydroxide or Limewater) should help keep the calcium and alkalinity both stable.
i wondering should i expect anything out of the sps colonies?
With 500wts of power compact, you should expect some slow growth and mild coloration from both the M. Capricornis and Encursting Montipora. Montipora is generally quite hardy, and may live in your tank. If you get lucky, they may show good coloration and good growth, but the chances are slim without halides (but possible).
also if the have bright colors on the tips its certain that they will turn dark brown with an increase of zoo symbiotic algae in them (cant remember how to spell it) LOL
Zooxanthellae- Pronounced "Zoo-Zan-Thell-E"
i just stopped running a po4 sponge.
Is there phosphate present in the aquarium? Phosphate will stunt the calcification process in calcareous algaes and corals (all Scleractinians, including both Large and Small polyped scleractinians, for short "LPS and SPS"). If there is phosphate, continue to run the phosphate sponge until phosphate is gone. Also check to find the source of the phosphate; Top off water, water change water, etc.
If you are planning on keeping them in your current tank under the PC lighting then make sure you have them in the path of really good indirect flow.

SPS corals don't touch phyto as they are carnivourus.
You hit the nail on the head with those two. Good strong current is essential for keeping SPS corals.
By the way Mark- I received your email. I'm waiting until I get a good picture of the coral frags before I email you back with them.
Take Care,
Graham

 

[dima96]

yesterdays tests cal 440 ppm, alk 11 dkh, po4 .25 mg/L. i just reccently switched from tap to ro/di, so i've cut the no more po4 and i have a fuge. should i get another po4 sponge or just let the fuge do its thing?