Would like to try some SPS
- Thread starter ciroth
- Start date
gatorwpb
Active Member
Hey there and thanks for asking, this is a good place to ask questions.
Im not familiar with any guides really.
To get an idea if your tank and system is ready for sps, we need to know more about the tank itself.
How old is the tank?
How much live rock and live sand?
What are you tank's water quality parameters? Specifically, salinity (specific gravity), nitrate, pH, calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium.
What kind of temperature swings do you have during the day?
What type of filtration (sump, refugium, wet/dry)?
Do you use and if so, what type of protein skimmer?
What type of lighting do you have?
How often do you do water changes?
Do you use a 2-part solution to dose caclium and alkalinity or do you have a calcium reactor?
Also, certain fish may pick at sps coral polyps but that might not be an initial concern.
I know its a lot of questions, but if you can get these issues in line from the beginning, it will greatly increase your likelihood of success with SPS.
Im not familiar with any guides really.
To get an idea if your tank and system is ready for sps, we need to know more about the tank itself.
How old is the tank?
How much live rock and live sand?
What are you tank's water quality parameters? Specifically, salinity (specific gravity), nitrate, pH, calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium.
What kind of temperature swings do you have during the day?
What type of filtration (sump, refugium, wet/dry)?
Do you use and if so, what type of protein skimmer?
What type of lighting do you have?
How often do you do water changes?
Do you use a 2-part solution to dose caclium and alkalinity or do you have a calcium reactor?
Also, certain fish may pick at sps coral polyps but that might not be an initial concern.
I know its a lot of questions, but if you can get these issues in line from the beginning, it will greatly increase your likelihood of success with SPS.
ciroth
New Member
Originally Posted by GatorWPBhttp:///forum/post/2868337
Hey there and thanks for asking, this is a good place to ask questions.
Im not familiar with any guides really.
To get an idea if your tank and system is ready for sps, we need to know more about the tank itself.
How old is the tank?live rock 10+ years, sand 2 years and tank little less than 2 years. (my tank broke about 2 years ago and had to replace it and move everything over.
How much live rock and live sand?
What are you tank's water quality parameters? Specifically, salinity (specific gravity), nitrate, pH, calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium. 1.024-25 depending, 10-30 nitrates(can't find a reliable test kit), 8.6 pH, last time I checked calcium was 460ppm, alkalinity I need to test, no magnesium test available at the LFS.
What kind of temperature swings do you have during the day?
I'll have to check back should 78-81
What type of filtration (sump, refugium, wet/dry)?
Cascade canister 1500, Tom's Rapids Pro PS3 Aquarium Filtration System, plus in take refug that has cheeto in it.
Do you use and if so, what type of protein skimmer? The skimmer that comes with the Tom's system great skimmer!
What type of lighting do you have?
Sunpod MH 2x 150w 20k Radium HQI bulbs, LED moonlighting. (I got a bargain on MH so I only have 2/3 of tank in MH the other is power compact)
How often do you do water changes?
Do you use a 2-part solution to dose caclium and alkalinity or do you have a calcium reactor? DT's 2 part solution well I guess 3 part it's calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium and I dose according to label
Also, certain fish may pick at sps coral polyps but that might not be an initial concern.
I have 6 inch maroon clown, 2 purple tang, 2 yellow, 1 regal blue, 1 powder blue tang, 1 red scooter blenny, 1 green mandarin goby, 2 green chromis, 1 seahorse. I know I will have to move the maroon clown she is moving huge pieces of coral down to the bottom whenever I try to place them.
I know its a lot of questions, but if you can get these issues in line from the beginning, it will greatly increase your likelihood of success with SPS.
Thanks for the help!
Hey there and thanks for asking, this is a good place to ask questions.
Im not familiar with any guides really.
To get an idea if your tank and system is ready for sps, we need to know more about the tank itself.
How old is the tank?live rock 10+ years, sand 2 years and tank little less than 2 years. (my tank broke about 2 years ago and had to replace it and move everything over.
How much live rock and live sand?
What are you tank's water quality parameters? Specifically, salinity (specific gravity), nitrate, pH, calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium. 1.024-25 depending, 10-30 nitrates(can't find a reliable test kit), 8.6 pH, last time I checked calcium was 460ppm, alkalinity I need to test, no magnesium test available at the LFS.
What kind of temperature swings do you have during the day?
I'll have to check back should 78-81
What type of filtration (sump, refugium, wet/dry)?
Cascade canister 1500, Tom's Rapids Pro PS3 Aquarium Filtration System, plus in take refug that has cheeto in it.
Do you use and if so, what type of protein skimmer? The skimmer that comes with the Tom's system great skimmer!
What type of lighting do you have?
Sunpod MH 2x 150w 20k Radium HQI bulbs, LED moonlighting. (I got a bargain on MH so I only have 2/3 of tank in MH the other is power compact)
How often do you do water changes?
Do you use a 2-part solution to dose caclium and alkalinity or do you have a calcium reactor? DT's 2 part solution well I guess 3 part it's calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium and I dose according to label
Also, certain fish may pick at sps coral polyps but that might not be an initial concern.
I have 6 inch maroon clown, 2 purple tang, 2 yellow, 1 regal blue, 1 powder blue tang, 1 red scooter blenny, 1 green mandarin goby, 2 green chromis, 1 seahorse. I know I will have to move the maroon clown she is moving huge pieces of coral down to the bottom whenever I try to place them.
I know its a lot of questions, but if you can get these issues in line from the beginning, it will greatly increase your likelihood of success with SPS.
Thanks for the help!
natclanwy
Active Member
For SPS you will are looking for 30-60x turnover rate, how you get there is up to you. The koralias PH have had great reviews and I run a K3 and K4 in my own tank so they would be a great addition. I don't know what the flow rates are on the ones you are talking about but it is better especially in a tank as large as yours to have multiple powerheads so that you can aim and direct them where you need them.
gatorwpb
Active Member
sounds like you have a good system although the nitrates need to come down some and maybe the pH just a tad too.
Im not familiar with the Toms filter system. I believe that the all in one systems usually are not as efficient as doing it all in separate components but Im sure it does a fine job. Remove any bio-balls if it has some, as they can be a nitrate source. If you can, maybe replace them with rubble rock.
In sps systems, its usually better to overskim, especially with a large bioload.
The lighting could be a little stronger on that large of a tank, but I have a sunpod 2x150w on my 65g with phoenix bulbs, so I know its a great fixture.
I would find some monti caps, monti digitatas or encrusting montis and see how they do in the top half of the tank under the MHs. The fact that you are dosing 2-part or 3-part really is the most important. The high nitrates may affect coloration of sps, but try some cheap frags out and see how they do.
What youll find is once the sps addiction hits, youll want to find ways to tweak your system to improve color and growth. Good luck!!
Im not familiar with the Toms filter system. I believe that the all in one systems usually are not as efficient as doing it all in separate components but Im sure it does a fine job. Remove any bio-balls if it has some, as they can be a nitrate source. If you can, maybe replace them with rubble rock.
In sps systems, its usually better to overskim, especially with a large bioload.
The lighting could be a little stronger on that large of a tank, but I have a sunpod 2x150w on my 65g with phoenix bulbs, so I know its a great fixture.
I would find some monti caps, monti digitatas or encrusting montis and see how they do in the top half of the tank under the MHs. The fact that you are dosing 2-part or 3-part really is the most important. The high nitrates may affect coloration of sps, but try some cheap frags out and see how they do.
What youll find is once the sps addiction hits, youll want to find ways to tweak your system to improve color and growth. Good luck!!
ciroth
New Member
Oh I definitely have the bug I have been dying to try sps ever since I saw one. Yet, I'm the leading guy in knowledge about saltwater in my area so needless to say not much help here lol. Both of you are a great help, can I ask what test kit you use for nitrates? Or even just a good test kit in general?
I will remove the bio balls, ceramic rings need to go too?
I would like to get couple 250w MH on there, but not sure the breaker can handle that much plus that is kinda costly for me at the moment... maybe after xmas.
Oh btw I think... er well know im probably not doing as many water changes as I should.
How often would you say I should be doing them? (I have a 220g fish only, this 150g, and a 55g discus) so needless to say keeping up on water changes on them all is pretty hard. I get free R/O water from my shop and I use Tropic Marin salt, but how would you recommend reducing the Ph?
I will remove the bio balls, ceramic rings need to go too?
I would like to get couple 250w MH on there, but not sure the breaker can handle that much plus that is kinda costly for me at the moment... maybe after xmas.
Oh btw I think... er well know im probably not doing as many water changes as I should.
natclanwy
Active Member
The bioballs and ceramic rings are up to you they are fine as long as you clean them periodically which can be alot of work, LR rubble can support fauna to keep itself clean so you do not need to clean the rubble.
I use API test kits for nitrate and it has served me fine, it is difficult for me to tell the difference between 0, 5, and 10ppm but my wife can read it okay I think I have a little bit of color blindness in the yellow color range.
The halides really don't consume that much power a dual 250w bulb fixture is pretty much the same as running 5- 100w incandescent bulbs.
As far as your PH goes I wouldn't worry about it too much, usually if you take care of the calcium and alk your PH will work itself out. I would test you alk and see where you are at, I am guessing you are going to be high as you already are at the top of the scale for calcium. You want to keep alk between 7-11dkh and calcium between 380-450ppm, but running at the top end of the scale is not inherantly better than running in the middle of the range. When you are using the 2-part dosing system you want to test each parameter before you dose and only dose enough to bring the level back to where it should be and you should dose evenly throughout the week rather than large doses once a week.
I use API test kits for nitrate and it has served me fine, it is difficult for me to tell the difference between 0, 5, and 10ppm but my wife can read it okay I think I have a little bit of color blindness in the yellow color range.
The halides really don't consume that much power a dual 250w bulb fixture is pretty much the same as running 5- 100w incandescent bulbs.
As far as your PH goes I wouldn't worry about it too much, usually if you take care of the calcium and alk your PH will work itself out. I would test you alk and see where you are at, I am guessing you are going to be high as you already are at the top of the scale for calcium. You want to keep alk between 7-11dkh and calcium between 380-450ppm, but running at the top end of the scale is not inherantly better than running in the middle of the range. When you are using the 2-part dosing system you want to test each parameter before you dose and only dose enough to bring the level back to where it should be and you should dose evenly throughout the week rather than large doses once a week.
gatorwpb
Active Member
salifert makes pretty good test kits also. And if you can find Elos those are the new popular ones that everyone likes.
But i havent tested for nitrate in over a year. I can tell if I have any nutrients based on how my tank is doing. I did use a phosphate reactor to reduce my phosphate levels, but those are no longer an issue either.
The only thing I test for is calcium and alkalinity. I should test magnesium more often, but as long as calc is good, mag is assumed to be good too.
I do have a pH probe on my controller, but that was just recently setup.
You should be doing waterchanges at least once a month. Some do weekly changes, but that is way to frequent for me, as I dont have a garage or anywhere to store the water.
Also, your FOWLR wont need waterchanges (WCs) as frequent as a reef tank, so dont think that they both need monthly WCs.
But i havent tested for nitrate in over a year. I can tell if I have any nutrients based on how my tank is doing. I did use a phosphate reactor to reduce my phosphate levels, but those are no longer an issue either.
The only thing I test for is calcium and alkalinity. I should test magnesium more often, but as long as calc is good, mag is assumed to be good too.
I do have a pH probe on my controller, but that was just recently setup.
You should be doing waterchanges at least once a month. Some do weekly changes, but that is way to frequent for me, as I dont have a garage or anywhere to store the water.
Also, your FOWLR wont need waterchanges (WCs) as frequent as a reef tank, so dont think that they both need monthly WCs.