Can a new tank be successful with Acros?

[Reef_in_Denver]

Hi all,

This is my second go round with reefing. I had a 75 gallon mixed reef for three years previously. That tank had it's ups and downs but really stabled out the last two years after I figured out what I was doing.

This time around I've got a reefer 250 that's been cycled for over a month. I'm stocked with fish and a few SPS corals I got through trading some old equipment. This tank will be 98% acros moving forward as that is what interests me most.

I'm ready to start putting some really nice pieces in (from an anticipation standpoint), but want to get some feedback from the community. Has anyone had success with SPS/acros on a newish system? Are the wait 6 month warnings just so people can get over the learning curve of your first reef tank, or do experienced reefers have trouble with SPS early on? Is "maturity" a real thing or if I'm diligent about managing consistent water parameters will I be fine?

I've got solid equipment on the tank.
2x diffused xr15s running coral lab AB+
Carbon/gfo BRS mini reactor
3 part BRS dosing setup( currently barely dosing to keep everything stable)
2x mp10

Below are the SPS currently in the system:
Slimer - one tip has grown 1/4 inch in 2 weeks
ORA pearlberry - encrusting slowly over glue on rocks
Orange setosa
2x no name acros - minor encrusting

Should I take this short period of relative success and push forward with some nicer pieces? Having experience with Acros and their slow growth I'm wanting to populate the tank a decent amount as early as it's viable.

Someone talk me off the ledge or push me over!!

Thanks all.

 

[E13MentX]

Speaking only from personal experience, I had good success with easy/hardy acros one week into starting a new tank (I couldn't wait). I was able to keep similar things alive and well when I first started. (green slimier, birdnest, setosa, pocillopora were what I started with). But now that I am more experienced and dabbling into some expensive acros,, I wouldn't chance losing those expensive pieces because I couldn't wait long enough. Not sure if that helps lol

 

[SeaDweller]

yes, there are plenty of people who have success with new tanks, even from day one: dead or dry rock, new water, new everything. The difference between them and you is experience.

 

[Acroalan]

I'm doing the same thing you are, also with a RS 250. I added some biodiversity from IPSF, seeded with a couple of different bacteria cultures and test often to keep things stable. So far, so good. This is my second tank. My first was a successful acro dominant that I had for many years before I moved and have started over. It's definitely a challenging route, but that's why I enjoy the hobby.

 

[Foothill Corals]

Short answer: Yes

Having enough / stable nutrients is one of the biggest challenges with SPS in a new thank IME.

A cryptic sponge pack from Tyree will also go along way to speed up diversity and overall success

 

[Bacon505]

all i have to say is, reefing is a patience game. and acro are all diverse and each to their own in a home aquarium. having one in an early stage of a tank's life doesn't mean they will grow sooner. acro grown base on it's demand, if it can sense the parameter is right to nourish then they will show good growth. If it's not meeting their need then it will sit as a little booger until the demands are met. This could take weeks, months and even years.

 

[Greg P]

If you can wait until your tank is past the 'uglies' stage of diatoms/dinos/hair algae then do so. This is the hardest on small frags as it can smother them.
Keeping a low nutrient system to start with will slow most of the uglies but may promote cyano which can also choke out corals.
Keeping a higher-nutrient system will benefit the corals' overall health, but promote hair algae.

If you're up for many months of keeping your rock clean so your corals don't get choked out then go for it. Just keep in mind that they won't do well until you can sustain decent NO3 and PO4 levels.

I re-started my 75g the end of July/19 and added back large amounts of SPS I'd kept from the previous build; some frags as much as 4-5".
I still had to blow them off nearly daily until some of the uglies started phasing out. Crud would grow on the LR and a Gorg, then float around and get trapped in the SPS.
And they suffered for lack of nutrients as every time I upped them, I'd get an immediate bloom of one kind or another.
At around 4 months I did a 5 week round of MB7, which of course brought on some cyano, but the long stringy stuff was finally under control.
It was 5 months from re-start before I had a grip on a balance and was able to finally start upping nutrients without adverse effects.
Hopefully I'll now be able to naturally control cyano with higher nutrients.

 

[svogun]

I always start with monti's and then when I am past the typical algae bloom stages and my nutrients are stable I start adding acros. I'd rather wait several months and let things settle in. In my current tank I don't think I added acros for over a year just to let things settle in. I did have Monti's right out of the gate though.

 

[acropora4u]

Short answer: Yes

Having enough / stable nutrients is one of the biggest challenges with SPS in a new thank IME.

A cryptic sponge pack from Tyree will also go along way to speed up diversity and overall success

cryptic sponge pack?

 

[2Wheelsonly]

If you can wait until your tank is past the 'uglies' stage of diatoms/dinos/hair algae then do so. This is the hardest on small frags as it can smother them.
Keeping a low nutrient system to start with will slow most of the uglies but may promote cyano which can also choke out corals.
Keeping a higher-nutrient system will benefit the corals' overall health, but promote hair algae.

If you're up for many months of keeping your rock clean so your corals don't get choked out then go for it. Just keep in mind that they won't do well until you can sustain decent NO3 and PO4 levels.

I re-started my 75g the end of July/19 and added back large amounts of SPS I'd kept from the previous build; some frags as much as 4-5".
I still had to blow them off nearly daily until some of the uglies started phasing out. Crud would grow on the LR and a Gorg, then float around and get trapped in the SPS.
And they suffered for lack of nutrients as every time I upped them, I'd get an immediate bloom of one kind or another.
At around 4 months I did a 5 week round of MB7, which of course brought on some cyano, but the long stringy stuff was finally under control.
It was 5 months from re-start before I had a grip on a balance and was able to finally start upping nutrients without adverse effects.
Hopefully I'll now be able to naturally control cyano with higher nutrients.

mb7 alone? Everything I read says to use this stuff to get rid of cyano. It’s not a food source for cyano?

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Yes, it's possible, but as the tank matures, keeping things stable gets easier.

 

[brewandreef]

If the tank is being started from dry rock, I'd wait. The dino phase and getting rid of them can be really hard on corals, and it seems like we all get them nowadays.

 

[Foothill Corals]

cryptic sponge pack?

Look up Reeffarmers cryptic seed packs

Great for tanks started with dry rock but Cryptic and semi cryptic zones need to be kept dark or mostly dark.


I guess I should also add even though it’s doable I don’t recommend adding acros in new tanks.

 

[vetteguy53081]

yes , but I recommend waiting until tank is well seeded or stable before risk of pricey specimens subject to chemical changes

 

[jda]

You can do it, but it will be a finer line... not impossible or anything, but less room for error.

I started an easy SPS tank that is linked in my signature... it is mostly montis and birdsnests and I put the corals in before the coralline came since I had a one-year deadline. I would not have done it otherwise. There is only one acropora in the tank and growth has been slow for it, but it is doing better now.

The tank will get easier later on, no doubt.

 

[RCS82]

Easily yes if old established live rock is used. If using all brand new dry rock, then expect a bumpy road at first.
I feel that everything comes down to rock, bacteria, sponge growth, etc these days

 

[Bob Weigant]

I was fortunate enough to be successful on 2 occasions with sps. I started off with easy , monti’s , digi’s. Then I just kept going forward

 

[Llebcire]

Tagging along out of sheer interest and coincidence in the timing of this thread.

My 29g Biocube has been set up since Christmas, so roughly 60 days, started with dry rock and live sand, 4 corals that have been doing well, and I added a Cali Tort Acropora today.

This isn't my first tank as I've been reefing since 2003 but I went out on a limb due to the deal I got on the frag. My personal opinion is that newer tanks with new hobbyists are a challenge due to the hobbyist. Not watching parameters (mainly salinity), overfeeding the tank, inadequate flow, and having their hands in the tank frequently (introducing pollutants) are the root cause of many issues in newly established tanks.

Good luck to both of us!

-Eric

 

[Acroalan]

"Not watching parameters (mainly salinity), overfeeding the tank, inadequate flow, and having their hands in the tank frequently (introducing pollutants) are the root cause of many issues in newly established tanks. "

This is a key point. With a new tank there are so many things that I am constantly tempted to tinker with that keeping my hands out of my tank requires an active of will.

 

[jeffww]

I think the hands-in tank thing is a myth. Just scrub them with hot tap water (no soap). I put my hands in my 7g acropora nano almost every other day. No ill effects.