Can your system be to new for SPS?

[CKI]

So my tank has been up and running for 4 months..However, i can NOT keep a SPS alive, they either bleach out, or turn brown, ive tried em positioned all over my sand bed nd still no luck. So my ? is, is it possible for my system to be "to new">

75 gallon tank with 30 gal sump
Reef Radiance LED lights

parameters-

pH- 8.0
Ammonia - 0
Nitire - 0
Nitrate - 0
Calc - 480
Phosphate - 0
Salinity - 1.026

I dont have a Alk test kit, but was checked 4 days ago by a friend on his Hanna meter and it was 8.9...

If my system is to "new" i would rather get all my SPS corals out of the tank before they are all goners.

 

[RichieT]

You need to monitor the Alk. See if it is swinging up or down. Usually what happens with new tanks is the parameters aren't stable. What lights you running?

 

[CKI]

I am running the Reef Radiance Lumentek Pro 120's ...all my LPS corals are doing well ... I am just at a loss for losing corals (not to mention the money im practically throwing out the window) ...I am running 2 reactors one with rowaphos and the other the biopellets...i keep a check on my parameters weekly and everything seems to be good .... guess i need to go get a ALK test kit :/ .... should i hold off on anymore SPS corals for a few months and just let the tank mature?

LUMENTEK PRO 120 - Reef Radiance

 

[Connie]

I couldn't keep SPS when my tank was new either. Even though my parameters tested stable, it was the three year mark before I could keep them. I can't tell you why, just all of a sudden, they didn't die. I killed a lot of coral and if I had it to do over again, I would have waited.

 

[CKI]

I couldn't keep SPS when my tank was new either. Even though my parameters tested stable, it was the three year mark before I could keep them. I can't tell you why, just all of a sudden, they didn't die. I killed a lot of coral and if I had it to do over again, I would have waited.

Thanks Connie, not what i wanted to hear! lol ... I just love the way SPS looks, but at the same time, if this group of frags dont make it, that would be 300.00 in the past 2 months. Well with that being said, what are some REALLLLLLLLLLLLY COOL LPS? ... ill just go that route and ill try again sometime next year

 

[glb]

Thanks Connie, not what i wanted to hear! lol ... I just love the way SPS looks, but at the same time, if this group of frags dont make it, that would be 300.00 in the past 2 months. Well with that being said, what are some REALLLLLLLLLLLLY COOL LPS? ... ill just go that route and ill try again sometime next year

I love acan lords. They're easy to keep and come in beautiful colors. They also puff up full of water. Here's a pic of mine!

. It's grown a lot since this pic was taken.

 

[Connie]

Acans, favias, scoly's, brains....they're all good! :tongue:

 

[CKI]

Well i just listed all my SPS corals on my local forum site, maybe i can work out some trades

 

[Realposition]

You need a alkalinity test kit, plain and simple. Test everyday for a couple weeks to make sure it's not swinging. A 3 year old tank with alk swings is going to kill sps just as fast as a 3 month old tank with alk swings. What are you using to replenish calc and alk in your tank?

 

[EcoFrags]

depending on how much and what species of LPS you keep in your tank...there is the potential that the "slime" secreted by those LPS could be sticking to and covering your SPS causing the bleaching, browning, and death that you are seeing...i would without question ensure that your tank doesnt have ALK swings but before any major investments into new tech a simple change of water flow to being slightly stronger on your SPS to keep things off them could solve the issue

 

[that Reef Guy]

How much Flow do you have.

The most important thing that people miss when keeping Coral is Flow.

They Focus too much on Lighting alone and Water Quality.

You need all 3 for SPS.

Plus you mentioned you had them all over the Sand Bed.

You want SPS High Up.

The Higher up you go in your Aquarium the more Light and Flow you get.

 

[CKI]

How much Flow do you have.

The most important thing that people miss when keeping Coral is Flow.

They Focus too much on Lighting alone and Water Quality.

You need all 3 for SPS.

Plus you mentioned you had them all over the Sand Bed.

You want SPS High Up.

The Higher up you go in your Aquarium the more Light and Flow you get.

Yes i moved a few down after the bleaching started...as far as flow, im running 3 MJ1200's

 

[Zack]

I have an mj1200 i use to run water through a reactor, they are usually used for low flow applications. They really shouldnt be used as powerheads. Maybe in a nano. I dont see three moving around enough water in a 75 gallon sps tank. May not be the reason they are dying but definitley need some more flow for healthy sps.

 

[afamousjohnson]

There is always so many variables. Like even the simple fac5 that it is said your exit tube from a bio pellet reactor should be letting out water near where your skimmer takes water in. How long have the problem sps pieces been in your system?? How did 5hey look when you got them? What were the conditions of the tank 5hey came from? Etc etc etc

 

[redtop03]

Yes i moved a few down after the bleaching started...as far as flow, im running 3 MJ1200's

are those the newer MJ1200's with the propeller option or just the MJ powerhead ?

3 of just the MJ powerheads at 295 GPH each isn't gonna be enough for SPS in a 75g tank but 3 of the propeller modded MJ1200s at about 1300GPH each will move a lot more water

 

[ritter6788]

My 40 breeder is just now starting to get stable for sps and I set it up in May. I used dry pukani rock and even though I cycled and everything seemed stable to me, the sps haven't done well yet.

Depending on the setup a tank can be too new for sps.

 

[CKI]

these are the new ones...specs as follows...

Maxi-Jet 1200 Flow

295 GPH

Circulation 1300 GPH

 

[CKI]

these are the new ones...specs as follows...

Maxi-Jet 1200 Flow

295 GPH

Circulation 1300 GPH

 

[wakeboardgeek]

IME once you have stable parameters (even monitoring ph and temp throughout your light cycle), acclimation of sps can just as important.

 

[CKI]

I have decided to get rid of my sps and just keep my LPS ... ill try SPS again next year, and keep track of my parameters over the next few months and test daily for alk/cal/mag