Growing Sps first time, hit me with everything

[Areeflover]

Hey everyone. I decided I’m gonna finally dabble in sps. I need and want to know everything. To start. I will have a 48” reefbreeder over a 90 gallon and I will be using the triton method. So please give me all the facts I need

 

[Stuartmercer]

Dont chase peramaters, keep things stable!!!

 

[AquaBiomics]

start with real live rock
match natural seawater
then wait a few months

a recipe for SPS, in haiku form

 

[Areeflover]

start with real live rock
match natural seawater
then wait a few months

a recipe for SPS, in haiku form

Lol first, too late using dry rock
Second when you mean match natural seawater what do you mean exactly..
Because based off my research that’s what the triton method achieves

 

[Areeflover]

Dont chase peramaters, keep things stable!!!

Okay good to know.. I see that a lot people obsess about their perimeters

 

[TankCandy]

Really avoid any chemicals, let some algae take its course naturally. Make sure you get the correct cleanup crew (6 line wrasse, Astraea snails, Foxface). Like @AquaBiomics said wait a few months after cycle has started. Start with simple coral like Cyphastrea. Avoid impulse buys on questionable aquatic life (crabs, triggers, puffers starfish). Otherwise its easy.

 

[92Miata]

Okay good to know.. I see that a lot people obsess about their perimeters

Yeah - the problem with parameters is that the vast majority of them are either irrelevant, or are really proxies for things we care about. IE, you can have a tank with 0 measurable nitrates and phosphates - and have SPS doing great - because you're feeding tons and skimming out tons - and they're still getting what they need. You're measuring residuals - not what's available.

Or you can have an SPS tank with low-but-not-0 numbers and have corals not doing well, because they're in forms that are difficult to use, or because your tests are junk, or you're sloppy with your lab work.


Use parameter *trends* as explanatory factors - and remember that there's a wide range of error in the actual numbers with hobby test kits and hobby lab skills - if your phosphate is trending down (.15 -> .08 - >.03) and then your corals start looking like crap - thats an indicator that they may need more. When people say "Oh .03 is enough" - don't listen - because your .03 may not actually be .03 - it may be .0005 and your test kit/lab skills have issues.

Watch the trends, and watch how your corals look/behave.



General SPS advice:

Lots of flow.
Keep your alkalinity in a reasonable range. Alkalinity is the most important parameter - by a very wide range. Proper flow an maintaining alkalinity is like 90% of keeping SPS.

 

[NB Reefer]

That is all great advice. Stablility is far better for reef tanks, especially SPS, in general than any specific numbers. My own experience has found that stable, established tanks are better for me to get sps to grow, be happy, and not die.

 

[Areeflover]

Really avoid any chemicals, let some algae take its course naturally. Make sure you get the correct cleanup crew (6 line wrasse, Astraea snails, Foxface). Like @AquaBiomics said wait a few months after cycle has started. Start with simple coral like Cyphastrea. Avoid impulse buys on questionable aquatic life (crabs, triggers, puffers starfish). Otherwise its easy.

Okay. That’s fine I plan on waiting for the tank to balance out I’m in no rush. And lol I’ve been doing this long enough that I’m good with questionable buys lol luckily

 

[Areeflover]

Yeah - the problem with parameters is that the vast majority of them are either irrelevant, or are really proxies for things we care about. IE, you can have a tank with 0 measurable nitrates and phosphates - and have SPS doing great - because you're feeding tons and skimming out tons - and they're still getting what they need. You're measuring residuals - not what's available.

Or you can have an SPS tank with low-but-not-0 numbers and have corals not doing well, because they're in forms that are difficult to use, or because your tests are junk, or you're sloppy with your lab work.


Use parameter *trends* as explanatory factors - and remember that there's a wide range of error in the actual numbers with hobby test kits and hobby lab skills - if your phosphate is trending down (.15 -> .08 - >.03) and then your corals start looking like crap - thats an indicator that they may need more. When people say "Oh .03 is enough" - don't listen - because your .03 may not actually be .03 - it may be .0005 and your test kit/lab skills have issues.

Watch the trends, and watch how your corals look/behave.



General SPS advice:

Lots of flow.
Keep your alkalinity in a reasonable range. Alkalinity is the most important parameter - by a very wide range. Proper flow an maintaining alkalinity is like 90% of keeping SPS.

Thank you for the great info that will be very helpful

 

[AquaBiomics]

Lol first, too late using dry rock
Second when you mean match natural seawater what do you mean exactly..
Because based off my research that’s what the triton method achieves

Its never too late to add live rock. Or live sand or live mud.

Sorry for the lack of detail, I was constrained by my silly attempt to confine it to a haiku format.

The water chemistry parameters that I think matter for SPS are salinity, alkalinity, and Ca . Everything else I ignore, since they appear to be managed easily by water changes.
When I referred to NSW levels I meant these ranges:

Salinity = 1.026 (35 ppt)
Alkalinity = 7 to 8
Ca = 400-450

 

[Areeflover]

Its never too late to add live rock. Or live sand or live mud.

Sorry for the lack of detail, I was constrained by my silly attempt to confine it to a haiku format.

The water chemistry parameters that I think matter for SPS are salinity, alkalinity, and Ca . Everything else I ignore, since they appear to be managed easily by water changes.
When I referred to NSW levels I meant these ranges:

Salinity = 1.026 (35 ppt)
Alkalinity = 7 to 8
Ca = 400-450

Oh okay great thank you

 

[Areeflover]

Its never too late to add live rock. Or live sand or live mud.

Sorry for the lack of detail, I was constrained by my silly attempt to confine it to a haiku format.

The water chemistry parameters that I think matter for SPS are salinity, alkalinity, and Ca . Everything else I ignore, since they appear to be managed easily by water changes.
When I referred to NSW levels I meant these ranges:

Salinity = 1.026 (35 ppt)
Alkalinity = 7 to 8
Ca = 400-450

So I actually I have another tank I will be transferring into this 90gal so I can add live rock from it

 

[living_tribunal]

Throws left*, throws uppercut*

 

[RC Corals]

Okay. That’s fine I plan on waiting for the tank to balance out I’m in no rush. And lol I’ve been doing this long enough that I’m good with questionable buys lol luckily

If you started with Dry Rock you're going to have no choice but to be in no rush.

 

[92Miata]

If you started with Dry Rock you're going to have no choice but to be in no rush.

Strangely - I've had no problem growing SPS in dry rock tanks.

What I've had trouble with is keeping algae at bay and away from the frags while I do it.

I feel like if I was to do another dry rock tank ( I won't) I'd set the frags up on racks and leave the rock to do what it was gonna do. It's rock surface thats the problem - not water/etc.

 

[Strad12]

Don’t neglect pH! Kalkwasser in the ATO is an easy solution, but if you want to go triton method, a refugium and co2 scrubber on your skimmer will help too. Too many reefers obsess over keeping their ALK laser focused on a specific target, but are fine with a pH of 7.8. Natural sea water has a pH of 8.3 (ocean acidification has lowered it, unfortunately).

 

[RC Corals]

Strangely - I've had no problem growing SPS in dry rock tanks.

What I've had trouble with is keeping algae at bay and away from the frags while I do it.

I feel like if I was to do another dry rock tank ( I won't) I'd set the frags up on racks and leave the rock to do what it was gonna do. It's rock surface thats the problem - not water/etc.

In my experience the frag racks will inherit whatevers going on with the rocks. And be closer to the lights in the process.

 

[92Miata]

In my experience the frag racks will inherit whatevers going on with the rocks. And be closer to the lights in the process.

Interesting.

One of my tanks has like 20lbs of 6 month old dry, 20 lbs of aquacultured florida rock, and a frag rack. The dry rock is a mess - the aquaculture rock is great, and the frag rack stays pretty clean.

Frag rack is tiny, and on the edge of the tank with leds, so probably low par.

 

[Hydrored]

Tons of flow, rent a PAR meter and map your tank so lighting is not of concern, stay away from GFO, Nopox, etc, and be patient. Honestly once I stopped chasing numbers the SPS started growing.