Need advice for new Sps tank

[muddy tdi]

Hi guys I need some advice from you sps keepers. My 132 gallon set up is now 6 months old which I managed to wait without buying any coral for it
I only have five fish which are 3 blue chromis and 2 clownfish in it. I have a sump and cheato/refugium which kept my parameters perfect for the last 4 months. I want this reef tank as an sps tank so can I skip the softies and start with the (easiest) sps corals such as birdsnest and montipora? I am preparing to add biopellet reactor too in the future if there is the need for it. Any help and advice please?
Thanks in advance.

 

[ReefBum]

Is this your first reef? If so, it might be a good idea to start with some softies and see how that goes before graduating to the more demanding SPS corals.

 

[muddy tdi]

I have alot of experience in fishkeeping but yes it is my first reef

 

[maroun.c]

Softies and LPS are a bit more forgiving suggest you start with a few pieces of those and then try a few hardy SPS.

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

I'll ask.... What lights, Skimmer, Water parameters? Light cycle? What are you going to dose for CA, and Alk? This info will help others help you. I'd say go for a couple pieces and dip, quarantine if your waters good. Or get some frags from a local reefer that you know have no problems. I'm in the middle of getting my 15 year old reef ready for sps once again. I'm still having a NO3 issue. Its my 3rd week of Vodka dosing. So take my advice with a grain of salt. lol

 

[muddy tdi]

My parameters are all fine but I will follow your advice and start with some soft corals first to gain some experience and will see from there. Thanks for your help and advice.

 

[ritter6788]

Don't be afraid to start with easy sps. You to need to have test kits handy for alkalinity, calcium and magnesium and be prepared to start dosing if needed. You can probably get by with manual dosing at first but will need to change to some type of dosing system as you get more corals and they grow. Randy's 2 part, calcium reactor or kalkwasser are good choices. The key to sps is keeping your water quality optimal and your parameters stable. RO/DI water with 0 TDS, test often and dose as needed. Even once you start dosing test often to make sure you're on the right track. You can't test too often.

What type of lighting do you have or are planning on using? A good skimmer is a great addition too if you don't have one already.

 

[Braves Fan]

I am going to give you,, what I think,,, is the best first piece of advice before putting SPS corals into you tank a lesson that I have had to live with and redo and redo several times,,, at the cost of breaking corals. Get your rock scape done,,,, right,,,, from the start. You don't want to have to redo this once corals are encrusting.

 

[swhobbie1]

Before getting any SPS, monitor your tank parameters (Cal, Alk, Mg...) for target values ... so you know what you need to do, how often to avoid large swings in values as SPS like stable. Get equipment that produces good AND random flow -- I noticed an immediate change for better in my SPS when I started using pumps that did random flow patterns.

 

[muddy tdi]

Thanks for all your kind advices, I really appresciate your help. Am using red sea coral pro as a salt mix with rodi tds 0 water. My Alk is 10, Cal & Mag are a bit high but should not be a problem. My lights are a combination of white & blue leds and T5s. My rock work is to my liking and happy with it . I will keep you updated with some pics when I have some extra time . Thanks again.