New SPS owner, tips please!

[Channaman]

stability is key.. if you dont have a doser then try to dose your alk/ca/mg daily instead of once a week to keep everything stable

 

[Brett newell]

5 hours? dang. Now I feel abusive, I do it in about 30 minutes

 

[Robsk]

Don't let maricultured scare you too much. Especially if you get it from a vendor who has given it a little time in their own system. I've done pretty good with them under full leds. They do go through color changes and its pretty cool to watch. If I could come up with a fancy name, I could sell frags for $100 from my $50 colony. As others have said stability is key. I never adjust my lights to new corals, I simply adjust placement of the coral with time. I do run a full length led rather than puck style. Have fun with them! You will find a routine that works well for you!

 

[Leadfooted]

Ok guys both acros went through 5 hours of acclamation

I've had very good success and less mortality since speeding up my acclimation time less than 30 min.
I started with LED and noticed a change to color and growth when I added Blue Plus and Purple Plus T5's..... Like explosive difference and daily visible growth. I now have 4 T5's and tossing my Current LED light for a ReefBright XHO Blue LED strip (check them out).

Feed your fish LRS or similar fresh type foods. Fish Poop rules SPS! Very important what your feeding the fishies

 

[BoomCorals]

Honestly the best acclimation is float the bag for temp then put them right into your QT system. Dip later - dipping stresses already stressed acros and you can lose them that way.

 

[erky]

Honestly the best acclimation is float the bag for temp then put them right into your QT system. Dip later - dipping stresses already stressed acros and you can lose them that way.

agreed

signs to look for of a coral that is not happy would be large sections of the color falling off or its just turning white.

 

[Steve1500]

As for lighting, I've had success with just a fast acclamation. I put them on the sand for 2 to 4 days depending on my work schedule. Then I'll move it up to a max of halfway. Any higher than that and I'll give it a few days at half way. I have zoo med coral sun t8 on qt and mars aqua led on dt

Thanks Brett, I think I will play it safe to and dip before I put them in the DT. As for lighting, I like the idea of fast acclimation since they are already under a light in the QT. Sounds like a plan.

 

[Reefbuds]

5 hours? What did you do to acclimate?

I float for 1 hour to acquire temp. Then I pour into container and slowly add my water to their existing water, I then dump some of that water and add more of mine. I do this until pretty much all water has been exchanged with my tank water, slowly of course.

 

[Brett newell]

1 hour for temp is pretty extreme imo. 10 minutes or so is enough

 

[Reefbuds]

1 hour for temp is pretty extreme imo. 10 minutes or so is enough

Yes I agree, but they were coming from a 15 degree weather so I wanted to give them plenty of time to adjust before dumping them into their acclimating containers. The millepora is doing great but the parilis is still not showing those beautiful polyps, maybe I'll try moving her.

 

[ZaneTer]

I also have small colonies of parillis and millis also maricultured. The parillis has been bulletproof in my experience while my millis have been way more sensitive to water chemistry. The parillis also isn’t the fastest grower but with that beautiful blue it is very pretty.

 

[Reefbuds]

I also have small colonies of parillis and millis also maricultured. The parillis has been bulletproof in my experience while my millis have been way more sensitive to water chemistry. The parillis also isn’t the fastest grower but with that beautiful blue it is very pretty.

How is you placement on the parilis? My milli is doing great but still can't get full polyp extension on the parilis. I'm thinking of moving if something doesn't change in the next few days

 

[ZaneTer]

I have my parillis fairly high up about 12” below surface. I run 8x80w ati T5. For me the colour never changed but the colony hasn’t ever had a problem just doesn’t grow particularly fast. My tank doesn’t have great polyp extension except at night but then again I have 3 angels in the tank so I don’t mind.

 

[Jessica_canuck]

SPS = heartache

 

[ZaneTer]

I don’t think I have met anyone that hasn’t struggled with them at some point but they are the pinnacle of reef keeping for most people. You have to cut yourself some slack sometimes. This is not an easy hobby.