questions for sps dominant tank

burtonboy182 · Dec 2, 2017

Have a couple questions for a 220g sps dominant tank.

Looking to purchase some dry rock. What opinions does everyone have.
Pukani
Reef saver/Marco
Tonga
Figi...

Also calcium reactor vs 2 part. I’m leaning toward 2 part cause I’m concerned about alk swings with the reactor. Thanks

Flippers4pups · Dec 2, 2017

burtonboy182 said:
Have a couple questions for a 220g sps dominant tank.

Looking to purchase some dry rock. What opinions does everyone have.
Pukani
Reef saver/Marco
Tonga
Figi...

Also calcium reactor vs 2 part. I’m leaning toward 2 part cause I’m concerned about alk swings with the reactor. Thanks

My opinion on dry rock is that it takes longer for a system to settle than with live rock. If your going dry rock, add some live if you can. The benefits of live rock would be adding needed bacterial strains and microfauna that speed up the settling process.

Most likely you will not need a calcium reactor for sometime, so 2 part would suffice.

Bpb · Dec 2, 2017

I’d try to get at least half of it be fresh real live rock. Shipped/stored in water. It’ll mature the tank so much faster. Starting with all dry pukani will likely give you a year or more of algae and PO4 headaches and tons and tons of STN that will be difficult to remedy until the tank is mature. Live rock will really reduce all those headaches. The more you can start with the better.

I personally favor a properly run calcium reactor over 2 part just mainly due to the hands off nature of it. A calcium reactor will not give you alk swings if you run it correctly. It will be every bit as stable as 2 part. Running a calcium reactor will reduce reliance on water changes for trace element supplementation, and require far less messing with once it’s running. 2 part can get the same job done it’s just more complicated in the long run. Personal opinion. Just depends on your own ideal work flow. I’d rather spend up front and work hard to implement it once, and not have to do anything significant for the next year or two. Rather than have to regularly address a dosing system.

burtonboy182 · Dec 2, 2017

I know live rock is much better but I’m trying to eliminate unwanted hitch hikers diseases... with using dry rock. I like pukani but I agree that it will take forever for the tank to get rid of the phosphates.

Do you think I would need a calcium reactor in the future for a 220 sps tank? I don’t mind spending the money to get one. I just feel like adjustments would be easier on a dosing pump.

Flippers4pups · Dec 2, 2017

burtonboy182 said:
I know live rock is much better but I’m trying to eliminate unwanted hitch hikers diseases... with using dry rock. I like pukani but I agree that it will take forever for the tank to get rid of the phosphates.

Do you think I would need a calcium reactor in the future for a 220 sps tank? I don’t mind spending the money to get one. I just feel like adjustments would be easier on a dosing pump.

The demand for calcium in a newly established system will be very low. Nothing water changes or two part couldn't easily handle. You would find that you would have to take it off line until your calcium demands met the need. May take years to get there.

Now all that could change if you were to heavily stock with hard corals all at once and fill the tank completely, but that's not advisable.

jda · Dec 2, 2017

If you get real live rock, all of the hitchhikers will die in the cycle. Besides, you can get all kinds of nuisance algae and aips with your first frag if you are not careful. Pests and hitchhikers are a red herring in most cases unless you buy Atlantic quarried rock, which I don't think is as good as pacific rock for a number of reasons, but hitchhikers can be real with this stuff. Nobody really had any problem with hitchhikers with pacific rock and article and videos from retailers and BRS don't differentiate between Pacific and Atlantic rock in their scared-straight videos.

I would just buy boat rock from Fiji and cure it. It does not have to be shipped in water, and I actually recommend against that - that is what keeps that nasty stuff alive. What you want is the porous structure and the phosphate free rock. It is OK if it is shipped on a boat - the stuff inside is still alive and the coralline all comes back very quickly. In fact, I have a new 960G coming and this is exactly what I plan to do.

IMO, you cannot afford to use dry rock on a SPS tank. It will be two years before you are where you could be in a month or two.

jda · Dec 2, 2017

About the calcium reactor, they are a must for a SPS tank, IMO. They do more than just provide the big-3, but also a bunch of other elements that the corals used when they were growing. You don't need it from day-one, but I would look into getting one after a while.

HB AL · Dec 2, 2017

jda said:
About the calcium reactor, they are a must for a SPS tank, IMO. They do more than just provide the big-3, but also a bunch of other elements that the corals used when they were growing. You don't need it from day-one, but I would look into getting one after a while.

Don't take this wrong but a calcium reactor is NOT a must for an sps tank, just an option.

RussiReef · Dec 2, 2017

Agree with HB AL.I successfully run 280 gal sps tank without calcium reactor

Velcro · Dec 2, 2017

Yea calcium reactor certainly isn’t a requirement and might actually be less desirable depending on the CO2 level in your home. I’d get as far as you can with alk/calcium demand using saturated kalkwasser on a dosing pump.

jda · Dec 2, 2017

I never said that it was empirical, just my opinion. If none of you have every used one, it can take your tank to another level over dosing two or three part... it really can. You can find a few folks who have enough experience with both to know the difference who still prefer dosing, but there is just a handful out of every hundred - most of the posts about one or the other really have not gone all-in on both, though. Strontium from just a salt mix was getting depleted in just a few days... it helped a lot with my potassium levels too. It is possible that frequent water changes are enough for some tanks, but it was not even close to enough for mine even doing them weekly. It can really help with a two part since it adds back in magnesium as well.

HB AL · Dec 2, 2017

You said it was a must that's all, not attacking it's just not a must

burtonboy182 · Dec 2, 2017

I do see the benefits of live rock.
If I put some live rock in my sump how long until the system becomes seeded

Calcium reactors do have their place. I just feel like you can better fine tune things with a dosing pump and less things to go wrong.

I guess the thing I’m worried about with2 part is how much I will be dosing in a 220g tank filled with sps.

Bpb · Dec 3, 2017

Once again I have to strongly disagree that 2 part can be more finely tuned and stable. A correctly set up calcium reactor will be equally stable and finely tunable.

jda · Dec 3, 2017

I would plan on two years before the dry rock is as good as live rock - it could be less, but plan on more and be happy if it is not.

What do you want to fine tune? Output from a CaRx and even kalk is balanced and does not need fine tuned. If you cannot figure out effluent output, then you won't be able to figure out dosing pumps either and they have the added complexity of not being balanced which is another thing to figure out. I said IN MY OPINION and I am still saying IN MY OPINION: a CaRx is a must for a SPS reef tank.

Bpb · Dec 3, 2017

I’m curious as to specifically why you think a calcium reactor is less stable and cannot be finely tuned. I just don’t understand where the statement comes from with the correct feed pump and co2 regulator you can make adjustments just as fine as any dosing pump on the market.

Donovan Joannes · Dec 3, 2017

Both method (calcium reactor and 2-part) are imbalanced if your tank usage (calcium and alk) is not balanced. Some tank uses more alk than calcium, but very seldom of more calcium than alk. If this happens, than 2-part is easier to tune. In a balance usage system, calcium reactor is a clear winner.

ChrisRD · Dec 3, 2017

I have to agree with JDA regarding the live rock vs dry rock thing.

After taking a few years away from the hobby...and at the urging of my kids...I setup a small tank for them that was just going to be a little FOWLR...no corals, etc. After 6 or so months I got bored and decided to add better lights and try a few easy SPS frags. A little early, but definitely something I could have pulled off in one of my former tanks. I couldn't keep them alive despite very stable parameters and ideal conditions...they would just pale and eventually die over several months.

I'm at about a year and half with the tank now and the rock and coralline growth is probably about where I would have been at a few months in with one of my old Fiji rock tanks. I'm going to wait a few more months and test the waters again (no pun intended)...definitely been a very long maturing process compared to the old Pacific live rock days...