So, where is the error happening?

[IPT]

There always seems to be threads about people failing with SPS. Seems to me, the guidelines for parameters and lighting are pretty well laid out. Yet there are still tons of posts with people supposedly within proper ranges, who are still having failures. So I am curious to hear from people who failed and are now succeeding, or people who just are dialed in and have thriving SPS. What did you change, or what are you doing that you think the others aren't?

A few thoughts where I think errors might be occurring: (though I'm no pro - I am getting back into the hobby. I did great with LPS and softies, even clams, and had a few SPS's survive, but never really "color up" or thrive. As I re-enter this time, I want some killer SPS's.

Testing - I suspect this is a big one. Testing not being done enough, or being done in-accurately. I just watched the RedSea videos and admit I might have been over looking things (like keeping the bottle totally vertical - who knew). Obviously testing inaccurately will cause you to make un needed changes and mess up the stability you actually had.

PAR - Are people using a PAR meter? Should they be? Are people really under lighting or over lighting these days?

Flow - we know we need "high flow" and it should be "non linear" - is it all determined visually by looking at polyp sway?

Additives - Secret sauce, or is it all snake oil? Aminos vitamins, etc. I doubt this where failures occur, but might be the difference between an SPS that lives and one that thrives.

Stability - I could be wrong but I suspect people either don't have the stability they think they do, or they make rapid changes to change things trying to get back to stability. Is there a trick you use to keep your parameters stable?

So I am curious to read others thoughts and suggestions? How is it that people claim to be be doing everything right, and often appear to be (based on the numbers they post), but are still not having the epic success we see more and more people getting?

 

[((FORDTECH))]

There always seems to be threads about people failing with SPS. Seems to me, the guidelines for parameters and lighting are pretty well laid out. Yet there are still tons of posts with people supposedly within proper ranges, who are still having failures. So I am curious to hear from people who failed and are now succeeding, or people who just are dialed in and have thriving SPS. What did you change, or what are you doing that you think the others aren't?

A few thoughts where I think errors might be occurring: (though I'm no pro - I am getting back into the hobby. I did great with LPS and softies, even clams, and had a few SPS's survive, but never really "color up" or thrive. As I re-enter this time, I want some killer SPS's.

Testing - I suspect this is a big one. Testing not being done enough, or being done in-accurately. I just watched the RedSea videos and admit I might have been over looking things (like keeping the bottle totally vertical - who knew). Obviously testing inaccurately will cause you to make un needed changes and mess up the stability you actually had.

PAR - Are people using a PAR meter? Should they be? Are people really under lighting or over lighting these days?

Flow - we know we need "high flow" and it should be "non linear" - is it all determined visually by looking at polyp sway?

Additives - Secret sauce, or is it all snake oil? Aminos vitamins, etc. I doubt this where failures occur, but might be the difference between an SPS that lives and one that thrives.

Stability - I could be wrong but I suspect people either don't have the stability they think they do, or they make rapid changes to change things trying to get back to stability. Is there a trick you use to keep your parameters stable?

So I am curious to read others thoughts and suggestions? How is it that people claim to be be doing everything right, and often appear to be (based on the numbers they post), but are still not having the epic success we see more and more people getting?

It’s about stability just because you measure something right now and all of your parameters are testing within good ranges does not mean that it’s stable and this is the problem is you have all these people posting my parameters are great. Why are my SPS dying but the readings of the parameters are going up and down like a roller coaster throughout the week.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

If “stability” was the only thing required then there would be significantly less sps issues……and I would have been “last seen” back in 2019. I literally break every “sps handbook” rule and rarely lose a coral.

 

[IPT]

If “stability” was the only thing required then there would be significantly less sps issues……and I would have been “last seen” back in 2019. I literally break every “sps handbook” rule and rarely lose a coral.

Interesting. So what is it that you think is giving you that success vs others who may think, or even do have better stability yet fail to attain your success?

 

[IPT]

It’s about stability just because you measure something right now and all of your parameters are testing within good ranges does not mean that it’s stable and this is the problem is you have all these people posting my parameters are great. Why are my SPS dying but the readings of the parameters are going up and down like a roller coaster throughout the week.

Yes, that is an excellent point. So outside of an investment in something like the Trident, what's the solution? guess that people who are having issues with their tanks are testing daily (I know I am as I try and get an idea of what's going). Is daily enough, or do you think there are inter-daily swings that are being missed and are part of the problem?

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Interesting. So what is it that you think is giving you that success vs others who may think, or even do have better stability yet fail to attain your success?

As far as water chemistry goes, they’re basically trying too hard bc they read or were told they need to do this or that to keep them alive. They over strip their water with oversized skimmers, algae reactors, or media or under feed their fish chasing some perfect test number.

I believe another big problem are the typical led fixtures. The small puck spot light LEDs are not ideal for acros. Multiple fixtures work best. All of my acros do really well with 175-200 watts of power for my 2 ft cube tank delivering 275-600 par.

My method is dial in my lighting, moderate flow, and keep those stable and feed my fish. I do use a skimmer but it’s nothing special and I grow some chaeto. I might test my no3/po4 once a month. But I don’t really know why. I’ve never had acros suffer from too high nutrients but I’ve had problems every time I tried to lower them. Even though they were still way above the recommended levels. I think adding this media/chemical or that bacteria etc in an effort to keep parameters “stable” actually destabilizes the system.

 

[Dburr1014]

There always seems to be threads about people failing with SPS. Seems to me, the guidelines for parameters and lighting are pretty well laid out. Yet there are still tons of posts with people supposedly within proper ranges, who are still having failures. So I am curious to hear from people who failed and are now succeeding, or people who just are dialed in and have thriving SPS. What did you change, or what are you doing that you think the others aren't?

A few thoughts where I think errors might be occurring: (though I'm no pro - I am getting back into the hobby. I did great with LPS and softies, even clams, and had a few SPS's survive, but never really "color up" or thrive. As I re-enter this time, I want some killer SPS's.

Testing - I suspect this is a big one. Testing not being done enough, or being done in-accurately. I just watched the RedSea videos and admit I might have been over looking things (like keeping the bottle totally vertical - who knew). Obviously testing inaccurately will cause you to make un needed changes and mess up the stability you actually had.

PAR - Are people using a PAR meter? Should they be? Are people really under lighting or over lighting these days?

Flow - we know we need "high flow" and it should be "non linear" - is it all determined visually by looking at polyp sway?

Additives - Secret sauce, or is it all snake oil? Aminos vitamins, etc. I doubt this where failures occur, but might be the difference between an SPS that lives and one that thrives.

Stability - I could be wrong but I suspect people either don't have the stability they think they do, or they make rapid changes to change things trying to get back to stability. Is there a trick you use to keep your parameters stable?

So I am curious to read others thoughts and suggestions? How is it that people claim to be be doing everything right, and often appear to be (based on the numbers they post), but are still not having the epic success we see more and more people getting?

I'm in Charlie's camp.
My system has also waned and waxed this past year. Temp, alk, ph, ect, all swing around.

But there is also the micro-biome stability. New tanks started with dry rock that have thriving sps are far and few.
Throw on a uv and kill the bad bacteria, guess what, your killing the good too.
Add a huge skimmer and take out the food(n&p&ammonia) the coral want to eat. Why?

Lots of reasons besides the constant numbers we chase.

 

[Perry]

If “stability” was the only thing required then there would be significantly less sps issues……and I would have been “last seen” back in 2019. I literally break every “sps handbook” rule and rarely lose a coral.

Dude,
I think it's about time to upgrade that tank, Holy smokes Charlie, tank is PACKED!!!
Looking good brother

 

[Perry]

Time, patience, and as much DIVERSITY as you can source. Real ocean rock is my best advice, unless you can source from a local tank/breakdown.
Source from local mature, and nice systems, rock, sand, biomedia, water, frags, etc. I believe this is the best investment you can make. When you add frags, add a bunch, not just one or 2. May I suggest @Battlecorals for a solid pack. I owe much of my reboot success to my initial BC order

 

[skimmerman]

My biggest problem was phosphate. I use an algae turf scrubber but not big enough. Since using rowaphos corals colored up and fast growth. Also using calcium reactor with no controlles and seems fine.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Dude,
I think it's about time to upgrade that tank, Holy smokes Charlie, tank is PACKED!!!
Looking good brother

Upgrade? Why bc I can’t clean the glass without making new frags?

 

[IPT]

My biggest problem was phosphate. I use an algae turf scrubber but not big enough. Since using rowaphos corals colored up and fast growth. Also using calcium reactor with no controlles and seems fine.

I'm curious as too what your Phosphates with the lack of robust growth and color and what they're at now with the tank rocking?

 

[Perry]

Upgrade? Why bc I can’t clean the glass without making new frags?

The addiction is real, had to thin out my 90, so moved stuff over to the nuvo 30l, and now 2 full tanks, and a new one on order....

 

[ScottB]

Well it is good to keep your parameters in range, but "failing" to do so is not a death sentence as @CharliesFrags demonstrates. Failing to keep measurable nutrients IS however very risky for SPS and the whole biome they rely upon to survive.

"Perfect parameters and cannot keep SPS" most often has to do with "parameters" we can't or don't typically measure. As @Perry said, SPS survival is reliant upon the health, stability, diversity and balance of (mostly micro) organisms in the biome.

Obviously, a lot of newer reefers lean toward "sterile start" thinking with their new systems. It generally proves to be a long, noisy and difficult path to SPS. They have many ugly biome development stages to get through now. Algae phase, the cyano stage, the dead SPS stage. Throw a bout with dinos in there too.

If you choose a dead rock start, just accept that it will be 18-24 months with a noisy biome unsuitable for the less hardy SPS. The tank is a battleground of surface competitors winning/losing. Sit back and LET THEM NATURALLY fight it out to a reasonable stasis. Do not use algaecides (Vibrant) or antibiotics (Chemiclean). You are just prolonging the process.

I personally prefer just starting the party with live rock for the display and as much old live rock as I can stuff in the sump. Insta-reef style.

For additional context, go down the google rabbit hole of "holobiont". Maybe also check into the aquabiomics testing of tank bacteria populations.