SPS tips?

[user17482]

Hi, I've recently just bought some of my first SPS corals. I used to have a bird nest frag but it got stung to death by my torch coral. The SPS corals I got today are A Mystic Sunset Montipora, A purple Stylopora and A Bali Green slimer (Acropora.) My Alkalinity is stable siting around 9, PH around 8.3 Nitrates usually sit around 5ppm but I did start up a refugium so it should take care of that. I bought them from New Dawn Aquaculture for a good price (Canada). If anyone has any tips or tricks to get these guys to thrive will be greatly appreciated!

 

[The_Paradox]

Careful with that Monti as it tends to become pretty invasive.

 

[fushi]

Hi, I've recently just bought some of my first SPS corals. I used to have a bird nest frag but it got stung to death by my torch coral. The SPS corals I got today are A Mystic Sunset Montipora, A purple Stylopora and A Bali Green slimer (Acropora.) My Alkalinity is stable siting around 9, PH around 8.3 Nitrates usually sit around 5ppm but I did start up a refugium so it should take care of that. I bought them from New Dawn Aquaculture for a good price (Canada). If anyone has any tips or tricks to get these guys to thrive will be greatly appreciated!

They look great and should all be pretty easy to keep.

I think the basics are:

keep you alk stable
keep your nutrients detectable ( I like 5-10ppm nitrate & 0.05-0.1ppm phosphate)
make sure they have proper flow and par

If you want to dial things in icp test and specific trace element dosing. if you don't want to icp test good salt and regular water changes.

 

[user17482]

They look great and should all be pretty easy to keep.

I think the basics are:

keep you alk stable
keep your nutrients detectable ( I like 5-10ppm nitrate & 0.05-0.1ppm phosphate)
make sure they have proper flow and par

If you want to dial things in icp test and specific trace element dosing. if you don't want to icp test good salt and regular water changes.

I dose a little bit of All for Reef and do at least a 20% water change once a week never done an icp test before. I also use the Red Sea salt!

 

[DanyL]

You’re pretty much all setup.
Keep it simple without any unnecessary fluctuations and it’ll all work out.

I’d be careful with the refuge you just setup - it can easily bottom up your nutrients (btw - your nitrates are fine at 5ppm, no actual need to take care of it), as well as deplete your trace elements faster.
imo - as long as you don’t have plenty of nutrients to spare, a fuge is likely unnecessary and will only cause fluctuations.

 

[fushi]

I dose a little bit of All for Reef and do at least a 20% water change once a week never done an icp test before. I also use the Red Sea salt!

AFR is great, it has trace in it too. I prefer the tropic marin (their trace elements are closer to my desired levels) but a lot of people have success with Red Sea salt.

 

[user17482]

You’re pretty much all setup.
Keep it simple without any unnecessary fluctuations and it’ll all work out.

I’d be careful with the refuge you just setup - it can easily bottom up your nutrients (btw - your nitrates are fine at 5ppm, no actual need to take care of it), as well as deplete your trace elements faster.
imo - as long as you don’t have plenty of nutrients to spare, a fuge is likely unnecessary and will only cause fluctuations.

Yeah but I want to stop dosing red sea's nutrient control and feed my LPS corals more often, also a stable copepod population.

 

[ptrusk]

Careful with that Monti as it tends to become pretty invasive.

Yeah, put that on a separate rock or it will take over.

 

[ptrusk]

Don't obsess with trace elements. 3 frags aren't very demanding and those 3 are pretty bullet proof. Keep alk stable and watch them grow.

ETA A water change now and then is good.

 

[user17482]

Yeah, put that on a separate rock or it will take over.

Really that fast? Would you recommend taking this cyphastrea off this rock here and replacing it with the Monti. The cyphastrea hasn't been growing too much so I could easily move it.

 

[ptrusk]

You could, or if you have no rock, buy some rubble.

If you have a few pieces of rock, just break them up with a hammer and cold chisel.

I tried to add links for rubble, but for some reason not working. Amazon, BRS, ebay are good sources.

In 6 months. that frag will be 6 inches in diameter.

 

[Pistondog]

Great starter sps. I have a green slimer 4 years old sitting on a red monti.
The monti is approaching the width of the tank. Many others have come and gone.

 

[user17482]

You could, or if you have no rock, buy some rubble.

If you have a few pieces of rock, just break them up with a hammer and cold chisel.

I tried to add links for rubble, but for some reason not working. Amazon, BRS, ebay are good sources.

In 6 months. that frag will be 6 inches in diameter.

I might just have to move the cyphastrea and put it there... I have no more room for rock and my sand sifting goby needs sand to sift.

 

[ryanjohn1]

Stability and good lights.

 

[Lavey29]

How old is your tank? What light par are you getting?

 

[ptrusk]

IME, cyphastrea is pretty slow growing and you could shove thaat frag in a crack

 

[user17482]

How old is your tank? What light par are you getting?

I've had that tank for over 4 years but I had to shut It down and it's been about 6 months with the tank fully running. I have a Red Sea LED 90. I think the stylopora and Bali green slimer will hit around 400 to 300 par and the Monti might get 100-150 but I talk to the LFS owner and he said the Monti can adjust to 100 par.

 

[DanyL]

Yeah but I want to stop dosing red sea's nutrient control and feed my LPS corals more often, also a stable copepod population.

Fair enough, it sounds like a good plan.
Just be careful with fluctuations when you do the switch.

Don't obsess with trace elements. 3 frags aren't very demanding and those 3 are pretty bullet proof. Keep alk stable and watch them grow.

ETA A water change now and then is good.

I agree that he shouldn’t be obsessed about trace elements, however he does need to take into account the extra consumption for the refuge.

 

[user17482]

Fair enough, it sounds like a good plan.
Just be careful with fluctuations when you do the switch.


I agree that he shouldn’t be obsessed about trace elements, however he does need to take into account the extra consumption for the refuge.

Yeah I'll keep eye on nitrate's and phosphate's.

 

[DanyL]

Really that fast? Would you recommend taking this cyphastrea off this rock here and replacing it with the Monti. The cyphastrea hasn't been growing too much so I could easily move it.

It’s hard to tell from the pic, but cyphastrea while can be acclimated to a higher PAR, it grows far better under low light, so I’d put it on the ground, even in a partially shaded area.