Trying to grow sps

Live Water · Apr 27, 2016

Ozone, fuge, skimmer, calcium reactor, ato. Ultimate stability. Just have the return for the calcium reactor before your fuge. If you want the sticks to grow out of the top of the tank put a metal halide on it, takes the guesswork out of the leds and lets you use the leds to hit the corals from the sides. Leds create a lot of Shadows but are amazing in their own respect, I like full coverage lighting and calcium reactors. That's why my lighting is the equivalent of a 700 horse power ferrari with 100 pound Hammond in the drivers seat.

Live Water · Apr 27, 2016

I almost forgot, fluidizied sand bed and miracle mud, I'm all about stability and consistent trace element replenishment. I run extra stuff on my tank but don't need it all, my water changes probably lower my untestable trace elements at this point tho

happyhourhero · Apr 27, 2016

I attribute my success with SPS to the empty water bottle attached to my skimmer intake that allows it to operate more quietly.

Sapper577 · Apr 27, 2016

jman9331,
Right now I'm sure your frustrated with this thread. The only thing I believe you are taking away from all of this is that each of us have different styles of reefkeeping that we use to achieve success. All of our aquariums are different and finicky from one another and it is my opinion that if a few of us swapped tanks and adopted our own style to caring for someone else's system we would more than likely upset the balance in one way or another, destabilize it, and possibly stunt the growth or even kill livestock.

I too have experienced the same thing you are. SPS was very challenging for me and I spent a lot of money achieving what I call success. I am by no means an expert. I have a passion for the hobby and I never gave up.
What I learned was that to grow any coral successfully, devotion to a strict maintenance schedule was practiced and no sudden changes that would upset parameters were avoided.

I spend about 20 hours a week with my 2 90 gallon and 2 40 gallon breeders. 90% of that time is just observing. I very seldom test for anything and when i do i like to use Red Sea kits. I know my systems and like to think i recognize their needs. I do use an ATO on my 90 gl main display in the living room and I do dose kalk and it is doing very well.
The other 3 tanks in the basement are topped off manually and I do it daily. Making sure the water level is up to a line I have drawn on the sump. I do this to maintain stability.

I have to agree with Russ265. All the gadgets in the hobby are there for the convenience of making things easier on us and I have bought and still use some of them. Nothing beats a good water change schedule. I would do what Russ suggested. 50 % water change and 25% a week thereafter.

Best looking acros I ever had were under T5's, no skimmer, no ATO, and 25% water changes once a week.

Gino · Apr 28, 2016

Jman9331, I agree with with Sapper577 and Russ265 a heavy water change and a constant weekly water change schedule will help you with a new fresh start, and might help with your frags. The key is to maintain an stable water parameter. Back in the days there were no ATO's, no LED's bearly an efficient protein skimmer and all the new toys that the hobby had acquired thru the years. Nor even a reliable Test Kit. And many of us who were in the hobby back them were able to keep SPS, LPS, Softies. With a high rate of success. The key was adecuate light for their symbiotic relationship with zoosantelae, a good water quality mostly from water changes and some dozing, and a lot of observation and passion. Probably you could be experiencing a pest plague but I bet on water quality.

I would recommend you to take a water sample to a friend or your LFS for a doble check on your parameters, probably one of them is way out, and could be that your test kit reactors been damage, it could happen. Your temperature at 79° is almost out off range they behave better between 76° & 78° the summer is in the corner, I suggest start looking the way to keep that temperature down with fans. By the way, that means more evaporation, so keep an eye on it and keep it refilling on a daily base, no hesitate, mornings and evenings. Concerning to light, time exposing and intensity is crucial. Acclimate them from lower intensity up to the highest they could accept, that's a slow process, but as I said, keep an eye on it closely and find the spot were they better behave.

Like I said before all the new gadgets are from few years up. What they do is, to make it easier and depend on it, but when a trouble occurs, it goes all the way to a crash because we rely on them and we haven't learn how to our tanks.

And remember what work's for you might not work for me, but it help.
Good luck!