What makes SPS difficult or expert level

[Tahoe61]

SPS is easy if you keep few fish and you don't care if they are immune from anything or spawning. Just my opinion of course.

It does not have to be either or.

To grow sps you need to carefully dose additives at some point. You need to test fairly frequently until the tank's consumption becomes stable. Mistakes in dosing and chemistry can have devastating consequences, and those issues can happen within hours. It's takes commitment and some practice, it's not everyone's cup of tea or worth all the extra effort to keep sps.

 

[bct15]

Well since I got sort of called out for calling SPS easy and not posting a picture, here is a couple iPhone pictures from my tank before my move.

 

[WesF]

Nice tank man! I didn't mean to call anyone out. I just wanted to point out to a beginner that there are a lot of "experts" who give advice with unimpressive tanks.

A good rule of thumb is to take advice from people who have tanks you admire. I remember taking advice from people when I was starting out and then I saw their tank and it looked worse than mine!

You have to admit though, you didn't get to this level without losing a few along the way, right?

It's all relative. I don't consider Reefkeeping to be difficult but there is a learning curve. I don't consider SPS difficult but it's because I've been doing it for years and it's second nature. They are relatively low maintenance and don't require direct feeding, but they are easy to kill if you make a mistake.

But when compared to other corals, SPS are among the most challenging. That's why I like it. Easy stuff is boring. I'm not sure why people struggle with chalices. I've never lost one, never fed them, and always considered them to be pretty bullet proof.

 

[Paul B]

Looks beautiful to me

 

[Salao22]

I started the same tank with the same lights watt setting di you set the kessil led

 

[Diesel]

Is that what I think it is, before I thought it was something else, now I think for sure what it is and not for what it was, due to the process I forgot what we were talking about for what it is or was

Lets just called for what it is "JD"

 

[JasReef]

Is that what I think it is, before I thought it was something else, now I think for sure what it is and not for what it was, due to the process I forgot what we were talking about for what it is or was

Lets just called for what it is "JD"

What are we talking about!!![emoji15]

 

[hatfielj]

Jaw Dropper

 

[hatfielj]

pH is the one parameter that can vary drastically throughout the day. It depends on how much photosynthesis is happening (photosynthesis uses up CO2 and gives off O2, which raises the pH). So, its very normal to have a pH that starts out around say 8 or 8.1, then raises to 8.2 or 8.3 mid day. My tank goes from 8.01-8.31 daily.
I dose red sea color program and reef energy now and so far I think my corals are responding nicely to it. I've got good growth finally and nice colors.

I appreciate all the advice. The dosing that I am doing is part of a program, the Red Sea Reef Foundation program. It is based on testing and dosing per the parameters. Today I tested the water again and the test results have me dosing just Alkalinity and the NoPox. As I said before, the tank and dosing is built for stability and it has remained stable since. The biggest fluctuation to this point has been the PH. I've had trouble hitting the 8 mark and when I do, It's typically 8.01 or close to that. Today, It reached 8.09 which is the highest I've had. I don't know what put me there but I think I should be happy? So far, my temperature has remained between 77.8 and 78.2. The Salinity stays between 33.9 to 34.2. My target numbers for the foundation elements are what is recommended for accelerated growth via the RedSea Program. Perhaps I am relying to heavily on what RedSea suggest but I feel like they've done their research and it should be reliable. I thank you all for your comments, I absorb all the advice I can get as this tank is my dream tank. I hope to make the dream a reality.

 

[Dtackett]

I would have to say digitatta is the easiest sps.

so it was my second tank first coral tank. well.... it had coral in it lol.

10 gallon
bio wheel filter
single t5 10k kelvin
(2) 5k kelvin cfl and a maxijet powerhead.

so yeah... not really a reef tank. just me trying to be super cheap and dumb in my beginning steps. however, even with this setup I managed to get a frag of purple digitatta not only to survive, but to thrive and grow (extremely slow with those lights lol) it even got nice and fuzzy most days.

once I trashed that "system" and moved to a proper setup with the same light I have today that digi exploded with growth. guess my point is, if I could keep digi in that crap system, anyone with a somewhat proper setup should be able to keep it.

 

[that Reef Guy]

They are considered "difficult" because if you aren't seasoned, by the time you realize something is wrong they are already dead. Other corals are a little more forgiving and give you more time to correct the problem.

They are also vulnerable to a pest that is extremely difficult to eradicate. Acro Eating Flatworms (AEFW). Coral Dips will not keep them out because the dip doesn't kill the eggs. I got them a few years ago and had to rip an established reef apart. Pulled all the corals out and had to dip weekly for 12 weeks. I lost a bunch of big Acro colonies I had grown from frags. Years of work down the toilet.

But when things are going well they are not too difficult. Keep parameters stable and Quarantine all new additions before adding them to your tank.

I got into the hobby and jumped right into SPS keeping. I had quite a few losses along the way but you learn from them. Eventually you kind of develop a knack for it and nothing really prepares you for it. So if SPS is what you want, go for it. Starting out with softies or LPS doesn't really prepare you for SPS so you might as well jump in with both feet. Just do your homework and start out with the "easier" cheaper SPS first. It's also better to start out with aquacultured SPS. They are hardier and if they die you aren't putting a strain on the reefs.

Once you figure out how to keep them alive and growing, the next level is getting them to color up nicely. There are a lot of people who keep SPS, but only a small percentage of them are able to get to that colorful mature SPS reef that makes your jaw drop. So if someone tells you it's easy, or gives advice, ask for pics of their tank. . It takes years to get there and there are many potential pitfalls along the way.

Wes

Well Put.

 

[SunnyX]

All good points.

Omar, don't be afraid to take a risk or go against the grain. There are many approaches and methodologies when it comes to reefkeeping. The best thing to do is read opinions on the subject and then test them out for yourself. I would agree with others that you should be seeking the advice of "successful" reefers. While many have good intentions, some of the advice can land you in trouble.

You'll find that no two reefs are alike, and that there is no single approach to keeping SPS happy. 12+ years ago people thought I was crazy to dose my aquarium with Vodka, let alone grow SPS and clams under T5's. Now both are considered normal practices.

In the past 20 years I've seen many things change, but the essentials remain the same: Flow, stability, and filtration(biological/mechanical). While lighting is essential I do not include it in the top three as I feel that too many reefers focus heavily on this one aspect of a successful reef aquarium. MH, T5, and LED all get the job done. While my LED experience has been limited, I have found T5 to be the best of the three when it comes to coral growth and coloration.

Once you have a firm handle on the basics and the corals are doing well you can then move on to tweaking growth and colors by manipulating temperature and/or using various chemicals to highlight certain colors. From what I have read, your system sounds complicated. There is no wrong way to approach this hobby, but I have found that a simple reef setup, devoid of an extreme amount of chemicals, controllers, and dosers to be best. I can still see the faces of people who came by and seen my setups. They were in awe of the display tank but frankly could not believe how simple the sump and back room were. Simplicity is genius.

Good luck and enjoy the ride.

 

[CoRaLJuNkiiE]

I have a question. Not sure if anyone can help. I just got a pink and blue cyphastrea three days ago and it is not looking good at all. The blue is turning brown ish and i can start to see the frag plug poking through the coral. Please help. Everything else in the tank is doing fine.

 

[Russ265]

I have a question. Not sure if anyone can help. I just got a pink and blue cyphastrea three days ago and it is not looking good at all. The blue is turning brown ish and i can start to see the frag plug poking through the coral. Please help. Everything else in the tank is doing fine.

lack of light/ high nutrients = brown.

drop nutrients or raise the coral

 

[Russ265]

All good points.

Omar, don't be afraid to take a risk or go against the grain. There are many approaches and methodologies when it comes to reefkeeping. The best thing to do is read opinions on the subject and then test them out for yourself. I would agree with others that you should be seeking the advice of "successful" reefers. While many have good intentions, some of the advice can land you in trouble.

You'll find that no two reefs are alike, and that there is no single approach to keeping SPS happy. 12+ years ago people thought I was crazy to dose my aquarium with Vodka, let alone grow SPS and clams under T5's. Now both are considered normal practices.

In the past 20 years I've seen many things change, but the essentials remain the same: Flow, stability, and filtration(biological/mechanical). While lighting is essential I do not include it in the top three as I feel that too many reefers focus heavily on this one aspect of a successful reef aquarium. MH, T5, and LED all get the job done. While my LED experience has been limited, I have found T5 to be the best of the three when it comes to coral growth and coloration.

Once you have a firm handle on the basics and the corals are doing well you can then move on to tweaking growth and colors by manipulating temperature and/or using various chemicals to highlight certain colors. From what I have read, your system sounds complicated. There is no wrong way to approach this hobby, but I have found that a simple reef setup, devoid of an extreme amount of chemicals, controllers, and dosers to be best. I can still see the faces of people who came by and seen my setups. They were in awe of the display tank but frankly could not believe how simple the sump and back room were. Simplicity is genius.

Good luck and enjoy the ride.

i disagree with filteration above light. i have no skimmer or export of measurable reason (yay sponges and tunicates) and i keep sps just fine.

you cannot keep sps without light however

you CAN keep sps without any other filtration than live rock.

flame away. but your sps will die without light. filteration and the level at which you filter is the road to overcomplication.

i dont water change either(regularly)

 

[CoRaLJuNkiiE]

lack of light/ high nutrients = brown.

drop nutrients or raise the coral

Its right in the light but at the bottom. Its only a ten gallon

 

[Russ265]

Its right in the light but at the bottom. Its only a ten gallon

lighting used?

no3 and po4 measurements please

 

[CoRaLJuNkiiE]

I use a mars aqua led light.. and not to sound like a total ****** but im new to these forums and i do not know what no3 & po4 measurements mean. Lol. Sorry

 

[Russ265]

I use a mars aqua led light.. and not to sound like a total ****** but im new to these forums and i do not know what no3 & po4 measurements mean. Lol. Sorry

that light is plenty fine.

nitrate and phosphate

 

[CoRaLJuNkiiE]

I do not have a phosphate kit. Nitrates are at 0 ppm