Well,
allboutthe305, you have certainly brought this crowd to it’s collective level of wisdom. You also may now realize that for every ten respondents there are at least ten different opinions. How do you chose which to follow? Let me give you my experience from 70 years in the hobby/business. When people ask me, “How did you learn all that you know about keeping aquariums?” My answer is the same every time, “I got my degree in Aquariology 101 from the School of Hard Knocks”.
In order to learn how to keep a successful SW aquarium of any kind you must research everything. Next comes trial and error. They go together you know. Next is observation. I mean not just looking into you aquarium but looking at it meaningfully. Looking for changes in behavior, color, texture, growth or lack of it, feeding or lack of it, feeding the RIGHT food items multiple times a day, testing water parameters often, doing water changes, using only the purist water from your own RO/DI unit, and on and on. You see, there is very much to learn. It is impossible to list it all here. It’s also impossible to take everyone’s advice. What is possible, is to read, sort through the cloudy waters of advice, make a choice and follow it. Compare results with your previous experience and move forward.
Here’s some observations about SPS I’ve learned over the last 40 years of doing SW exclusively...
SPS corals are the most challenging of the group. They like stability in water parameters, lighting type and schedule, they need lots of flow BUT not directed at them. When I get new corals in, a weekly event, I first dip them in Revive (a Two Little Fishes product), then let them rest and recuperate from whatever trauma they endured getting here for at least a week. All the while I continue with my scheduled water changes, supplement additions, general cleaning, etc. During this period I pay close attention to all my corals but especially to the new arrivals. If there polyps are not extending, I add some products from the Korralan-Zucht ZEOvit line of additives that SPS respond to. Once the polyps are out, I feed phytoplankton to the whole system in the appropriate dosage. SPS corals that don’t extend their polyps are not able to feed properly, therefore will decline in health. Yes, I know there are those out there that will tell you, you don’t need to feed corals that are photosynthetic. They get their energy from the symbiotic algae in their tissue. It’s true, they get SOME of their energy in this way. but, we are talking bringing a coral BACK to health from the trauma it has experienced getting to you.
I could go on and on... but you should be getting the idea that SPS corals are not impossible. You just need to continue to ask questions, read, observe and learn. You will unlock the doors to success along the way. Every successful reefer that I know has passed this way before you. If you are steadfast in your passion to learn, you too will one day be a successful reefer who will have a reef tank to envy.
You are on the right track! If you (or anyone reading this thread) have questions you’d like to direct to me personally, send a PM. It’s my preferred method of teaching because my response can be more directed toward your specific questions without the cloud of confusion.
Happy reefing,
Dick
