getting into SPS...

[Skeptic9962]

ive been slowly wanting to get into SPS and got 2 small frags that are doing quite well right now just under PCs so i decided to slowly get better stuff to suit SPS right...mainly halides and a better skimmer...my main concern is how deadly certain corals may be to the SPS and if so then ill just get rid of them =P

here is the list of corals i have:

Tons of kenya trees (need to cut some back and sell)
2 fairly large 5-10 branch frogspawns
all sorts of Rics, Yumas, mushrooms
all sorts of zoes
couple green, brown palys
yellow polyps
candy canes
green lobo brain
green polyp toadstool
Green star polyps (probably going to have to go)

i run lots of carbon been using kent carbon but just ran out of that and was told Rox 0.8 is great stuff so i ordered bunch of that...

 

[soyadrink]

give us some info on your tank please! from what Im seeing now your gonna have to run carbon with all those softies. toadstool and kenya trees are BAD to SPS. but as sayd, as long as they dont touch and you run carbon it'll be ok but also depends on your set-up.

 

[tike]

To give a little detail to soyadrink's advice tell us: size of tank, lighting you have, skimmer, flow type(closed loop or powerheads- what type and how many, your alk,cal,ph ranges. There that will give us all a start in giving you advice.

 

[Skeptic9962]

tank size is 29gal AGA
the curent skimmer is a CPR bak pak 2 (going to switch to a deltec im thinking)

curent lighting is Dual sattelite 65w x2 PCs (upgrading to 150w MH)

ive been running carbon 1 cup of kent a week when i do my waterchange. not sure how much ill be using with this new stuff once it comes (Rox 0.8) but im sure itll be around the same...

i run that through a small hob filter with just carbon in it.

have a CPR aquafuge medium with light on it has cheato and liverock in it

have 29+lbs of liverock over a year seasoned atleast.

(1)Koralia 3
(1)koralia 1

for flow

 

[tike]

Okay so far so good! You want to keep your parameters around alk:8 dKH cal:400-440ppm ph:8.1-8.2. Definitely switch out your skimmer. SPS do best with low nutrients in the water. I have never used a 150 watt MH so others will have to chime in on them. When you get it all together let me know and i can toss a few beginner frags your way (digitada, monti cap) I'm in south tacoma

Good Luck!

 

[Skeptic9962]

oh sorry lol params:

PH: 8.1-8.3
DKH: 9.8
Calc:420 elos kit
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 5 or so
phos: undetectable by elos kit

 

[BCT182]

No tunze then?

tank size is 29gal AGA
the curent skimmer is a CPR bak pak 2 (going to switch to a deltec im thinking)

curent lighting is Dual sattelite 65w x2 PCs (upgrading to 150w MH)

ive been running carbon 1 cup of kent a week when i do my waterchange. not sure how much ill be using with this new stuff once it comes (Rox 0.8) but im sure itll be around the same...

i run that through a small hob filter with just carbon in it.

have a CPR aquafuge medium with light on it has cheato and liverock in it

have 29+lbs of liverock over a year seasoned atleast.

(1)Koralia 3
(1)koralia 1

for flow

 

[DonW]

I'd check with skimmy before you get rid of the back pack for the deltec. He may be able to save you some money.

Don

 

[tike]

Don is right! Paging Skimmy!

 

[Skeptic9962]

yeah i was going to talk to him about that also...

BCT: no this is my already setup 29gal tank =) the Tunze will be for my 32gal. rimless that is in progress

the Rimless will be ALL SPS/ clams

 

[BCT182]

Do you have any pics? The plumbing job on your cube is sweet!

 

[Skeptic9962]

here is some pics of my 29gal. all softys and LPS right now but there is a frag i just got from tracy in one of the shots.

 

[tike]

Sweet lookin!

 

[soyadrink]

very nice!

 

[BCT182]

Looking good man, looks like alot of coraline growth on the back wall

 

[dailydriven911]

You will be fine keeping sps try a few frags like a monti cap or digi and if everything looks good after a week or two and you notice there starting to encrust throw in some more expensive stuff. Stability is key!!!!!

 

[theJ]

Hey skeptic nice shots! everything is looking happy. Good coraline growth, a sign of stable params.

You should start with some of the hardier sps, in my experience stylophora (cats paw) is pretty bulletproof, as well as some of the digitata out there. The darker the digi, the easier to care for I think. I also have a piece of the "blue acro with purple tips and green polyps" (no one seems to know the name) that is doing well in my tank. Oh and birds nests (pink and orange) seem to be doing well for me too.

I have a green millie that hates my tank, a blue digi (lightest color digi I have found) that is having troubles, and a monti cap that fell into my frogspawn and slowly died over 3 weeks or so. Speaking of, I had a purple digi that fell into the frogspawn also, that slowly died over about a month of time. My frogspawn is a warrior and doesn't take smack from nobody

 

[ronj]

your shrooms and toadstools can be toxic to other corals.. the green star polyps are very toxic to other corals!!