i am changing my 125g softy tank into all sps corals..i will have monti's, acro's, and clams(maybe)....i am getting 250w MH's...i need any good advice or tips about keeping them.....also, i use filter socks 24/7...i change them out for new ones every 3-4 days...i have read that some people don't use the socks in sps tanks...any thoughts??????
help keeping sps corals
- Thread starter ronj
- Start date
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The Apprentice
Well-known member
Going SPS
Ok Ron I am no expert on this hence the Name "The Apprentice "
However lets find out some things
1 are you removing all softies?
2. Must keep a low fish load " very clean water for S.P.S.
3. Flow You can live with low flow in the beginning If you start with Frags On that note I have learned That not all S.P.S. will get along in each of our tanks the Same But I have learned a Frag will adapt to your tank easier that a whole colony From My experience. Plus If forbid a Frag dies Its cost is a lot less than the whole Colony.
As for the filter sock I don't run one because I have Pods that I want to get thru my systems. Even when they get stunned or killed going thru my mag drive my Anthias & Leopard Wrasses will suspend in the water column and eat them as they come out of my sea swirls.
I compensate filtration with redundant protein shimmers and Faithful weekly up to every 10 day water changes 20 gallons on both my tanks
I hope this gets you started. I also Hope Kevinpo will chime in he has all the answers
Jeff
Ok Ron I am no expert on this hence the Name "The Apprentice "
However lets find out some things
1 are you removing all softies?
2. Must keep a low fish load " very clean water for S.P.S.
3. Flow You can live with low flow in the beginning If you start with Frags On that note I have learned That not all S.P.S. will get along in each of our tanks the Same But I have learned a Frag will adapt to your tank easier that a whole colony From My experience. Plus If forbid a Frag dies Its cost is a lot less than the whole Colony.
As for the filter sock I don't run one because I have Pods that I want to get thru my systems. Even when they get stunned or killed going thru my mag drive my Anthias & Leopard Wrasses will suspend in the water column and eat them as they come out of my sea swirls.
I compensate filtration with redundant protein shimmers and Faithful weekly up to every 10 day water changes 20 gallons on both my tanks
I hope this gets you started. I also Hope Kevinpo will chime in he has all the answers
Jeffi am most likely removing all of my softies and putting them in my 72g...i have pretty good flow in the tank..i may add one more Seio for some extra....also, i will probably start out with all frags because they are quite a bit cheaper..i will be able to trade my lfs for some big ones though... i have been trading them some of my softy frags
Herefishyfishy
Smart Bass
I am not so sure about needing a low fish load to keep corals. Seems quite the contrary, the fish waste products is what feeds the corals and allows growth. Once your tank is fully cycled so as to have perfect water quality, the fish can be vital. Read up on Anthony Calfos string. Some of the best coral tanks I have seen had plenty of fish including tangs :>)
auqua man
Well-known member
I am changing to sps also Iwill be watching this thred for tips also.Bump
redrooster
Landshark
I am in the process of doing this switch over and will let you guys know if I run into any significant problems. I have removed all softies from one side of my tank, and replaced them over time with a LG pavona, LG montipora, LG yellow cup, maze brain, trachy brain, orange tubestra, purple lobo,and some hydronaphora. I put my first piece of acro in 5 days ago. I want to take care of this one for a while and if all goes well maybe add some more in like 2 months. I also added a sqamosa clam two weeks ago. I still have a few softies on the other side of the tank with some brains mixed in, but those should be out of the tank over the next four weeks.
kevinpo
Expert
That will be the day! :lol:
Hello,
A low nutrient level would be more accurate. Your input of nutrients can be high if the export mechanisms can match. This is the main challenge (to prevent unwanted algae growth) when we go to the halide lighting systems. With such high intensity lighting it doesn't take many extra nutrients to fuel algae growth.
To start I would recommend around 20X tank turnover for flow. More is usually needed over the course of a couple of years as the colonies grow out. IMO/IME quality of flow is more important than quantity. Although it is not required a random, alternating current, is preferred to a steady direct current. You can get away with less flow if it is distributed correctly.
I only test and monitor calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, and nitrates for all my SPS tanks.
I run the halides for 9 hours and actinics for 1.5 hours longer before and after the halides go off.
HTH,
Kevin
DonW
R.I.P.
You can but the chemical warefare is a little problem. Also one or the other is usually going to suffer. You may have to many nutrients for one and or not enough for the other. Just makes it hard to find the right balance.
Don
redrooster
Landshark
I agree with Don. It's challenging, but possible to keep all types together. Even under the best conditions where all specimans are healthy, each will still not grow up to its full potential. Due to ignorance I have been keeping them all together now for some time (2+ years) The only death I have had is a piece of acropora. From what I understand acro is the least tolerant of non SPS species.
Softies are the most dangerous chemical combatants. After I found that out I decided to start slowly changing my system over to primarily SPS. It was mostly soft with a few LPS/SPS. Since I was already using MH lighting, and now had some experience with reefkeeping I decided to start to try focusing on the more chanllenging SPS species. I am giving away some of my softies to friends to get them started, and trading/selling the rest. I will probably keep 1-3 softies just for variation and becaus everyone has a few favorites that are hard to part with. I decided to convert the tank gradually for the following reasons
1) The tank has been stable/healthy for almost 3 years. I doubted the tank was going to suddenly crash due to my coral mix that had been fine to this point.
2)Making drastic/wholesale changes. I/E swapping most corals, changing flow could only lead to drastic/wholesale problems. As often mentioned on here, nothing good happens quickly in a reef.
3) Cost. The only way to do it at once would be to sell/trade what I had for whatever I could get, and then have to buy all new corals. This way I could buy a piece a month and only buy the best specimans I could find. I also allowed me to shop what I had for better prices.
Just giving my thoughts on why I am going about my "upgrade" the way I am since many other seem to be considering it, or are in the early stages of such a conversion.
Softies are the most dangerous chemical combatants. After I found that out I decided to start slowly changing my system over to primarily SPS. It was mostly soft with a few LPS/SPS. Since I was already using MH lighting, and now had some experience with reefkeeping I decided to start to try focusing on the more chanllenging SPS species. I am giving away some of my softies to friends to get them started, and trading/selling the rest. I will probably keep 1-3 softies just for variation and becaus everyone has a few favorites that are hard to part with. I decided to convert the tank gradually for the following reasons
1) The tank has been stable/healthy for almost 3 years. I doubted the tank was going to suddenly crash due to my coral mix that had been fine to this point.
2)Making drastic/wholesale changes. I/E swapping most corals, changing flow could only lead to drastic/wholesale problems. As often mentioned on here, nothing good happens quickly in a reef.
3) Cost. The only way to do it at once would be to sell/trade what I had for whatever I could get, and then have to buy all new corals. This way I could buy a piece a month and only buy the best specimans I could find. I also allowed me to shop what I had for better prices.
Just giving my thoughts on why I am going about my "upgrade" the way I am since many other seem to be considering it, or are in the early stages of such a conversion.
well my tank is a lot of softies and a few lps, I would like to have only sps but they are really hard to find in Guatemala. In this december will be the first time that the sps are really goin to be available in a petstore and I will really enjoy on adding some specimens to my tank!!!
spongebob lover
flea whisperer
Juanfer, if you wanna start adding sps, i'd start with something easy like the montiopora caps, they're hardy, grow quick and very pretty... to me it's the best sps for beginners like me .
To me i think it'd be better just to keep sps and a few lps since some lps are quite colorful and to me, better looking than some softies
.To me i think it'd be better just to keep sps and a few lps since some lps are quite colorful and to me, better looking than some softies
i am going to be trading my softy frags for all of my sps corals..my leathers and shrooms are growing pretty quickly and my lfs is letting me trade them...they are selling as fast as i bring them up there...this lfs just started carrying corals again..nobody here sold sps corals until now..
SueT
Well-known member
Ron have you decided on which 250w light you are going to use. Like which brand?? I love these reeflux and also really liked the XM's.
spongebob lover
flea whisperer
If i was you, i'd stop wondering and get the MH, in the long run i think they're better specially if you wanna keep the pretty type of sps
ReeferPatt
Well-known member
^^^^^ What she said, me too. I'm using the xm, when it's done I may go to the reeflux.
Oh yeah, fish, no problem as long as you have sufficient skimming and carbon 24/7. Oh yeah and water changes. Did I mention water changes, you need to do those too.
ReeferPatt
Well-known member
VHO's hmmm, very few people have been successful raising healthy sps under vho's. They just don't have the intensity or the punch. Keep them alive sure, color no. GARF is one of the successful ones that come to mind, but their a research facility.
T5HO's will do it, they have a lot more intensity and punch. BUT you need to be careful with them, alot of people are having problems with bleaching. The corals must be carefully acclimated to them. I did alot of research and reading about them and went back and forth between t5's and MH. MH's won, and I'm glad I went that way. I'm using 400w 10k xm in a LumenarcIII reflector over a 70gal. tank. Strickly sps, And the colors and growth are incredible. Obviously water perimeters and clarity along with SKIMMING, FLOW and good husbandry are very important.
I would say in the order of importance in a sps tank that,
1) Water quality
2) Flow
3) Good Skimming
4) Good lighting
auqua man
Well-known member
I have also been switching to sps and today I removed the last of my softies " colt, devils finger " the lfs gave me $100 credit so I got a phosban reactor and have $60 left. Do you have any pic of the new corals? I would like to see your progress. I am struggling with whether to buy a calcium reactor and or doser. for now I will keep up with water changes and the a&b stuff. I would like to know if you are thinking of getting the cal reactor.
Do you have any pic of the new corals? I would like to see your progress. I am struggling with whether to buy a calcium reactor and or doser. for now I will keep up with water changes and the a&b stuff. I would like to know if you are thinking of getting the cal reactor.
