Info on SPS

[essmaker]

I have a stable tank with shrooms, all sorts of zoos and misc stuff. I am thinking about taking the next step into SPS.

Can anyone offer advice or a link to provide me with info on requirements and care?

Thanks

 

[jks1]

very broad subject, give us some specifics on your current tank ie: lighting, skimmer?, DSB? tank size, etc etc

 

[mwrager]

please more info.

 

[essmaker]

Tank Specs:
Tank:
58G Glass Oceanic
18Dx36Wx21H
Reef-ready

20G sump with some crushed coral and LR
Mag-Drive 500gph
Euro Reef ES5-2 Skimmer

Lighting (total 222w):
1 - 96w Coralife 10,000k
1 - 96w Coralife Actinic
1 - 30w Coralife 50/50

Heater:
1 200w

Misc.
JBJ 1800 Power Head

LiveStock:
Green Star Polyps
Brown Button Polyps
Colony Polyp frag
Discosoma Mushrooms (Red)
Discosoma Mushrooms (Green)
lots of various zoos

2 - Fire Clowns (Amphiprion ephippium)
2 - Damsels (Green chromis and Humbug dascyllus)
1- Sand sifting star fish
2 - cleaner shrimp
~20 - Snails (Turbo, Astria)
18 - Zebra crabs

20 lbs sand
10 lbs finely crushed coral
10 lbs corsely crushed coral
~55 Pounds Fiji Live Rock

 

[tankgirl]

Hi ess!
Sounds like you might need a bit more light for sps.
Everyone seems to recommend getting a montipora (either monti cap or digi) for their first sps. I think they're the easiest to start with.

 

[essmaker]

thanks. I'll do some research on those then.

 

[reefrunner]

Two others I would recommend as hardy/easy SPS are Pavona and Hydnophora, I have successfully kept both under considerably less intensity than you have on your tank

 

[essmaker]

Looks like I'll have to make a trip to the LFS this weekend.

I wonder if my wife would notice new lights on my tank. :smirk:

 

[tankgirl]

No, she'll never notice.

 

[mojoreef]

Lights do seem like they could use a bump up.Growing SPS is as easy as any other corals they are just alot less forgiving, if you make mistakes. The biggest info i can give you is to make sure your system is stable. This means no big parameter swings, all the kinks worked out of the equipment and it operations.

good luck

MIke

 

[essmaker]

The tanks been up for almost a year now without any variations in the params (knock on wood).

It's almost too stable. I haven't had to battle anything luckily.

Currently the majority of my lighting is coming from PC. Is there any need to add MH or can I just add more PC?

 

[Craig Manoukian]

As reefrunner said their are some SPS, he named two, that you can keep under your lighting. Other species may require MH or similar intensity lights.

:smirk:

 

[wooddood]

i agree im going to switch to mh and vho and start with some sps too,good luck.

 

[mojoreef]

Sounds good on the stability essmaker. remember with the light change things will begin to work a little different. So do the up grade and wait a bit for things to balance out.

Mike

 

[essmaker]

Thanks everyone for the info. I think I might go to the LFS today and scout around for some of the species mentioned.

I'm not bent on getting something today. The last thing I want to do is buy something that is going to struggle in my tank.

 

[Craig Manoukian]

Originally posted by essmaker
The last thing I want to do is buy something that is going to struggle in my tank.

Oh that is so nice to hear! I've really preached the concept that we want to create an environment where the animals we have thrive, not just survive. At times it is hard not to be selfish and be conservation minded! JMHO

:smirk:

 

[64Ivy]

I have found that the introduction of 'sps' corals into a tank containing mushrooms will do two things: They will immediately cause the 'shrooms to reproduce at approximately 5X their current rate and they will somehow give them the 'intelligence' to seek out and (with malice) destroy them...beginning with your most expensive coral first.

I am only half-kidding. :smirk:

 

[ReefLady]

I'll give a big thumbs-up to the montipoira digitata, I keep 3 different colors under my 3x96W PC's now, growth on the purple has been fantastic. The orange has decided to encrust before growing upward, and just got the green.

The purple has been through so much abuse it's ridiculous. It's the one coral that just always gets knocked around, has fallen on my frogspawn, torch, bubble, etc and always grows back tissue at an incredible rate.

Possibly as hard to kill as shrooms provided enough light and calcium.

So while you're upgrading etc, you can definitely start with some nice digitata and see how things go.

Travis

 

[essmaker]

Thanks guys for your thoughts.

Ivy, I will have a long talk with my shrooms and will tell them all about the way they go greatly with a nice steak if they don't behave.