How to successfully keep SPS Corals!
- Thread starter revhtree
- Start date
I'm not a photographer so I don't have any good pics. My reef is mixed with zoas sps and a single favia.
Tank and equipment:
Reefcrystals salt
Tank 150 gallon
Sump 90 gallon
Lights 2 x 250 icecap electronic ballasts with xm 15 k de bulbs
2 x 80 w t5 ATI aqua blue special and purple plus
H&S a200-1260 external skimmer
BRS dual reactor using granular gfo and roxi carbon
Aqua uv 25 w uv sterilizer
4 koralia 6 powerheads for flow, (two on opposite sides of tanks alternate every 6 hours, two on opposite sides of tank alternate every 20 seconds, before try switch they are both on for 10 seconds)
Apex controlled and monitored
I have a reefoctopus calcium reactor but I'm out of co2, will be installed next weekend when I get back from the coast where my new bottle is. No dosing
Maintenance:
Feed my fish two times a day
Bi weekly twenty gallon water changes
Change carbon and gfo with water changes
Clean skimmer cup when needed
Change uv bulb once a year
Change halide bulbs every 9 months
Change t5 bulbs every 9 months
(I do not change my bulbs at the same time, but one each month. I do change both halides at te same time though)
Also, I have three tangs and can't put my finger on it but have noticed most successful sps tanks have tangs in them.
Tank and equipment:
Reefcrystals salt
Tank 150 gallon
Sump 90 gallon
Lights 2 x 250 icecap electronic ballasts with xm 15 k de bulbs
2 x 80 w t5 ATI aqua blue special and purple plus
H&S a200-1260 external skimmer
BRS dual reactor using granular gfo and roxi carbon
Aqua uv 25 w uv sterilizer
4 koralia 6 powerheads for flow, (two on opposite sides of tanks alternate every 6 hours, two on opposite sides of tank alternate every 20 seconds, before try switch they are both on for 10 seconds)
Apex controlled and monitored
I have a reefoctopus calcium reactor but I'm out of co2, will be installed next weekend when I get back from the coast where my new bottle is. No dosing
Maintenance:
Feed my fish two times a day
Bi weekly twenty gallon water changes
Change carbon and gfo with water changes
Clean skimmer cup when needed
Change uv bulb once a year
Change halide bulbs every 9 months
Change t5 bulbs every 9 months
(I do not change my bulbs at the same time, but one each month. I do change both halides at te same time though)
Also, I have three tangs and can't put my finger on it but have noticed most successful sps tanks have tangs in them.
I just use 2-part - Recipe 1. I don't have the need to run kalk at this time as my pH stays pretty stable.
yes. kalk only. eco mag for magnesium and stronium.
Awesome thread. This is the thread I've been looking for. All the SPS expert together, the what and how that they do to maintain a succesful sps tank. Keep it coming guys. Great info.
Tank size
75 gallon 48"L x 18"W x 20"H with 40 gallon custom sump
Parameters
Alk 9
CA 450
Mag 1450-1500
Salinity 35 ppt (specific gravity 1.026) - Reef Crystals salt
temp 79-80
Equipment
Geo 618 calcium reactor
Aqua C EV-120 skimmer
Radium 250 watt MH lighting in Lumenarc Mini reflectors with IceCap ballasts
2 x 48" Sunbrite LED actinics
Eheim 1260 return
Closed loop with Super Dart pump and Oceans Motions Super Squirt compact
Reefkeeper 2 controller
Photoperiod
Actinics 7:30 AM to 10:30 PM
MH 11:30 Am to 7 PM
Feeding
Fish get fed a very small amount of Formula One flakes once daily
Corals get fed 5ml of Oyster Feast and Phytoplankton or RotiFeast every other day or so (when I remember)
Maintenence
10 gallon water change every 2 weeks
The last picture was just before I took this tank down 2 weeks ago and moved everything to a 200 gallon tank with LED lighting. Several of the corals had grown to the front panel and reaching the coraline to scrape it was impossible without breaking something. Everything was so grown together and intertwined the left side pretty was one solid mass. This should be a good test to compare LED to MH.
75 gallon 48"L x 18"W x 20"H with 40 gallon custom sump
Parameters
Alk 9
CA 450
Mag 1450-1500
Salinity 35 ppt (specific gravity 1.026) - Reef Crystals salt
temp 79-80
Equipment
Geo 618 calcium reactor
Aqua C EV-120 skimmer
Radium 250 watt MH lighting in Lumenarc Mini reflectors with IceCap ballasts
2 x 48" Sunbrite LED actinics
Eheim 1260 return
Closed loop with Super Dart pump and Oceans Motions Super Squirt compact
Reefkeeper 2 controller
Photoperiod
Actinics 7:30 AM to 10:30 PM
MH 11:30 Am to 7 PM
Feeding
Fish get fed a very small amount of Formula One flakes once daily
Corals get fed 5ml of Oyster Feast and Phytoplankton or RotiFeast every other day or so (when I remember)
Maintenence
10 gallon water change every 2 weeks
The last picture was just before I took this tank down 2 weeks ago and moved everything to a 200 gallon tank with LED lighting. Several of the corals had grown to the front panel and reaching the coraline to scrape it was impossible without breaking something. Everything was so grown together and intertwined the left side pretty was one solid mass. This should be a good test to compare LED to MH.
Really nice tank Rossco!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks! Just moved them to a new 200 gallon 72T x 27W x 25T. Don't have much room left already. It is amazing how much mass was in that 75.
Thanks!
Just about 5 years. I set the tank up in November 2006. The earliest SPS frags were added late January 2007.
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Amazing tank with some huge colonies rossco! Any pics of the new tank?
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Rossco, thats just unreal, awesome. How about a pic of the new tank and an equipment list for the new tank.
Display Tank:
Skimmer: Deltec AP851. I have had this skimmer on three different setups and for 6 years now. It does an amazing job!
Calcium and Alk Addition: Randy's Two Part Solution. I ran both a CA reactor and Kalk Stirrer in the past and honestly have had better results will a simple DIY two part solution. I dose the solutions manually, an hour apart.
Substrate: 60lbs of CaribSea Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand
Additives:
2000ml BRS biopellets
Zoebak 16 drops every other day
MB7 10ml alternate days to Zeobak
Seachem Strontium 4 tbs every other day
Lugols solution 1 drop daily
Zeo Sponge Power 8 drops daily
Zeo Coral Snow twice a week, and dosed with bacteria
Reef Crystals water change 40gl a month
Brs Carbon in phosban 150 reactor, changed every two weeks
Two part CA and ALK daily, 160ml each
I feed:
Ocean Nutrition Formula One and Two Flakes
Spectrum Pellets
More info: www.advancedaquarist.com/2011/4/aquarium
[video=youtube;-ld20YtMzz4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ld20YtMzz4&feature=channel_video_title[/video]
- 72"x36"x22" Rimless
- 246 gallons from Quality Custom Aquarium Manufacturer - Toronto Canada
- 2 Sided Starphire glass(Front)
- Right Side External coast to coast Overflow with 1" return and two 1.5" drain
- 3/4" glass all around
- Stand: The stan is hand built and tiled with slate. No equipment is under the tank. The sump and all equipment are located in the room directly to the right of the tank. The stand is lower to the ground this time around, allowing for a perfect view when seated. The tank has its own special area with everything designed around it.
- Ehiem 1262 for Return pump
- Vortech Mp40w
- Vortech Mp20W
- Tunze 6065
- 3x250W Metal Halide utilizing XM 20K bulbs
- Two Ice cap ballasts, and one PHO ballast for the center bulb.
Skimmer: Deltec AP851. I have had this skimmer on three different setups and for 6 years now. It does an amazing job!
Calcium and Alk Addition: Randy's Two Part Solution. I ran both a CA reactor and Kalk Stirrer in the past and honestly have had better results will a simple DIY two part solution. I dose the solutions manually, an hour apart.
Substrate: 60lbs of CaribSea Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand
Additives:
2000ml BRS biopellets
Zoebak 16 drops every other day
MB7 10ml alternate days to Zeobak
Seachem Strontium 4 tbs every other day
Lugols solution 1 drop daily
Zeo Sponge Power 8 drops daily
Zeo Coral Snow twice a week, and dosed with bacteria
Reef Crystals water change 40gl a month
Brs Carbon in phosban 150 reactor, changed every two weeks
Two part CA and ALK daily, 160ml each
I feed:
Ocean Nutrition Formula One and Two Flakes
Spectrum Pellets
More info: www.advancedaquarist.com/2011/4/aquarium
[video=youtube;-ld20YtMzz4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ld20YtMzz4&feature=channel_video_title[/video]
Great thread.... good info and fantastic pictures.
I've shared the link on my blog (H2O + Something - European Reef Blog)
You guys posted sick pics. The growth rate and colors of your corals are amazing.
Let me ask you a question, have you ever had problems with AEFW? Tell us tips tricks on how to deal with that.
I've shared the link on my blog (H2O + Something - European Reef Blog)
You guys posted sick pics. The growth rate and colors of your corals are amazing.
Let me ask you a question, have you ever had problems with AEFW? Tell us tips tricks on how to deal with that.
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