How would YOU start new SPS tank?

[FMF0331]

We can go to Chatuchak market and I'll show you all the good shops for the hobby! This place is a Mecca for the hobby in practically every way! Dirt cheap live rock straight from the ocean, super affordable corals (got 4 mini Scolys and a nice colony of Acans all for about $45 + $12 for delivery across town a few days ago), and you see plenty of rare fish and inverts come through the shops which are cool to see whether or not you have a suitable tank for them!

I remember JJ market, I'll need to hydrate myself 3 days in advance ( so hot ) .. hahaha

 

[Spare time]

The only things that likely matter are having the numbers in the right range, the right flow, and lighting that is not too intense/weak. What is for sure is that live vs dry rock, automatic dosers, ultra wide spectrum, etc. likely don't make a significant difference in the ability to grow sps based on the hundreds of tanks I've worked with, and the thousands I've seen on here. They can add certain benefits, but they are not needed.

 

[kdx7214]

What has happened to the sps? We could try and narrow down what might be contributing to your issues.

They just die. Bare skeleton. No idea why. I'm guessing RTN maybe? I've lost 4-5 frags that I've tried. Fortunately they were inexpensive.

My setup:

• 75g DT with 40g sump
• Six T5 light fixture: 3 coral blue, 3 coral+ bulbs
• Robo-Tank controller
• Three temp probes, two separate heaters (temp stays between 77.0 and 77.3 constantly)
• Live rock from FL
• Fish: six line wrasse, firefish goby, lawnmower goby, yellow headed sleeper goby, and an unknown goby or blenny
• CUC: hermit crabs, lots of snails
• pH probe (stays around 8.1 during day, 7.92 at night

I've got Hannah checkers for alk, calcium, nitrate, and phosphate. Also have a Salifert Mg test kit. I did testing on the tank every week for a couple of months and attempted to adjust manually, but every minor adjustment threw everything else out of whack. After the last coral died I just stopped testing.

I was using Randy's two part recipe from this site.

I did have a 20g plumbed into the tank, but found that evaporation from it was throwing salinity out of whack, so I shut it down and removed it.

 

[kdx7214]

The only things that likely matter are having the numbers in the right range, the right flow, and lighting that is not too intense/weak. What is for sure is that live vs dry rock, automatic dosers, ultra wide spectrum, etc. likely don't make a significant difference in the ability to grow sps based on the hundreds of tanks I've worked with, and the thousands I've seen on here. They can add certain benefits, but they are not needed.

I do have live rock, as well as some Marco dry rock. I have a 2160gph return pump, although with plumbing and head distance I'm guessing it's about 1100gph. I also have a Hygger in-tank circulation pump running 1000gph.

 

[Max93]

Have you considered dosing trace elements? Like getting an ICP and then seeing what’s off?

 

[reefsaver]

Mature a tank, get everything stable and slowly drop in and let SPS take over.

 

[mtraylor]

I would concentrate on trying to figure out why my 1+ year tank would not sustain sps first. Like do i have enough nitrates for sps, is alk under control etc.....

I would not want to get a brand new expensive tank to duplicate my same scenario again. JMO.

 

[kdx7214]

Have you considered dosing trace elements? Like getting an ICP and then seeing what’s off?

Yeah, and I'll do that as soon as I have the $$$ for the ICP test. Alas, that won't be soon.

 

[kdx7214]

I would concentrate on trying to figure out why my 1+ year tank would not sustain sps first. Like do i have enough nitrates for sps, is alk under control etc.....

I would not want to get a brand new expensive tank to duplicate my same scenario again. JMO.

Oh no worries about an expensive tank. That will never likely be on the menu for me. I'm just trying to learn from others how they would do it to see what I did wrong. I strongly suspect that the tank hasn't been stable enough and that's what is causing the frags to die. I've got two Kamoer peristaltic pumps that I'll eventually get setup for dosing, but I've been letting it set to stabilize for a few months now.