Just a few tips and tricks for those new to SPS and reefing....

[ZiyaadB]

The products that we will be creating will be only the things that I use in my personal systems. Its time to bring some sanity back to this hobby.

thats good business:bigsmile:

 

[MimicOcto8]

step number 1: placing a powerhead in the sump is bigger than you think. I put two powerheads in there on anti sync and it helped tremendously with the whole tanks health

 

[clowndude]

Sonny, curious if you are still working on your product line?

Great tips everybody. I picked up a few reading this thread.

 

[Akwarius]

step number 1: placing a powerhead in the sump is bigger than you think. I put two powerheads in there on anti sync and it helped tremendously with the whole tanks health

+1 I prefer to have a powerhead in my sump rather than to wait for a water change to siphon the detritus out.

 

[Southpaw]

Thanks for the tips and please keep them coming . I am new to corals and have been trying to absorb all that I can find on the subject so this is great. Can anyone touch base on what supplements if any are a must for coral growth . Thanks Kim

 

[Jonathan]

Great info i have learned so much stuff i did not know

 

[giemd]

Great thread! Maybe somebody can help me. This is my system:

42" x24" x24" DT 105 gal
35 gal sump 25 gal filled
8 x 39w t5 (3actinic, 3 11k, 1 aqua blue and 1 6500)
1 lumen bright moonlight strip 3watt
Ehiem 1262 return via SCWD
Old MP20( to be upgraded to mp40 in 2 weeks)
Sunsun jvp 201a dual powerhead (6000l/h)
Reef Octo 150nw
2LF phosban 500 reactor running GFO
NP biopellets reactor w 200 ml 2LF biopellets
Kent liquid reactor for cal and alk
Ph 8.3 Alk 7
Ammonia 0
Nitrate and nitrite 0
Phosphate 0
Calcium 420
Tests using seachem test kits

I have sps corals and blastos, scoly and. Some zoas
My problem is that most sps developing a brown color or green color. Is my lighting the problem? I'm really bothered by this. Hope you can help me. Thanks.

 

[soccerbag]

First of all, welcome to R2R! Great to have you here - and from the Philippines too! With regards to your system, it sounds like you are on the right track for the most part. I'm curious why you are running Biopellets and GFO? If you truly do have Zero NO3 and PO4, you are likely starving your corals. A system and the corals do need some nutrients to survive and I think you are stripping out all of your nutrients and not putting enough back in (via food and fish poo). Do you dose any aminos? I think you can slowly take your GFO offline and just run the biopellets. The lighting could be a bit better. I would run a combo of Blue+ and AquaBlue Specials. The 3 actinics do nothing for PAR. While the other bubs are okay, you really need to have most of your bulbs put off some light. And while actinics can make the corals and LPS look nice, they do nothing for growth at all.

That's a good start. What are you using to maintain your alk and ca? Reactor or 2 part?

 

[giemd]

First of all, welcome to R2R! Great to have you here - and from the Philippines too! With regards to your system, it sounds like you are on the right track for the most part. I'm curious why you are running Biopellets and GFO? If you truly do have Zero NO3 and PO4, you are likely starving your corals. A system and the corals do need some nutrients to survive and I think you are stripping out all of your nutrients and not putting enough back in (via food and fish poo). Do you dose any aminos? I think you can slowly take your GFO offline and just run the biopellets. The lighting could be a bit better. I would run a combo of Blue+ and AquaBlue Specials. The 3 actinics do nothing for PAR. While the other bubs are okay, you really need to have most of your bulbs put off some light. And while actinics can make the corals and LPS look nice, they do nothing for growth at all.

That's a good start. What are you using to maintain your alk and ca? Reactor or 2 part?

Thanks for replying. I'm using GFO for now since the biopellets are still new(3weeks) and I feel they don't work yet. Plus I'm getting some diatoms which I'm still figuring out(silicates?) if it's from my RO since I changed suppliers. I'll take the GFO out. I'm not dozing aminos but am using marine snow and mysis for feeding.

Thank you for the input about actinics, I will take them out and swap 14k bulbs.

I'm using Kent liquid reactor for Ca and Alk. Supposedly it's like 2part dosing but combined and does not contain chloride.

 

[occoral]

Great info Sunny, I have a Aqueon sump that basically goes to filter sock (UV and GFO from this compartment), fuge (Hang on protein skimmer pulling from here), and then return. There's alot of debris in the return pump area and would it be bad to have the protein skimmer at the end where the return pump is? Kind of sucks aqueon designed it this way but I still love the sump.

 

[Fishinwall]

It's been quite some time since anyone has posted here... Sunny, when do you expect your additive product line to come out?

 

[Zack]

Just read through this, what a great thread

Sent from my VS950 4G using Forum Runner

 

[Bakapuma]

To get deep hues of blue I dose with free potassium. not the same as the potassium found in Lugol's

 

[chris neill]

clean light covers with ro water leaves no marks and no chemicals needed

 

[bigfoot86]

Great thread started here! A LOT of important and useful info me and other reefers.

 

[revhtree]

I agree I love this thread!

 

[Jay6363]

Sonny,

I need a little help, I think I have a great system but something is missing.

I keep getting new nice higher end corals that do not do well. They fade and die. Al the other corals SPS LPS
Mix are growing like weeks and colored up, some every day sps and some higher end.

My tank is a 60 gal with a 30 gallon sump:

Lighting with a radion pro and two kessil 150 for the corners that the radion dosent reach.

Three mp-10 w Es for flow run off my apex



Bellow I have a refugium, skimmer rated for a larger tank forgot brand.
Carbon-phosphate reactor

Apex controlling everything. ATo for topping off with r/o water

And a bubble magus doser. Brs two part
Dose Red Sea no3po4 for carbon dosing.
I feed twice a week heavily and I dose zeovit products AA and other additions

My parameters are

Ph 8.30-8.50

Dkh 7.8-8.0

Salinity 1.026

Temp 77-79

Nitrate 0
Nitrites 0
Phos 0


I have colonies like Garf purple bonsai, montiporas, other various sps doing great with good colors.

I put Millie's with good flow they die, other frags die. I'm buying nice corals and they are biting the dust it sucks, they are also coming from same parameter tanks.

I'm missing something
Help!!!!


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[fishes2889]

Ph looks extremely low Jay.

 

[Jay6363]

Typo lol I meant 8.30-8.50


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[jservedio]

What power are you running the Radion Pro/Kessils at? I have a Radion Pro as well on my 20g (basically the same setup as you with the same equipment, just less MP10s since i have a much smaller tank) and I am not having the same problems as you. Are you burning your corals up or properly light acclimating them?

In a 16" deep tank, the Radion will never go above 50%. Currently my max intensity is only 30% @ 20k and none of the corals are wanting for light. My most colorful SPS's (blue cali tort, ora frogskin, etc) all keep their color just fine with only 30% intensity. Maybe you are burning them? Adding 2 kessils to the Pro seems like an absurd amount of light - especially if you keep some LPS.