Two tanks: Here's my parameters, which one to choose for SPS?

[MissMolly]

Hi R2R experts

so I have been focusing on breeding mollies and sexy shrimps in my two tanks for the last year but now I want to add corals. Stony ones, preferably SPS - some "easier" acros like PC rainbow, miyagi tort and frogskin, green slimer (and please don't tell me to start w a zenia and a mushroom)

I have a pico tank w the sexies 4 gallon and a nano 15 gallon w fish. They have very dif numbers and I would like your help to determining which one would be better with coral.

Pico (1 year old):
Sal 33
Alk 9.1
Nitrate 10
Nitrite 0
Phos 0 to than 0.5 (I don't have a Hannah for this one)
Light FLuval nano

Nano (1.5 years old):
Sal 32.5
Alk 9.7
Nitrate 25
Nitratie 0
Phos Less than 2, higher than 0.5
Popbloom RL90

As for lighting I have recently bought a Par meter and have done a par map - light will not be a problem with clever placement. Both tanks are totally stable with these parameters. I'm running Phosguard on the nano but nothing seems to help with the high phosphate. I'm feeding a lot and I guess my only option would be to remove some of the fish to bring it down or add tons of macroalgae. I do very small but frequent water changes which I have found to be better than 20 peecent ones.

I don't have a Hannah for other than Nitrate, nitrite, and alkalinity. I have ordered one for phosfate now and calcium is next. For now the phospahte numbers are a worthless Salifert test.

So my question. Which one to choose for corals? Best chemistry seems to be in the pico but very little room for error w the water volume which scares me a bit. Nano oldest and good water volume but nutrients high due to fish.

 

[Seansea]

Go with the bigger tank. More water volume is always better and you will need space once they get to growing

 

[MissMolly]

Go with the bigger tank. More water volume is always better and you will need space once they get to growing

How about the high nitrate and phos?

 

[MissMolly]

anybody?

 

[bobnicaragua]

Go with the larger tank for sure. Get your salinity to 35. 10 nitrate is fine. You don’t necessarily have to remove any fish, just feed a bit less.

You want your phosphates between .02 - .15. I keep 2 bags mixed with carbon and GFO in the sump and change one out every 2 weeks. It takes time to get phosphates down because they are absorbed into your rock. Change out smaller amounts of GFO often.

My refugium keeps my nitrates under 2, but my phosphates just keep rising if I don’t run GFO.

Acropora are demanding. Make sure you can hold your parameters before you add your acros. This is basically accomplished with a consistent maintenance routine.

Don’t forget strong flow and good light coverage.

I recommend kalkwasser to maintain your alkalinity and calcium. You can also use 2 part or all for reef.

Stylophora, montipora, birdsnest and anacropora are all more forgiving and cheaper than acros. I would start with one of those and then move onto one of the acros you listed above.

Good luck with your sticks!

 

[MissMolly]

Go with the larger tank for sure. Get your salinity to 35. 10 nitrate is fine. You don’t necessarily have to remove any fish, just feed a bit less.

You want your phosphates between .02 - .15. I keep 2 bags mixed with carbon and GFO in the sump and change one out every 2 weeks. It takes time to get phosphates down because they are absorbed into your rock. Change out smaller amounts of GFO often.

My refugium keeps my nitrates under 2, but my phosphates just keep rising if I don’t run GFO.

Acropora are demanding. Make sure you can hold your parameters before you add your acros. This is basically accomplished with a consistent maintenance routine.

Don’t forget strong flow and good light coverage.

I recommend kalkwasser to maintain your alkalinity and calcium. You can also use 2 part or all for reef.

Stylophora, montipora, birdsnest and anacropora are all more forgiving and cheaper than acros. I would start with one of those and then move onto one of the acros you listed above.

Good luck with your sticks!

Thank you so much for your advice!!!!!! I REALLY appreciate it.

The parameters above have been stable for a long time. The pico has been sustaining sexy shrimp breeding. But also I have been trying to bring down the phosphates in the nano tank for a while (with only one approach - phosguard). I currently have matrix, carbon, phosguard, purigen running. Guess the phosguard isnt adequate. Will get a hold of some GFO. Which brand do you recommend?

I have the AFR ready to go for when I need it.

I have light and flow figured out. Just upgraded on both and bought PAR meter to be absolulely sure. I don't want to be guessing..

I know. Not interested in other SPS for now. Totally obsessed with the sticks. As for maintenance routine I already spend a huge amount of time (divorce-close amount!) on the tanks everyday keeping everything in order, and I would say that nothing goes on without me finding out rather quickly, so hopefully that is an okay starting point. I need a few more hannah checkers when I can afford them and get those phosphates down!!!

 

[Solo McReefer]

anybody?

Small tanks

Big water changes

 

[bobnicaragua]

It sounds like you have been doing your homework. A little obsession is a good thing with SPS!

I’ve never used phosguard, I buy whatever GFO is available. GFO is much more effective in a reactor. I go with the bag in sump method. If you do run a reactor be careful, it’s much easier to strip phosphates completely out of the water.

This is my 135 gal:

 

[MissMolly]

It sounds like you have been doing your homework. A little obsession is a good thing with SPS!

I’ve never used phosguard, I buy whatever GFO is available. GFO is much more effective in a reactor. I go with the bag in sump method. If you do run a reactor be careful, it’s much easier to strip phosphates completely out of the water.

This is my 135 gal:

Oh my, WOWZAA! That is a beautiful tank. How much PAR are the buttom ones getting and the top?? Are you running primarely full spectrum? Or just for the photo?

Yeah you gotta be obsessed right! I think right now my happiness depends on whther this will suceed or not so def have to give it my best

No reactor. I have HOB filters. Oversized for the tanks and lots of great room for media.

This is the nano. I'm planning on moving the light to the left and setting up a rack on the left side under the light. I only have enough PAR at the top level as it is now and not that great of a space on the rocks for coral. Had I known that I would be interessted in corals I would have bulit this very different


I have not added the flow yet but I have a Hygger and a Eheim and I have tried it and it seem to create a smaller hurricane at it's highest so at least I know it's enough.

 

[MissMolly]

And right there in the middle you can see my main high phosphate producer. That Molly just kept growing and I'm not kidding, I think she weighs about 30 grams now as an adult, and she eats like a small child

 

[ChiCity]

Oh my, WOWZAA! That is a beautiful tank. How much PAR are the buttom ones getting and the top?? Are you running primarely full spectrum? Or just for the photo?

Yeah you gotta be obsessed right! I think right now my happiness depends on whther this will suceed or not so def have to give it my best

No reactor. I have HOB filters. Oversized for the tanks and lots of great room for media.

This is the nano. I'm planning on moving the light to the left and setting up a rack on the left side under the light. I only have enough PAR at the top level as it is now and not that great of a space on the rocks for coral. Had I known that I would be interessted in corals I would have bulit this very different


I have not added the flow yet but I have a Hygger and a Eheim and I have tried it and it seem to create a smaller hurricane at it's highest so at least I know it's enough.

And right there in the middle you can see my main high phosphate producer. That Molly just kept growing and I'm not kidding, I think she weighs about 30 grams now as an adult, and she eats like a small child

i swear, i think you meant
the lemonpeel angel in the middle…
of that 15g tank.
(more like 11-12g with sand and rocks)

 

[bobnicaragua]

Lighting:

I’m running metal halides with T5 and LED supplementation. 300 par on the sand and high 600s ontop.

You can get away with more par with T5 and halide. I would shoot for 200-375 par on your nano.

Most people run a daylight spectrum peak with a blue morning and evening in SPS tanks.

Coverage and intense lighting are very important, it sounds like you need to add more lights. Acros do not do well with shadows or low par. Light that little tank up!

 

[MissMolly]

i swear, i think you meant
the lemonpeel angel in the middle…
of that 15g tank.
(more like 11-12g with sand and rocks)

hahah the lemon peel is fully grown but TINY and eats like a mouse compared to that fat white lady!

 

[MissMolly]

Lighting:

I’m running metal halides with T5 and LED supplementation. 300 par on the sand and high 600s ontop.

You can get away with more par with T5 and halide. I would shoot for 200-375 par on your nano.

Most people run a daylight spectrum peak with a blue morning and evening in SPS tanks.

Coverage and intense lighting are very important, it sounds like you need to add more lights. Acros do not do well with shadows or low par. Light that little tank up!

I see! Great! Which PAR meter do you use?

I agree. I do have very limited placing options for the acros.

As for now I will start out by putting them on a frag rack on a spot where I know they will get around 200 for a start. I have no problem working with the limited coverage, where only the parts of the tank where the frags are getting all the PAR. I'm starting out with some variants that others have had luck with under lower light like the PC Rainbow and miyagi tort eg. See how it goes and then upgrade and move around when timne comes to find them a spot. It's a work in progress. Will start with 2 frags and see. I have no intention of filling my tank with corals anyway but could be fun to have more options w light and also suitable rockwork. Mine rocks are super big and not coral freindly so yeah I could have done things a lot more easy for myself from the beginning

 

[exnisstech]

I'm just throwing this out there. Many succesful SPS tanks run at higher PO4 than many say is good. Sunny x tank of the month comes to mind. What I like to do is let the tank stabilize and see where PO4 settles at naturally and proceed from there. I would much rather have a tank running PO4 0.2 naturally and consitant vs having to constantly chase 0.05 or whatever level you want using gfo or other methods. IMO a consitant higher number is better than an up and down lower number.

 

[bobnicaragua]

I have an Apogee MQ-210X

 

[MissMolly]

I'm just throwing this out there. Many succesful SPS tanks run at higher PO4 than many say is good. Sunny x tank of the month comes to mind. What I like to do is let the tank stabilize and see where PO4 settles at naturally and proceed from there. I would much rather have a tank running PO4 0.2 naturally and consitant vs having to constantly chase 0.05 or whatever level you want using gfo or other methods. IMO a consitant higher number is better than an up and down lower number.

Yes, that's a very valid point. Better to settle on a reasonable and maintainable level that chasing some numbers because that is the "ideal". That said my phospahte is skyrocketing so

 

[VintageReefer]

Get a bubblegum montipora digi
It’s super easy and forgiving, and great beginners coral. Your tank is not huge, any acro will eventually need to be fragged. This one…a little faster than others

 

[MissMolly]

Get a bubblegum montipora digi
It’s super easy and forgiving, and great beginners coral. Your tank is not huge, any acro will eventually need to be fragged. This one…a little faster than others

Yeah I have seen that one. That is one heck of a good looking monti, I do aknowledge that! There has been talk that this Bubblegum digi is in fact not a digitata but a samatares. Not sure about it's agression.

 

[MissMolly]

Get a bubblegum montipora digi
It’s super easy and forgiving, and great beginners coral. Your tank is not huge, any acro will eventually need to be fragged. This one…a little faster than others

Do you have it?