MMreef
Active member
How to keep successful SPS tank
In response to a lot of questions from members of this board, regarding keeping thriving SPS tank, I put together a simple guide, so anybody thinking of jumping in to keeping SPS corals have some references what’s needed to succeed.
Keeping SPS corals is probably the highest level of reefkeeping (I am not including people who keep or breed difficult fish).We want not only to keep our corals alive, but want them to thrive, grow fast (relative term) and have beautiful colors. It is very rewarding to have a tank full of colorful SPS corals and have other people admire it. This makes the extra sacrifice, like more maintenance and of course money you need to spend, a lot easier to swallow.
In very simple terms, here are five major things you need to provide, to have thriving SPS tank. In no particular order, as all of them are equally important in my opinion.
High Intensity Lights
SPS corals are photosynthetic, that means they need light (a lot of it). You need to invest in quality light fixture. They cost more, but believe me get it right the first time and don’t go for cheap fixtures to save money. In long term you will need to most likely upgrade those cheap lights to better ones and really spend more money overall. I know something about it from my own experience. High Output (HO) T5’s, Metal Halides (MH) and LED (Light Emitting Diode) are all acceptable. I am not going to debate which one are the best, as you can have successful tank with any of those lights. Research different forums; get others opinions, to make sure they fit with your plans.
Flow
Corals live in oceans, where water movement is strong and chaotic. It is important to replicate this in our aquarium. Water brings food, brings oxygen and also washes away any debris of corals tissue. Without adequate water flow, SPS corals will slowly begin to die. Depends on what substrate you use (on none at all),I would recommend water turnover rate anyway from 20 to 50 times per hour your tank volume. I don’t include in those numbers flow generated from return pump, because I want my return flow be slower, about 5 times tank volume per hour, going through a sump, so water has more time to go through filtration system. There are many pumps and powerheads to choose from, but try to replicate random flow by using timers, or better wavemakers or controllers. Again do some research which are the best for you.
Oversized Filtration System
SPS corals require pristine water conditions to thrive. Using oversized filtration system and generally not overstocking your tank with too many fish, will accomplish just that. Start with good quality protein skimmer. I like to use one at least one size bigger, than is recommended for the size of a tank. Properly set up skimmer will pull out a lot of “nasty stuff” out of water. Skimmer also oxygenates water in your tank, and of course all livestock need oxygen to live. In addition to protein skimmer I use GAC (granulated activated carbon). Make sure to buy one that is phosphate free, as you don’t want any phosphates to be released in to water. Carbon will filter out a lot of toxins and water coloring substances that appear in aquarium. Water will look crystal clear. Next thing is to keep your phosphates as close to zero as possible. High PO4 levels prevent calcification in corals, so they grow very slow or not at all. Also PO4 cause browning effect in corals, and we strive for beautiful and vibrant colors. To keep PO4 low, it is important not to over feed your tank. An uneaten food particle breaks down and release phosphates. Don’t overstock with more fish than your system can handle. Lastly, using GFO (granulated ferric oxide) in a reactor, helps to reduce PO4 levels. There are also other forms of filtrations you can utilize in addition, like having a refugium, using algae scraper or bio pellets.
Stability
The conditions in our oceans are very stable. Salinity, temperature, calcium and Alk stay constant, or change very little in long time period. SPS corals are very sensitive to any sudden changes in their environment. To create stabile conditions in your tank, I strongly recommend use of a controller. This piece of equipment will give you great deal of control over your whole system. Light schedule, temperature, correct levels of Ca and Alk are easily controlled with it. It gives you peace of mind when you’re not home. It takes long time to have your tank look great and mature, but only in short time, when all of a sudden things get out of whack, corals begin to die. It is worth the investment, believe me.
Patience
Last thing I want to talk about is patience. Nothing good ever happens in our tanks when we rush the process. Let your tank cycle and stabilize first before adding any fish and corals. Don’t overstock. Let your corals grow. This takes time. When you start with a small frag, it feels like forever to see this thing to grow. But when it grows to a decent size you can see new growth almost daily. If you want to have natural looking, mature SPS tank, don’t frag your frags in hopes to make quick buck. I did not get in to this hobby to become rich (there are other, easier things you can do to achieve this), but to have beautiful tank that I and others can enjoy. Believe me, when you let your corals grow, you will have more than enough frags to trade or sell later. When starting new supplement or new regiment, take it slow. Give it time to work. You’ll never know if something is working or not ,if you don’t give it enough time. Changes don’t happen quickly, only for the worse. And last, don’t get discouraged if things are not working for you right away.
I hope this will help some of you that are thinking of trying SPS corals. Again, this was not meant to be detailed how to, but rather simple overview of things needed to succeed with SPS.
Good luck.
In response to a lot of questions from members of this board, regarding keeping thriving SPS tank, I put together a simple guide, so anybody thinking of jumping in to keeping SPS corals have some references what’s needed to succeed.
Keeping SPS corals is probably the highest level of reefkeeping (I am not including people who keep or breed difficult fish).We want not only to keep our corals alive, but want them to thrive, grow fast (relative term) and have beautiful colors. It is very rewarding to have a tank full of colorful SPS corals and have other people admire it. This makes the extra sacrifice, like more maintenance and of course money you need to spend, a lot easier to swallow.
In very simple terms, here are five major things you need to provide, to have thriving SPS tank. In no particular order, as all of them are equally important in my opinion.
High Intensity Lights
SPS corals are photosynthetic, that means they need light (a lot of it). You need to invest in quality light fixture. They cost more, but believe me get it right the first time and don’t go for cheap fixtures to save money. In long term you will need to most likely upgrade those cheap lights to better ones and really spend more money overall. I know something about it from my own experience. High Output (HO) T5’s, Metal Halides (MH) and LED (Light Emitting Diode) are all acceptable. I am not going to debate which one are the best, as you can have successful tank with any of those lights. Research different forums; get others opinions, to make sure they fit with your plans.
Flow
Corals live in oceans, where water movement is strong and chaotic. It is important to replicate this in our aquarium. Water brings food, brings oxygen and also washes away any debris of corals tissue. Without adequate water flow, SPS corals will slowly begin to die. Depends on what substrate you use (on none at all),I would recommend water turnover rate anyway from 20 to 50 times per hour your tank volume. I don’t include in those numbers flow generated from return pump, because I want my return flow be slower, about 5 times tank volume per hour, going through a sump, so water has more time to go through filtration system. There are many pumps and powerheads to choose from, but try to replicate random flow by using timers, or better wavemakers or controllers. Again do some research which are the best for you.
Oversized Filtration System
SPS corals require pristine water conditions to thrive. Using oversized filtration system and generally not overstocking your tank with too many fish, will accomplish just that. Start with good quality protein skimmer. I like to use one at least one size bigger, than is recommended for the size of a tank. Properly set up skimmer will pull out a lot of “nasty stuff” out of water. Skimmer also oxygenates water in your tank, and of course all livestock need oxygen to live. In addition to protein skimmer I use GAC (granulated activated carbon). Make sure to buy one that is phosphate free, as you don’t want any phosphates to be released in to water. Carbon will filter out a lot of toxins and water coloring substances that appear in aquarium. Water will look crystal clear. Next thing is to keep your phosphates as close to zero as possible. High PO4 levels prevent calcification in corals, so they grow very slow or not at all. Also PO4 cause browning effect in corals, and we strive for beautiful and vibrant colors. To keep PO4 low, it is important not to over feed your tank. An uneaten food particle breaks down and release phosphates. Don’t overstock with more fish than your system can handle. Lastly, using GFO (granulated ferric oxide) in a reactor, helps to reduce PO4 levels. There are also other forms of filtrations you can utilize in addition, like having a refugium, using algae scraper or bio pellets.
Stability
The conditions in our oceans are very stable. Salinity, temperature, calcium and Alk stay constant, or change very little in long time period. SPS corals are very sensitive to any sudden changes in their environment. To create stabile conditions in your tank, I strongly recommend use of a controller. This piece of equipment will give you great deal of control over your whole system. Light schedule, temperature, correct levels of Ca and Alk are easily controlled with it. It gives you peace of mind when you’re not home. It takes long time to have your tank look great and mature, but only in short time, when all of a sudden things get out of whack, corals begin to die. It is worth the investment, believe me.
Patience
Last thing I want to talk about is patience. Nothing good ever happens in our tanks when we rush the process. Let your tank cycle and stabilize first before adding any fish and corals. Don’t overstock. Let your corals grow. This takes time. When you start with a small frag, it feels like forever to see this thing to grow. But when it grows to a decent size you can see new growth almost daily. If you want to have natural looking, mature SPS tank, don’t frag your frags in hopes to make quick buck. I did not get in to this hobby to become rich (there are other, easier things you can do to achieve this), but to have beautiful tank that I and others can enjoy. Believe me, when you let your corals grow, you will have more than enough frags to trade or sell later. When starting new supplement or new regiment, take it slow. Give it time to work. You’ll never know if something is working or not ,if you don’t give it enough time. Changes don’t happen quickly, only for the worse. And last, don’t get discouraged if things are not working for you right away.
I hope this will help some of you that are thinking of trying SPS corals. Again, this was not meant to be detailed how to, but rather simple overview of things needed to succeed with SPS.
Good luck.
THo all my birdsnests are doing great though. Could it be something to change in the water parameters?