why sps

3

3dees

New member
just wondering why there is so much more interest in sps. they are harder to care for and need more and better equipment. never seem to see anything but sps dominated tanks of the month. most have a mix of lps, but few if any softie except for super expensive zoa's. why does it seem that most reefers distain from softies. is it the challenge of sps> I have a sumpless softie/lps tank that gets no dosing, thus no sps. my tank is still a work in progress but it has color and movement. I'm not knocking sps. I think they are beautiful and sps tanks are probably the best looking, but I think other corals need more attention.
 
Imo and the reason I've got into sps lately is the challenge of keeping the water parameters as stable and on point as possible. I never understood why people wanted sticks either until the first sps I bought really took off growing. Now I'm hooked

But I still run a very mixed reef. Since I have 2 display hooked to one sump I run softies and lps and few monti caps in the 27 cube and I have zoas, torches, and sps in the db 30
 
I aim for mixed reef myself!!! At one point I did want to go all SPS but wasn’t ready.. To be honest it isn’t that hard until you start reaching soft tissue SPS which require very very stable levels (ALK, CAL and MAG) and clean levels of NO3 and phosphate!! During my reef years in Chicago seen the most beautiful tanks at their early stages or at PRIME level!! Seen some fall but start right back up!! They have always told me to keep it “KISS”.. One member here and well respected throughout the reefing community proved it with his equipment and nothing was high tech!!

People don’t realize the dedication going a step further into SPS and get discouraged when they fail!! I have always said to enjoy this hobby slowly and learn from the best and their mistakes!!!

Happy reefing everyone
 
I have somewhat of a mixed reef with a tendency towards SPS dominance, but if I were to setup a second tank it would be strictly zoas and softies. I think a softie dominated tank cab be equally as captivating especially with the movement they provide. But....at the moment I'm currently addicted to the challenge of SPS. Plus I have a degree in chemistry so it's slightly more entertaining for me to go the sps route
 
It's the challenge, the education and the battle for self discipline....I blame those magic rock crystals from when we were kids.
 
It's the challenge and because they can be really beautiful if you succeed. Then they all die and you try again because you are addicted. :dead:
 
Most people get into SPS because it is natural step to next level of reefing, and they want to see if can succeed. SPS are addictive, because of their shapes and colors. They require pristine water parameters and light. Most reefers love the challenge of having full grown SPS tank. Also, at least from my point of view , it this internet forum age, having nice SPS tank puts you in,.... so to speak elite status as far as reefing. Most people love the recognition this bring with. This is why most will spend crazy amount of $$$ for small frags with unique names attached to it, with hopes that they will recover their investment ,selling frags. It is not for everyone, as some discover sooner or later, but there is something special about SPS that makes people at least try to succeed with them.
 
It is the challenge of succeeding with the more difficult reef for me. It is the holy grail of reefing.

Plus I think they are just down right killer when they grow out. This is one of my favorites.

View attachment 6837
 
As most have already said, I think it is a natural progression of a reefer's experience. Just like most other hobbies, you start off doing easy stuff, and then start doing more difficult things. When i first started saltwater, I only wanted to do fish, but that quickly changed as I began seeing the cool corals. I've tried some SPS in my main display, but because I liked the fish too much, the tank wasn't set up to succeed with SPS, so I'm working on that now. I do love seeing awesome SPS colonies, but I'm not sure if I'll ever get there.
 
3dees, I used to think the exact same thing. I couldn't figure out why people would go to such trouble and there isn't even any movement of the corals. I was about a year and a half into reefkeeping before the addiction hit me. Part of it is the challenge, but I think pride and competition are also a factor with SPS. There is a certain reverence associated with a successful SPS keeper.

That being said, you have a very nice softie/LPS tank and as long as that makes you happy then that's all that matters. SPS are more expensive to keep and the stress can take the enjoyment right out of the hobby. Sometimes I long for the simpler pleasures of my softie/LPS days....
 
EricTheRed said:
That being said, you have a very nice softie/LPS tank and as long as that makes you happy then that's all that matters. SPS are more expensive to keep and the stress can take the enjoyment right out of the hobby. Sometimes I long for the simpler pleasures of my softie/LPS days....
Click to expand...

Very well said, and totally agree. A simpler reef would be welcomed on many days.
 
there are sps tanks, including the one above that are truly amazing, but I have enough stress in my life already. I was sure that my tank would be a fowlr because I did not want to dose. the more I read the more I learned that you can keep corals without dosing. my tank is about as simple as can be. no sump because of back problems. hob skimmer, two Jeboa pumps, a canister for running carbon only, two Chinese dimmable led units and 150 lbs. of live rock. 16 months in and my coral and fish are doing great. I'm not going to win any totm contest but I spend most of my time just relaxing and watching my tank. and then there's the money I save. I'm just surprised there isn't more interest in softies. maybe people just don't show them because they feel that they can't compete with sps tanks.
 
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