SPS or not?

leocom2000

leocom2000

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Dec 27, 2007
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I would like to know what my chances are at keeping SPS corals. If I can, what kind would you recommend? I have seen some of mixed reefs here containing SPS kept under T5 HOs and would like to try some.:feedback:
My tank is 29 Gal long with 4x39W T5 HO Tek light. I have a sump with some spaghetti algae (refugium section), 65 Gal rated protein skimming, Koralia 2 and 4 powerheads, a heater, and a 200 GPH return pump. The tank temp is between 80-82 Deg F cooled by a fan. I top off water every day by hand. All water is RO/DI with ~0 ppm. Calcium ~400 ppm, Alk 8-9 Deg, Phosphates and Nitrates ~0 ppm. Life stock: two clowns, one turbo snail, one trochus snail, some pods, worms, corals. The tank was established last winter. Here is the FTS:
img_0166 (Modified).jpg

img_0166 (Modified).jpg
 
I see no reason why you should not add some SPS if you want them. With that light you shouldn't have any problems and your tank looks to be in graet shape. Some of the easist SPS are montipora IME but really you should be fine with an acro if you wanted. With SPS, stability is very important. When shopping for frags, looks for ones that have started to encrust over the plug. Also, I have had good luck with aquacultured SPS. My ORA corals are doing quite well under a T5 fixture with consiberable less PAR than your fixture provides. Be prepared though. The SPS bug bites hard once you get started :)!
 
Psammocora and Pocillopora are also very easy SPS corals like Montiporas. Acroporas are one of the hardest types of corals to care for IMO, but not so hard it is impossible, just requires a very stable environment. Temp can't swing more than 2 degrees, salinity, flow, water parameters all have to be perfect for acroporas to do well for the majority of them. There are exceptions of course, like the green slimer acro seems to be the easiest and quickest growing acro as long as your tank is stable.
 
Agreed, there shouldn't be any reason that you can't keep SPS.

My suggestion would be to find someone nearby to sell you a few cheap frags of some common SPSs (birdsnests, montis, etc) and see how they do over 6-9 months... then decide if you want to get into the really exotic (and expensive) types.

The other thing is to keep a very close eye on your Calcium (and Magnesium), SPSs under good conditions will suck the stuff up.

One other thing is that I have some frozen rotifers (with phytoplankton). About once a week, we defrost half or a quarter cube and hit each coral with the rotifers using a tube with a syringe on one end. Wait until the lights are out of just with actinics on so the corals open up into feeding mode.
 
My suggestion would be to find someone nearby to sell you a few cheap frags of some common SPSs (birdsnests, montis, etc) and see how they do over 6-9 months... then decide if you want to get into the really exotic (and expensive) types.
Agreed^^

its delicate so you wont even have to wait 6 to 9 monthes to know if its doing bad. You will see it doing poorly in a few days. With your tests though and lighting i cant see any problems with trying it. Get a screaming green birdnest.. very awsome looking and "hardy" in the sps sense.
 
Join your local reef club to. You can get some great frags for cheap from other people. Left over equipment. Handyman to help with other things. Also people to have a beer with to.

Remember with corals ..Light acclimation is important also. Going from a 500w MH setting in a store to a tank with softer lighting... placement should be real high first in your tank...and vice versa if you have the better lights. Just a tip ...

Otherwise.. TAKE YOUR TIME..... the worst problem I see for a lot of us is Spontaneous purchases. the syndrome I have is "Love those colors, Charge it! Charge it NAO!" =p
 
wow you have a beautiful looking tank/aquascape/ lighting. I started with monti caps which are REALLY easy. Then to birds nest which is also easy given that you give it a ton of lighting. For that tek i would keep any birds nest very high up in the tank. SPS also likes a lot of strong current so you are fine there.

Just check your calcium weekly and make sure you keep it around or above 420. What I do is water changes once a week and i dose 2 part kents alk/calcium every other day or so. You'll be fine with SPS.
 
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