Help me out with my SPS tank!

[flipteg]

you pretty much mentioned everything that you really need to keep SPS... from my experience, keeping the alkalinity and calcium constant at the right levels is very important... dose too little, and the parameters goes down within just a couple of days... dose too much and calcium carbonate precipitates causing alkalinity and calcium to drop... some corals are more sensitive to alkalinity swings than others...

[Clam Guy]

[flipteg]

[Clam Guy]

[flipteg]

the upgrade is not final yet... i was just toying with the idea and starting to research the components so that i would know what to buy if i do upgrade...

but if i do get a bigger tank, it will be a 120 standard and it will be an SPS tank... at first, i considered a 58 gallon, but then i thought with the same equipment i was considering for the 58, i can actually run a 120... the only reason i want a 120 over a 58 is because i'd be able to buy the big fishes like tangs and large angelfishes that i've always wanted... with automation like auto top off, calcium reactor, etc., the 58 and the 120 i am planning for would require the same effort...

what i still don't know how to deal with is top off water... other than feedings, i want to be able to leave the tank alone for a week or 2 weeks at a time... BUT i also do not want to lug buckets of ro/di water to fill the top off reserve...

[Clam Guy]

[flipteg]

magkano ang electricity mo per Kw/h...? what is the total watt of your system... the cost of electricity is really the one thing i am worried about in setting up a large tank...

[jon v]

hi clam guy,

welcome to the world of expensive "colourful candysticks"

in my own experience, water quality, sufficient waterflow, and lighting plays a big role in sps keeping.

low nutrient water is the prefered condition to keep good sps colouration; this will also decrease the chance of algae infestation. i would suggest you to re-think keeping big fishes (tangs) which "poo"llutes the water; less feeding for fish and religious partial water changes. a good skimmer helps alot in maintaining the water quality. i did kept 3 tangs in my 150g tank, but feeding is one cube of brine shrimp every other day, and they just help 'maintain' my tank eating on whatever algae they lay their eyes on. at the same time, i used a 32" beckett skimmer ran by a pressure rated pump. i did 30% water change every week, carbon replaced every 2 weeks and once a month replace phosphate remover as well. if you are going for deep sandbed, go for at least 4" deep or don't go at all. shallow sandbed are likely to be disturbed by fishes or water movements and in time will be doomed to crash. bare bottom has been the trend lately, but i dont seem to like the idea of liverocks on the glass; starboard will help though.

i would advise you to drop the idea of seio pumps and just invest on the tunzes; it will help you create reasonable currents to keep your sps healthy. i did used 2 x 6060 tunzes and 1 x 6100 controllable, and it was just enough for my 4footer tank.

i experimented alot on lights; first used 2 x 150w 10kk mh but its useless.
switched to 2 x 250w 20kk blv, at that time i can say it was good and much pleasing to my eyes more than for my sps conditions. then switched to 2 x 250w 10kk and 1 x 400w 6500k blv and can see the great improvements as compared to the 20kk blvs. my rig was 2 x 250w 6500k and 2 x 250w 10kk blv, it was an eyes sore for me as it gave a "yellowish" fresh water look so i added t5 actinic blue. with all this experimentation, i must say for better growth, 6500k is rest good, colouration is 10kk, while pleasing to our eyes is 20kk. I havent tried 14kk though or 400w 20kk and all these observations are based on my experience. what worked well for me is my 3rd setup; 2 x 250 w a 400w.
my photoperiod:
2:00pm 2 x 250w on
5:00pm 1 x 400w on
8:00pm 1 x 400w off
9:00pm t5 actinics on
10:00pm 2 x 250w off
2:00am t5 actinics off
i used this photoperiod as it adopts well to my life; im not around in the whole day to appreciate the tank; so its at night time that i set my photoperiod.

other than that, calcium reactor would help alot in maintaining an sps tank; i also use a diy kalk dripper to support it. as you would notice if ca goes up, kh goes down and vise versa so you should try to check and balance regularly. i maintain my ca at 420-450 while kh 8-9. water temperature is set at 25degC and chiller will kick off once it hits 27.5degC (this allows another .5degC before cold water starts to kick in and drop)

im setting up my reef tank again, a 90gallon as well. pardon me for my long post, trying to share my experience

[Clam Guy]

[Clam Guy]

[kax1500g]

[CLYVZ]

Hi Clam,
How's the SPS set-up doing? ako need to put the Chiller pa...using the rubber coated copper dip coils with split type AC. I got the Dip coils in Singapore with Jon V's help. I made my set-up almost exactly what Jon V advised...you can visit my tank..yun lang wala pang laman SPS...

[jackryan]

[CLYVZ]