View Full Version : SPS Tried and Failed/succeeded
simon garratt
28-01-08, 10:32
Just curious how many have tried SPS and given up, or stuck with successfully for over a year or so.
regards
si.
Id like to say I had success.
For me I noticed lighting is the key, when I upped from 150's to 250 with 10K bulbs there really was a change in how healhy they seemed.
Also to check the parameters every week.
After that I found them quite hardy
answered yes, even though only 9 months, but have noticed good growth and colour over the last 6 months. I find the key is keeping on top of the parameters which is where I have failed in the past.
So fingers crossed.
SPS Hoover
28-01-08, 10:52
I have sps which are 5 years old
Si,
Can you perhaps add to your list "keep SPS but had one or two problems along the way but majority has been kept alive".
I keep SPS corals but have had this issues as i am sure others have.
Just a thought.
:)
dark_stranger
28-01-08, 11:02
Only ever purchased one, it bleached so have never tried again. Although that was a couple of yrs ago & am much wiser now {cough}.
Had a few problems at first mainly down to a couple of angels not being as reef-safe as I was led to belive:rolleyes: ( I've learnt my lesson:o ), however since removing them, the softies and upgrading the lighting things are looking much better:) .
Jim
been aiming for a sps tank for a while its still young but have quite good pe and the dull ones are starting to show there potential - give me a couple years and I will be able to see if its been successfull lol
big fat failure for me.
tank is just not right for them
the *****
Hmmm
Have one small acro frag
It varies from brown to bright green and happy depending on water conditions.
Is currently covered in caulerpa but turning green again and growing at the tips.
Seems to be indestructible . lol
seriously, my tank conditions are more lagoon, so sps not something likely to succeed
Tried failed - persisted and now have some frags which look really very healthy although one frag I have had for at least 6 months without any noticable growth at all!!! Gutted.........
Jon
instantsquid
28-01-08, 14:35
My first few "attempts" at keeping SPS didn't go well - I think this was predominantly down to me not realising just how stable the parameters needed to be. In the early days I kept believing things were "about right" - now I realise that the actual values are arguably less important than the stability of those values. I don't strive for elevated levels of Ca/Alk/Mag, but I do ensure these values, along with temperature, salinity and pH are as stable as possible.
Interestingly, my early forays into SPS keeping were when my nutrient levels were at their lowest - 0 (measurable) phosphate, and <5ppm nitrate. These days, both are at levels which would be considered less than ideal (0.08ppm and 25ppm respectively) yet I look to the corals to tell me if they are happy and healthy. Meanwhile I will continue to bring the nutrient levels down, but I no longer get hung up just on what the test kit says.
Kept Montipora Digita under T5's before for a few months with growth and nice colouration before up grading to halides
Twistedpro
28-01-08, 15:27
I have got some SPS that are over 2 years old, although i have been finding novel ways to lose them
jimdon IOM
28-01-08, 16:45
aquired my first ones just over a year ago when I bought the contents of someones tank, they have all done really well. have added to the collection with frags and it looks like it won't be long before I have to start fragging the faster growing ones.
I've had acros for the past 2 months which seem to be growing and holding their colour but far too early to call them a success.
For me I noticed lighting is the key, when I upped from 150's to 250 with 10K bulbs there really was a change in how healhy they seemed.
Thats very nice to hear Dave since yesterday I upgraded from 150 to 250. :thumbsup:
Jeff.
I have kept sps for about 18 months but havnt acheived the colours I would like .everything is growing with some alot faster than others but Im not calling it success untill Im happy with everything so Im not going to put an answer . Im not going to give up tho!
Ocean Corals
28-01-08, 20:19
I have tryed about 4 SPSes and only got 2 left and 1 is going white :( the other is ok so far but i think it will prob die!! but i will not give up!! So i cant really vote as there is only 2 options and neither of them aply to me :(
Paul
Y not add= trying, not getting very far but wont give up :thumbsup:
I kept most of mine for over a year, Without any previous SPS experience
whatsoever, I still woke up each day and checked like they were babies:o
I kept most of mine for over a year, Without any previous SPS experience
whatsoever, I still woke up each day and checked like they were babies:o
:laugh: glad to know i'm not the only one who checks every morning before going out the door to work
Me too! I usually have a quick check on the tank b4 I leave in the morning - however this is largely due to finding I had inherited a nice purple urchin in my live rock, who had a great time knocking corals over in the night. He is out of the tank now but I still check that no corals have fallen over and the fish are all ok! sad hey:laugh:
I've been keeping sps now for about 20mths - made some mistakes along the way as we do......bought unnecessary items as we do.....but after lots of reading and more research I feel I can say that I have a nice successful little sps reef and seem to be able to keep and improve colours. My only prob is I dont like fragging my corals and so I will shortly run out of space and so the quest begins to something a little bigger:) My biggest headache with sps is the unexpected critters that we introduce accidently that cause havoc to our well cared for reefs - eg. the dreaded monti eating nudi's. I experienced these a while back and they caused some damage...... I now have a good look at any new corals prior to introducing them to the tank - unfortuantely cannot afford the cost / space of a quarantine tank...
Roshan:dance:
Interesting (insert geek if you like lol) But in my experience of keeping SPS - After a while you do get to learn about them , watching them rather then testing and relying on Holy grail test kit results which often dont give acurate readings in the first place.
Personally i like to give my tank a good going over with my eyes more than anything else, To me this gives me more information than anything else.. Oh and i check them before the lights go off and also check how they feed at night too.
It may seem daft and very simple but after youve kept them for a while its amazing how acute you become to how they behave and thrive :)
Interesting (insert geek if you like lol) But in my experience of keeping SPS - After a while you do get to learn about them , watching them rather then testing and relying on Holy grail test kit results which often dont give acurate readings in the first place.
Personally i like to give my tank a good going over with my eyes more than anything else, To me this gives me more information than anything else.. Oh and i check them before the lights go off and also check how they feed at night too.
It may seem daft and very simple but after youve kept them for a while its amazing how acute you become to how they behave and thrive :)
Sounds like SPS fettish to me this :p
Same as most I think. Started out with fish and lots of softies, now moving over to more and more LPS n SPS. Having a few problems and a few sucesses. Montipora and one of my SPS's are growing like mad and have fragged both. Have a white acro and pink histerix both of which are struggling. Moved them both this morning closer to the lights in hope of them improving. Now realise fish n urchins like knocking over frags, especially if they are new and delicate. Wish I had room for a fuge and frag tanks.
Halfsleeve
29-01-08, 20:47
Had my plating monti about 9 months it has grown, not as much as a dedicated SPS tank with 400W MH and and a calcium reator but it has grown, just introduced a arcro again I swear its has grown in about 3 weeks, recently started dripping kalk with my DIY kalk dripper, my monti has perked up even more :-), god damn that SPS bug is nipping at my ankles:rolleyes: .
Have a white acro and pink histerix both of which are struggling.
Are you sure the acro is not dead?
Jeff.
Banana_tang
29-01-08, 21:08
i am going to give SPS another go, even though i only have T5 tubes. i dont intend to place the corals too low in the tank.
i will keep you posted on my success/failure.
BT
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