hawkfish01 November 15, 2013 Share November 15, 2013 Ive decided to try sps..but in a seperate tank.I have a fluval spec that is not being used... Im going to bring on slowly,i have an evergrow d 120 led for lite,putting in purigen,chempure and maybe phosban into filter chamber.anyone out there that has a sps dominate tank i would like to know what are good "beginner" sps i could try..im looking at trying for 6-7 months and if doing well i may take my lps out of my biocube and my 2 small fish and shrimp and put into the fluval....and get rid of the lps that r too large... Whats uour guys opinion?? Am i crazy to try this or should i gi for it...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neto November 15, 2013 Share November 15, 2013 I successfully keep a few SPS myself on a nano (22 gallon) and it is a challenge, specially with parameter fluctuation. To get there I did lose a ton of frags at first... I will recomend the following: - Strong Lights (D120 is good enough) - Good flow - Stabilize CAL & ALK (420 & 8) & dose these parameters as required but I recomend a 3 head dosing pump for CAL, ALK & Vinegar - Ultra Low Nutrient System (ULNS) state (low nitrates & phosphates) to get here you might need GFO or vinegar or zeovit or chaeto or other methods.. - Run bare bottom or have a very thin layer of sand - A lot of nutrient import (overfeed, good fish load, etc) & export (skimmer, chaeto, etc) - Dose Potassium, Iron & Iodine for coral colors... as needed I am not an expert but I have used the above rules for a while now and I am starting to get some good success. Easy to keep SPS are birdsnests, pocillopora's & digitata's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Puckstable November 15, 2013 Share November 15, 2013 It's harder to successfully keep sps in a smaller tank due to fluctuations. It can be done but it's a challenge. Try it you may be really good at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfish01 November 15, 2013 Author Share November 15, 2013 I figured that..if i do it,im not completely in dark... I do have a skimmer and could use if needed.. Im aware of the flux in small tanks,i have a 14 gal lps dominate tank with shrimp and 2 small fish..my duncan has 5-6 heads and is growing 3-4 more;ive had it a year to 11/2 years...i know sps r much harder than lps due to needed pristine conditions, but i think im ready...saltie for 2-21/2 years.. Thought i would try 3-4 frags to see how well they do.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime November 15, 2013 Share November 15, 2013 I agree, see if you can do it. Start with easier frags of things, like birdsnest and then move up if you can keep it going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfish01 November 15, 2013 Author Share November 15, 2013 Thats what im thinkin too..start easy then try harder ones... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miggs76 November 16, 2013 Share November 16, 2013 Montiporas are pretty easy sps and they look good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supernova26 November 16, 2013 Share November 16, 2013 (edited) If you have a small tank you will have success with regular water changes and no need to worry about dosing anything other then maybe calc and alk. By regular I mean a bit more often then the usual once a month deal Edited November 16, 2013 by Supernova26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfish01 November 20, 2013 Author Share November 20, 2013 I always change water every week;5 gal spec so prob 2 gal change... Also somewhat silly ? to ask..how long should i allow for cycle if only putting in sps?? I will be using "dead" rock and "live" sand plus some changeout water from my biocube.. When i set up this weekend;hopefully,waiting for a replacement part for my heater(mount)... Using d120 led lite for this setting will be prob about 50% on the whites to allow for acclimation if needed.. Pice will be posted after set up..also gound out in-tank will have a media holder for this tank 1st part of december(yaaa) until then homemade... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfish01 November 20, 2013 Author Share November 20, 2013 Silly fingers:pics posted and found out ... What can i say..fingers still asleep??... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2nhle November 20, 2013 Share November 20, 2013 yes, you should allow for cycle. test your water regularly. My monti and birdnest grow slowly at first but now they are growing too fast now. the monti sticks to any rock i put it on without any glue within 3 or 4 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime November 20, 2013 Share November 20, 2013 If you're not in a hurry, let it cycle for a while. I started a nano about a month and a half ago, and I have just been cycling it with dry rock. I've been ghost feeding with pellets to get the cycle started, but I'm not in any rush. Mine will be bare bottom, and probably skimmerless. I'm going to start easy with zoas, and then try some easy SPS, like you. Just water changes and good flow, and I believe I can make it happen. Why not go the suggested Tony Vargas route, if you have the patience, and do 90 days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfish01 November 20, 2013 Author Share November 20, 2013 Thats what im doing too;dry rock so no nasty pests;also skimmerless but with thin sand bottom..targeting january mtg to be ready for some frags..might move my zoas to this tank from biocube..candys and browns.. Going to try to do a "peninsula"effect on rockwork(notice i said try) and i would like a clam or maybe a nem in the far future...so many possibilities...8) id go bb but i dont like the look....reminds me too much of a discus tank..circulation will be stock pump supplemented by koralia 240...might snitch a couple pcs of live rock from bros 40...no pests(astonishingly;might be the cb shrimp he has)may start a build thread with this puppy..never really did one with other tanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt November 20, 2013 Share November 20, 2013 So funny...I've got a 5.5g and a d120 waiting for me to get the rest ready for a build. I'm planning to keep SPS too. Check nano-reef.com for some ideas...RC has pico/nano threads too with SPS. If you haven't kept sps before, then anything will be an experiment. I plan to use frags from my bigger tank in case early efforts don't work as well as planned. Bridsnest are easy in that they grow fast, but I think they're particularly sensitive and may not like fluctuations like you'll see in a tank this size. One might serve as your 'canary in the cole mne' though. Look into montipora, but you may find that d120 will crank out too much light given such a shallow tank (I have that concern too). You might want to start with something like a green slimer and similar 'cheap' acros frags. And if you pack the thing...then you may end up having to dose two-part or add kalk to your top-off water. Slower growers may work out best for both of us given there isn't much water volume to help with shifting CA/ALK levels and coral demands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfish01 November 20, 2013 Author Share November 20, 2013 Prob not going to pack..saw a nice spec v with sps lps clam zoas on nano reef forum...was gorg.... Peninsula rockwork so could keep both panes clean and have view of both sides and front..plan on pulling some of my frags from biocube slowly..my cup coral zoas toadstool (would take back corner near output nozzle,i can adjust the height on my d120 because im using a hanging plant chain in the ceiling versus a mount bracket on/near tank...cant wait to get started this weekend..just waiting for new heater bracket from cobalt.. Then the fun(and grey hairs) can begin.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfish01 November 20, 2013 Author Share November 20, 2013 Yeah..i thought about a small nest to be a canary,itll tell me "yo,sumtin not cool here!" And i have my duncan and gorgonias too..not sure who will go where yet..may have some for trade when said and done,who knows...8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt November 20, 2013 Share November 20, 2013 so mixed reef? if you go heavy on slime shedding corals you may want to think about proportion of those to sps. I've tried to avoid that, but others seem to have had success. carbon, purigen using maybe??? dunno crap, who was it that won yhsublime's big tank in the first raffle at ReefEscape and then donated it back to WAMAS...I think they had TOTM on nano-reef and we both might want to pick their brain at some point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfish01 November 20, 2013 Author Share November 20, 2013 Dipg has a nice mixed reef done on a fluval edge 6 gal..check nano-reef forum.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime November 20, 2013 Share November 20, 2013 so mixed reef? if you go heavy on slime shedding corals you may want to think about proportion of those to sps. I've tried to avoid that, but others seem to have had success. carbon, purigen using maybe??? dunno crap, who was it that won yhsublime's big tank in the first raffle at ReefEscape and then donated it back to WAMAS...I think they had TOTM on nano-reef and we both might want to pick their brain at some point Dipg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfish01 November 20, 2013 Author Share November 20, 2013 Theres also some nano vids on u tube for ideas too.....as well as diy vids for mods on stock lights etc...there was one on there of a gorg peninsula rockworked spec.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt November 20, 2013 Share November 20, 2013 Theres also some nano vids on u tube for ideas too.....as well as diy vids for mods on stock lights etc...there was one on there of a gorg peninsula rockworked spec.... Happen to have a link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfish01 November 21, 2013 Author Share November 21, 2013 I just plugged in "fluval spec v reef" into the search feature...lots of nice tanks and how tos...8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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