What SPS is Appropriate for This Tank?

[Oscar]

I have had my CadLights running for 1 1/2 years. I have a scattering of soft corals but I would like to start shifting to an SPS dominated tank in the new year. Most of my corals have struggled as I battled algae, poor water flow and mixed results with skimmers.

I have been vacuuming the sand, will be reinstalling my Vortech today, and have a new Euro-reef skimmer arriving next week, and am preparing to go the zeo method after the skimmer is broken in. Currently running carbon and GFO in a reactor.


Dividing the tank in 1/3s by depth what corals are appropriate in each 1/3?
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Here is what I have currently:

frog spawn
pulsing xenia
candy cane
2 favias
zoas
rics

2 clowns
1 yellow goby

total tank volume is 39G with about 30G in the display

150W 14,000K Pheonix hallide
2 X 24w T5s, fuji pink (to be installed later today)
Lights are 4" from the top of the water and 21" from the top of the sand.

Thanks in advance.

[fencer]

You need to bring your light source to 250 watts

[JDigital]

Should be able to keep pretty much anything...

I've got a 150W w/ 2x24W T5's on my 30G (bit higher off the water, but similar depth to the sand) and I'm running a SPS dominant tank.

The only piece I have that seems to be struggling is my Rainbow Stylo.. everything else is growing great and I got plenty of color out of them.

[Oscar]

Should be able to keep pretty much anything...



At any depth?

I was thinking I might have to move some of the softies a little lower and place acropora in the upper 1/3rd. But that is not your experience?

[Ryan]

I agree with JDigital you should be fine with a 150W. I have a 250W HQI on my tank and its ALOT of light for those corals. I keep SPS right on the sand bed (24") and am still seeing good colour and growth.

I used to have 4x 24W T5HO and could keep SPS coloured up and growing up to 2/3rs of the way down.

[Oscar]

I agree with JDigital you should be fine with a 150W. I have a 250W HQI on my tank and its ALOT of light for those corals. I keep SPS right on the sand bed (24") and am still seeing good colour and growth.



Excellent, that will give me lots of flexibility in placing corals. I do not think my current light fixture will handle 250W anyway.

[lorenz0]

why don't you start off with some birdsnest and digitata to test things out. If you have troubles with those consider holding off and making sure your system is stable

[Zoaelite]

why don't you start off with some birdsnest and digitata to test things out. If you have troubles with those consider holding off and making sure your system is stable

+1, go slow with SPS to start try your luck with digi's, birds nest, monti caps and then when your happy with the quality switch to acros and millis. If you want a great starter pack go to Coral Master (Greg) in Calgary.
Levi

[Oscar]

If you want a great starter pack go to Coral Master (Greg) in Calgary.
Levi

Precisely what I had in mind.

[viperfish]

With 150 Watt keep in mind that the higher the colour temperature, the lower the par will be which means less beneficial light. 10Kwith actinic supplement will probably give you the most bang for the buck.

[Myka]

Before you go and install both of those Fiji Purple bulbs you may want to switch one of those for a blue or actinic (I would go with blue in your case so you can get some "extra" PAR out of it). I find the FP to be very pink, and I wouldn't want to supplement my halides with just the FPs...it would be too pink looking imo. Just a thought...

I don't think you will have troubles keeping SPS in your tank at all (just based on your lighting lol). In your upper 1/3 I'm sure you could keep Acros, stylos, etc. Mid 1/3 some lower light Acros, Milles, birds, Montis, etc. Lower 1/3 keep your favourite LPS and some deepwater Acros. Of course all the SPS in the lower sections could also go up higher. Just be careful with any deepwater Acros that you don't overlight them without slow acclimation to the higher position.

For starter SPS I would suggest Milles, Montis, Snappy's rainbow stylo (his is super hardy fast grower). I find Milles are generally quite hardy, but they do take a bit of attention to have nice coloring so they are good for "testing the water". I don't suggest birdnests as starter SPS as many can be finicky. They seem to be the first ones to go with RTN or a tank crash, and seem more susceptible to being overtaken by filamentous algae. They seem to be more sensitive to low alkalinity too.

Be careful making all these new changes to your tank too. My tank had one foot in the crash zone for several weeks after I made too many changes too quickly. Be very careful when you add Zeolites for the first time (if you decide to go the route of Zeovit). I would use 1/4 to 1/2 of the recommended amount at first. The LPS may suffer if you don't.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Out of curiosity, what are you planning for a zeo reactor?

One thing about zeo that I found, is that you really need to get the flow rate right through the stones.

I was considering zeo again for my solana but without a reactor, the flow rate through the back compartments (so running the stones "passively") was much too high and would probably starve the tank killing coral.

Just curious if you have a DIY idea or found a small HOB reactor or something? I was also thinking about using a phosban reactor but then the only real way I could think of to do this is to shake the whole reactor each day...not gonna happen lol.

[Oscar]

I find the FP to be very pink, and I wouldn't want to supplement my halides with just the FPs...it would be too pink looking imo. Just a thought...

Be very careful when you add Zeolites for the first time (if you decide to go the route of Zeovit). I would use 1/4 to 1/2 of the recommended amount at first. The LPS may suffer if you don't.

Thanks Myka. Yes the purple IS purple. It is very noticible when the hallide is off but not at all when the hallide is on.

Yes it sounds like going slowly with the zeolites is the advisable.

[Oscar]

I was considering zeo again for my solana but without a reactor, the flow rate through the back compartments (so running the stones "passively") was much too high and would probably starve the tank killing coral.

I was also thinking about using a phosban reactor but then the only real way I could think of to do this is to shake the whole reactor each day...not gonna happen lol.

I haven't quite got the flow issue figured out yet. The phosban reactor with my carbon would work but I would need to dial down the flow quite a bit. And shaking it sounds like a bit of a pain.

Otherwise somewhere in a media bag that is easy to reach everyday. Not all of the water flows through the same route in the compartments, so that is an option. Also building a basket of some sort to hold the media bag in a convenient spot could work.

This question regarding zeolites and AIO tanks would be a good thread.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

I haven't quite got the flow issue figured out yet. The phosban reactor with my carbon would work but I would need to dial down the flow quite a bit. And shaking it sounds like a bit of a pain.

Otherwise somewhere in a media bag that is easy to reach everyday. Not all of the water flows through the same route in the compartments, so that is an option. Also building a basket of some sort to hold the media bag in a convenient spot could work.

This question regarding zeolites and AIO tanks would be a good thread.

I would be very careful about having it in any media bag or in the back compartments without knowing the flow rate. Maybe only use half the recommended stones if this is the case.

But you can probably get some good advice about your specific system on the zeo forum.

[Oscar]

But you can probably get some good advice about your specific system on the zeo forum.


Comments from: http://www.zeovit.com/forums/showthread.php?p=182926#post182926


Hi Oscar, the maximum zeolite flow rate is 100gph per ltr. of zeolite used. Pro-rate to your net vol. Bob

[Myka]

Fyi, the higher the flow rate (like 100 gph per litre) the more aggressive the Zeolites are.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Fyi, the higher the flow rate (like 100 gph per litre) the more aggressive the Zeolites are.

Yeah this is what I was getting at. I killed off a few corals when I started up because I had the flow rate wrong. It can cause problems very fast which is my concern for running the stones passively in the back of an AIO tank. If you get the flow rate right or on the low side, your ok but if you end up with too much flow, it can be very bad.

[Myka]

I was just trying to clarify what you said. :) I'm dealing with a near meltdown right now partly due to overly aggressive Zeolite use. Not fun.

[Oscar]

I was just trying to clarify what you said. :) I'm dealing with a near meltdown right now partly due to overly aggressive Zeolite use. Not fun.

Thanks for the warning. I have a couple of measured buckets that I can test the phosban reactor flow with before installing in my system.

[bowkry]

when I started my zeo I did the 3 hour on 3 hour off on my reactor for 3 weeks then started running it full time and my tank had no problems changing over.some of my sps that wasnot doing that well turned around right away and growth started pretty rapidly right after the first media change. But I wouldn't run it in a bag in the sump thats why they make reactors. PLus when you change over to zeo I lost all my mushrooms (awsome) my xenia growth slowed way down, but sps took off.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Thanks for the warning. I have a couple of measured buckets that I can test the phosban reactor flow with before installing in my system.

Yeah this works then. Just a pain to shake the reactors each day but I am still thinking of doing the same thing.

when I started my zeo I did the 3 hour on 3 hour off on my reactor for 3 weeks then started running it full time and my tank had no problems changing over.some of my sps that wasnot doing that well turned around right away and growth started pretty rapidly right after the first media change. But I wouldn't run it in a bag in the sump thats why they make reactors. PLus when you change over to zeo I lost all my mushrooms (awsome) my xenia growth slowed way down, but sps took off.

When I started up, I lost a bunch of LPS and my SPS took off.

[Myka]

Thanks for the warning. I have a couple of measured buckets that I can test the phosban reactor flow with before installing in my system.

Good idea. I was just running mine in the sump. The guys on the Zeo forums said it would be ok. Maybe ok for the SPS...but the LPS had a panic attack! :eek: I pulled my Zeolites, and I am trying to baby the LPS back to life. I haven't decided whether I will try to add the Zeolites again in the future. My LPS are important to me!