I need help with sps
- Thread starter snowmansnow
- Start date
Wow ,I feel you might just be over doing it . I always have problems when I chase numbers. I would back off dosing anything other than alk and cal. I have seen people that added products like Brightwell that are “trace elements” and after icp tests found they were high on metals. Some of the nicest tanks are very simplistic.
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Hi Goulet (robert?)
No I really believe in my case it has been a case of singing ALK.
It is a lesson in the evolution of a system really. When I set up the tank I had a lot of SPS.. I think I had 62 decent sized ones in there at one point haha... its a 80g shallow so it was pretty packed. I had a tornado come through the area and lost power a long while. As a result I had some die off. What I failed to do was adjust my reactors and such to the new lower alk uptake and as a result I believe I experienced swings that had previously been non-existent.
Over the last few weeks what I've done is keep a much closer eye on my ALK level and I've been using saturated kalk in my top off to keep those levels much more stable. Color is definitely better in the SPS I have left, and my LPS seem to be more than fine.
Several people have suggested a send off water test, and that may be in the future, but for now I believe the issue has been resolved by maintaining a steadier ALK with a supply that more matches my demand.
Of course I plan on things growing so now I'm calling into question whether or not I need to sell the CaRx I want to sell haha.. so if you're considering that one you need to hit me before I change my mind ! ha
In my limited experience sps aren't THAT hard to keep. The challenge lies in stability and not really in specific narrowly defined parameters. I have had a nice sps system before and those numbers were probably a far cry from what most would shoot for, but its where the numbers fell and were most stable, and as a result I experienced really nice growth and success.
So, lesson learned again. Keep levels stable, and keep an eye on the demand you have vs the input.
No I really believe in my case it has been a case of singing ALK.
It is a lesson in the evolution of a system really. When I set up the tank I had a lot of SPS.. I think I had 62 decent sized ones in there at one point haha... its a 80g shallow so it was pretty packed. I had a tornado come through the area and lost power a long while. As a result I had some die off. What I failed to do was adjust my reactors and such to the new lower alk uptake and as a result I believe I experienced swings that had previously been non-existent.
Over the last few weeks what I've done is keep a much closer eye on my ALK level and I've been using saturated kalk in my top off to keep those levels much more stable. Color is definitely better in the SPS I have left, and my LPS seem to be more than fine.
Several people have suggested a send off water test, and that may be in the future, but for now I believe the issue has been resolved by maintaining a steadier ALK with a supply that more matches my demand.
Of course I plan on things growing so now I'm calling into question whether or not I need to sell the CaRx I want to sell haha.. so if you're considering that one you need to hit me before I change my mind ! ha
In my limited experience sps aren't THAT hard to keep. The challenge lies in stability and not really in specific narrowly defined parameters. I have had a nice sps system before and those numbers were probably a far cry from what most would shoot for, but its where the numbers fell and were most stable, and as a result I experienced really nice growth and success.
So, lesson learned again. Keep levels stable, and keep an eye on the demand you have vs the input.
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kzoo, if you're responding to me I agree. Simple is a VERY good trend to follow. At the most I dose very VERY little other than an alk / ca source. I will use some coral food or amino once in a while, but I've found even these eventually will lead to some sort of adverse affect if not stopped BEFORE the adverse affect becomes apparent (I guess that makes sense haha).
As of now I've light, kalk, flow, a skimmer, and a bunch of water
pretty simple.
One of the things I've learned over the years is that chasing numbers is almost always detrimental. Yes, we need a particular RANGE of parameters, but chasing a specific number is crazy. I've also seen that in order to be successful you have to be proactive in what is going on. For instance, by the time you notice RTN it is too late. The damage has been done and you're playing catch up. By the time algae pops up you've already crossed the uptake vs input NO3 threshold and you're trying to rectify an issue. Constantly playing "fix it" is a recipe for disaster long term. I think observation and patience are the reefers greatest tools. A blue thumb for what is happening based on these observations and the wisdom to gently steer the system in the correct direction is key. (this is why my current tank has had some issues... it is in the basement and I honestly just don't see it as much as I have seen previous tanks, or I'm certain I'd have averted my issues thus far). I try to think of reef keeping as just keeping a big glass full of water that I have to keep within certain parameters. The corals and fish will thrive if that big glass tank full of water is maintained properly. It's just a big square of liquid with a lung on the top
As of now I've light, kalk, flow, a skimmer, and a bunch of water
pretty simple.One of the things I've learned over the years is that chasing numbers is almost always detrimental. Yes, we need a particular RANGE of parameters, but chasing a specific number is crazy. I've also seen that in order to be successful you have to be proactive in what is going on. For instance, by the time you notice RTN it is too late. The damage has been done and you're playing catch up. By the time algae pops up you've already crossed the uptake vs input NO3 threshold and you're trying to rectify an issue. Constantly playing "fix it" is a recipe for disaster long term. I think observation and patience are the reefers greatest tools. A blue thumb for what is happening based on these observations and the wisdom to gently steer the system in the correct direction is key. (this is why my current tank has had some issues... it is in the basement and I honestly just don't see it as much as I have seen previous tanks, or I'm certain I'd have averted my issues thus far). I try to think of reef keeping as just keeping a big glass full of water that I have to keep within certain parameters. The corals and fish will thrive if that big glass tank full of water is maintained properly. It's just a big square of liquid with a lung on the top
