Want to learn about keeping colorful SPS? Read this.

[acroholic]

I ran across this thread on Reef Central, which features some heavy hitters commenting on how you maintain color in SPS corals. There is an excellent article quoted in this thread written by John Coppolino (Copps), who has one of the most colorful SPS tanks I have ever seen, just busting with large Marine Angels. Randy Holmes Farley and a couple writers from Reefkeeping Magazine also comment in this thread.

Anyone with the slightest interest in SPS corals would find this informative. It is a great and informative read, packed with information in only three pages. Our own Mysterybox (Ralph) also posts in this thread.

 

[1mbrews8]

thx!

 

[containerman1]

Thank you for sharing

 

[reeferman]

great read Dave,thanks.

 

[midas]

Great info, thank you for sharing

 

[acroholic]

I especially like the comment saying that it is not what you add to the system (read additives) that makes the sps colorful, but what you remove that encourages color.

 

[reeferman]

thats how ive always approached it,i believe i remember having this conversation today!hehehe

 

[ralph atl]

Acroholic;797731 wrote: I especially like the comment saying that it is not what you add to the system (read additives) that makes the sps colorful, but what you remove that encourages color.

Dave, that is exactly correct...besides adding Alk, and Calcium, and sometimes mag, removing nutrients is King and Queen...lol

(Go Irish, taking a 5 minute break, lol)

While I dose vodka/vinegar to add bacteria to remove nutrients, I have to use use chemi-clean every 3-6 months or so for cyno....it's a bacteria that also feeds on VV....

Two days ago, I dosed chemi clean (6 months since last dose), I removed my carbon, and for some stupid reason I followed the directions and removed GFO (which i never did before) in just 2 days.....Algae has appeared....of course, I restarted all today after a 40% water change...(and I change Rox Carbon and HC GFO every 7-10 days).....since I started using nutramar Ova, phates are difficult to control, but my newbies are eating it like love....lol

Removing nutrients through GFO, Carbon, Carbon dosing or the like, plus weekly water changes.....plus high random flow & high Par lighting, will get continuous growth.....

Just sayin'....

 

[ralph atl]

And be cautious of cyclo-peeze! Nutramar Ova, and Rods, albeit they are awesome feeding your mandarins, pipefish, corals, etc, they also feed phosphates extremely well and you will start to see Hydroids......things that sting.....

I rescued a mandarin from a Lfs some time ago (over a year or two)....in poor health, and I had it eating PE Mysis...almost fully recovered......last week I noticed its fins frail again, arggggggg....that's why I increased nutramar Ova.....that stuff murders GFO, though.....lol.

 

[phishfoodie]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[krcraig1]

A lot of great info. Thanks for passing along!

 

[jef4y]

I thought the early on reply of "well, I didn't get an answer in this thread" in the RC thread was hilarious. People want magic bullets but fail to realize that it's sometimes simpler than an additive, but requires a different approach.

Personally, my SPS sort of lacks color. I have some "okay" color, but nothing that is just absolutely stunning like some of the tanks/pics I see. And most recently I've had my massive green monti (14" or so?) start bleaching. I wasn't sure what the cause was for the bleaching so I dimmed my lights a bit to see if that would help (MM with 60 deg optics ~18" above the monti). They used to peak at 65% and I backed off to 50%. Without a par meter though I'm just guessing. I could easily be going in the wrong direction. =(

 

[fishlips]

Good info.Correct me if im wrong,John, the guy that was tank of the month,with all those bright sps pics on RC. For lighting, he use;s mh with supplementry lighting.How many here are still with mh.

 

[snowmansnow]

A lot

 

[falos]

Acroholic;797731 wrote: I especially like the comment saying that it is not what you add to the system (read additives) that makes the sps colorful, but what you remove that encourages color.

+1 if you cant git the crap out why add more