Initiating Sps

Hello so I've been slowly removing most of my leathers to focus on more challenging corals....I've been keeping my parameters stable with calc and ph at optimal levels and my salinity at 1.025.....I've been keeping a few lps for about 2 months and even an sps for a month with great success

Green birdsnest close up

• Ernest Sacco
• Jun 11, 2018

Because of this stability and success I wanted to continue venturing into some sps and lps...after doing some research I found this beginner sps package from world wide corals that looked great....I clicked on the link and 99 dollars for 5 frags seemed like a great deal and I went forward....well after the order shipped I realised that they had discontinued the beginner sps frag pack and despite it being labeled as "easy" on the website I got the normal pack and now am in the process of unpacking some unintended corals that I fear I won't care for properly....they sent me a
Starburst monti
Sunfire monti
King kiwI acro
Garf bansaI acro
Purple cap monti
I want to keep them and my tank is stable and aged it's just I would really appreciate any advice on placement and exact care to ensure their survival....on their website they say all of these are easy to care for again but I don't buy it...I do weekly water changes with red sea pro salt and ro water as well as dose for calc and alk of which my numbers are good for sps the last time I checked

 

Giving this a bump up for you

 

So, your montI aren’t going to be impossible; they’re pretty good choices for beginner SPS. While pristine water quality is important, you’re going to need good flow and lighting; moderate to high flow is preferable with moderate to high lighting too (usually want to shoot for 250-400 PAR).

Now the acros are a whole other beast; they are difficult to keep. High flow (non-linear and random) and high lighting are needed (at least 500 PAR; personally, I’ve yet to find an LED that has been able to support one as well as my MH. And they look really good and seem to do better under 20K).

 

So, your montI aren’t going to be impossible; they’re pretty good choices for beginner SPS. While pristine water quality is important, you’re going to need good flow and lighting; moderate to high flow is preferable with moderate to high lighting too (usually want to shoot for 250-400 PAR).

Now the acros are a whole other beast; they are difficult to keep. High flow (non-linear and random) and high lighting are needed (at least 500 PAR; personally, I’ve yet to find an LED that has been able to support one as well as my MH. And they look really good and seem to do better under 20K).

The montis all seem to be doing well along with surprisingly the garf acro.....the kiwI doesn't seem to be doing as well though when I got him he already was quite muted in color....I've been monitoring them all and in terms of flow I have it on pulsing wave....my parameters are all within the sps range so time will tell how this goes

 

Sorry, I just found this!

The montis all seem to be doing well along with surprisingly the garf acro.....the kiwI doesn't seem to be doing as well though when I got him he already was quite muted in color....I've been monitoring them all and in terms of flow I have it on pulsing wave....my parameters are all within the sps range so time will tell how this goes

So... how's it going?

 

Sorry, I just found this!

So... how's it going?

Not well sadly....the recent heat wave came about and set off a series of poor events...also I finally managed to rid myself of my hair algae problem but in turn my water oxygen levels went out of whack...I lost my six line wrasse and most of the small sps frags I was attempting....the only one left is the leptoseris who despite nearly going white seems to be gaining its color back...as for the acros and montis they didnt stick ...and then my emerald crab decided to munch on the birdsnest....it was just a series of hits....

On the brighter side my lps are all doing great with the neon hammers growing as well as a candy cane and blastomussa...and my tank rid itself of hair algae so now the rock work is clean and being covered in coraline algae....
I'm planning on getting some more lps and maybe another birdsnest in a few months if the lepto recovers and my paramaters remain stable

2 steps forward one step back but thank you for checking in

 

That's a shame. There are always ups and downs in the hobby, so I'm really glad you're seeing the bright side. Big win on the algae battle, so congrats!

Eeek! I'd be re-homing the crab. No coral munchers in my tank.

I have had a little luck with my few SPS, though not with all of them to be sure. The birdsnest though, that's a hardy coral and a great grower for me. I'd definitely go with that when you're ready to try SPS again.