getting into sps's

[aaron]

after visiting a few fellow reefers houses and seeing their setups i would like to try my hand at some sps corals.
Before i run out and buy a whole bunch of frags i was wondering if you guys could let me know if my system is suitable for them or if i am pushing sh#t uphill with a pointy stick. - if you now what i mean.
I have a 60 Gal tank probably about 30inches deep, Turbo flotor 1000 skimmer, 1x 175W 10K MH light and two actinic pcs, tank has been running for two years and everything but my zoo's are happy (zoo's happiness is a mystery to me) Everything tests perfect. Only other concern is i seem to have a diatom problem at the moment but i'm hoping the new skimmer will sort that out.
What are some easy corals that would stand a chance of survival in this setup?
Aaron

 

[ShaunW]

What I would do if starting over with SPS:
1. No sand bed, go bare bottom, or just a thin covering over the glass.
2. Over-rated Ca reactor.
3. Alot of flow within the tank.
4. Over-rated skimmer, that produces wet skimmate.
5. Salinity 1.025, Ca 400, Alk 8, nitrate 0, phosphate 0, temp ranging from 78-82 (but whatever temp you chose do not allow it to diverge by more than 1 degree C). These specifications need to be keep constant at all times.
6. Have a chiller or make sure the tank doesn't over heat in the summer.
7. Use bioassy salt (has great buffering capacity).

That is just the tip of the iceburg. Maybe start with a few M. caps and montepora sp. and easy, fast growing acros.

 

[House of Laughter]

I started with Digitata and they worked out well for me. I have tons of it now

House

 

[jackson6745]

Aaron, what are the exact dimensions of the tank?

 

[stingnyc]

Hi Aaron,

How's the horrida gave you? lmk

-Steve

 

[aaron]

hey Steve, its still alive (I think)
The skimmer is having a difficult installation - i have to swap sumps on my two tanks to get it to fit. Should all be sorted out this weekend.

Jackson, I have a triangular tank, two faces are 30" the long side is 44" and its 24" deep. Its a challenge working with it, but Sean from aquatic creations gave it to me for free so i cant complain.

 

[House of Laughter]

sounds like the tank is about 80 gallons - and having sharp corners like that is not easy to get flow into (trust me, I have a corner tank).

What else is needed is your setup info - lighting, construction (meaning, do you have a sand bed a plenum, or if you're just using the Berlin skimming method?) How much live rock, livestock etc. Since it is a system, all this info is needed to best assess if keeping sps would be successful.

House

 

[aaron]

My lighting is 1x 175W metal halide 10,000K and 2xCF actinics (that really need replacing) Not sure how much rock i have in there now, but it fills about half of the tanks volume, and a thin layer of sand on the bottom. I have a small 10Gal sump (due to space limitations under the stand) which will have the Turboflotor 1000 skimmer. I have a couple of powerheads for flow focusing on the two sharp corners.
Livestock includes large purple tip anemone, two saddle clowns, yellow tang, and a yellow shrimp gobie. Also have a couple of leather corals, some colt coral, kenya trees and zoos (that are mysteriously a little unhappy at the moment)
Aaron