From LPS to SPS....

[mikeguerrero]

I'm taking the plunge to cross over to SPS. After giving it a lot of thought and talking to my LFS I decided. Monitpora the dark green and the light blue ones caught my eye.

My tank being that it's really small will be able to cater to a really full reef. As you can place them so close together without worry of the sweeping tentacles.

I will be saying good by to Mr plate coral and Mr Frog spawn. My LFS wants to see pics of them and he's going to give me credit for them.

My nano is going to look so different from past pics and from other nano cube users; it will be exciting.

Any thoughts or concerns please share with me !!!!!!

thanks,

Mike

 

[incysor]

You'll probably need to increase your flow significantly. Otherwise I think with your lights You'll probably do fine. Just because something is SPS doesn't mean that it can't extend tentacles and whatnot to fight it's neigbors. Check this out.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthrea ... t=fighting

I would also go through these carefully before pulling your LPS. Honestly I think the chances of this turning out to be a very frustrating move are high. Doesn't mean you can't do it successfully, but I don't think it's going to be as easy as removing the LPS and replacing them with SPS. Something that might make increasing your flow easier in this small a tank would be going barebottom, so you don't have to worry about stirring up the sandbed in such a small space.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthrea ... did=421812

B

 

[mikeguerrero]

Thanks for the insight Brian.

Have you seen the extra rio 90 I placed in the chamber 1 of my cube? It opposes the current from the other side and creates awesome current at the bottom.

In fact, my sand bed has created craters from the blast of more current. My only concern is perfect water quality.

Since my tank is mature, remember I've been running my live rock and live sand since march of last year I think I'll be okay mature wise.

However, I took a major hit with the uncured live rubble. Brian my tank is finally cured I got zero readings in everything so I'm happy but with of course the loss of my xenia, small shrimp and star polyps not wanting to come out.

I have not and will not add any SPS untill my water parameters are at the right conditions that reef central has given me.

Mike

 

[incysor]

Hmmm.....I reread my post, and I want it to be clear that I didn't mean to imply that you're not gonna be successful at this. I don't think you'll have ANY issues with water quality. The fact that you've kept such a healthy looking tank means that you're used to maintaining very good parameters. I think the main issues with trying to keep a variety of SPS in any nano tank are the lights, and the current. You've got a ton of light over yours, but it's all PC light, and may still not provide the right light for many SPS species. I haven't kept SPS because my PC lights were simply too weak. I do know that you CAN keep several species under the amount of PC lights you have, I'm just not knowledgeable enough about the different SPS species to know which ones might be more of a problem.

Everything I have read about SPS points to needing alternating/chaotic strong currents. However they generally state that you can't have the corals too close to the PH, or it's too strong for them. I think this may be somewhat difficult to accomplish totally enclosed in the nanocube. It's hard to judge how much current a couple PH are generating, in someone elses setup, even if you have used them before.

Basically Mike, I think you definitely can create a thriving SPS tank the size of a nanocube. I also think that actually doing so in a nanocube with it's hood intact is gonna be tricky, but I'm betting that you'll figure it out.

B

 

[mikeguerrero]

Thanks B,

It's going to be very challanging. But I want to take that challange. I will hopefully not make too many mistakes since I have all of you guys as support.

I feel as a reefer of a nano cube, I went too big with my LPS. Had I thought it over, I'd do it like Dragon is showing nanoangel.

I feel the world of SPS is gorgeous and rare in nano reefs. I want to be one of the few that venture this route. And since I have more PC power than the average cube, it gives me a small advantage.

Also as anal retentive as I am, I'm going to create a killer cube that you guys will be proud of and guess what, it will be seen here first before any other site, because of you guys.

My lfs told me I should give it a try since I have all the material to try. Salifert test kits, refractormeter, upgraded light and a lot of trial and error.

Mike

 

[opihi]

Hi Mike,
I think your choice of starter SPS is a good one. For a nano tank, i suggest sticking with the digitatas. a capricornus could look cool, but prepare to do a lot of trimming as these grow FAST and you'll soon end up with real estate problems all over again.

my suggestions for acropora for a nano would be the deep water species (especially if you're using 50/50 PCs), "bushy" type growth patterns like cerealis, milleporas, etc. i'd be wary of staghorns and other branching types of acropora. they'll get too big for our little tanks.

M2C, GL!

jeff

 

[mikeguerrero]

Hey Opi,

Man thanks for the info, I've made a copy of all your suggestions. I'm really excited about the possibility of going SPS over my LPS. I love LPS, but have realized it's better and easier with a 20 gallon tank or larger.

Had I kept my pieces really small like frags, I would be happier and probably wouldn't migrate to SPS.

I still have to get my water parameters perfect. My ammonia is 0 mg/L but my nitrite is still reading a little under .1 ppm and my Nitrate is at 15 ppm. My salinity has finally risen to 1.023, it's always been lower. And I finally tested my PH and its inbetween 8.0 - 8.1. Then I tested my DKH and Alkalinity I got 11.2 for DKH and 4.0 for my Alkalinity.

I know my DKH and Alk is higher than normal. So I will be watching water parameters a lot closer than before. Once everything is more stable I'll start the process.

Mike

 

[opihi]

Mike,
Sorry for the late response, and maybe your plans have changed, but i just wanted to mention a few things.

1) if you're planning on going w/ SPS try to get that salinity closer to 1.025. also, if you don't have a refractometer, i'd suggest one when going with SPS. they have specific requirements and swing arm hydrometers are notoriously inaccurate.

2) are you testing for CA?

3) i'm sure you know, but keeping SPS is tougher than LPS. perhaps another alternative is to stock LPS species that don't take up as much room like Caulastrea, Blastomussa, favites, etc.

jeff

 

[Narkon'n'more]

Take note from Brians link that you don't want Hydnophora. It is well know that it is a very aggressive coral.

I would do a small mix of digitatas and some LPS like candy cane, frag of favia, blasto, acan. All small frags of them of course.

Maybe an encrusting monti also. Since it is a small tank, you might go with waiting until you can get a red polyp blue dante or a rainbow encrusting monti. Get a small rock with the christmas tree worms.

You can do it, just stay on top of it.

 

[mikeguerrero]

I'm interested in the christmas tree worms encrusted in a coral. Will it be okay with my 6 line wrasse. He's always hunting pods.

Mike

 

[incysor]

I'm interested in the christmas tree worms encrusted in a coral. Will it be okay with my 6 line wrasse. He's always hunting pods.

Mike

Yep, it should be fine.

B