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SPS, LPS, Softie, huh??

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jbera View Drop Down
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    Posted: February 20 2006 at 7:56pm

Ok, Newbie question:

I have about a dozen different "corals" in my tank and they all seem to be doing OK.  4 Anemone, 3 Zoos, 1 Mushroom, and a couple other unindentified "soft looking" corals.  I have specifically stayed away from anything that looks "hard" because I was worried about lighting and calcium.   I am now ready to take the next step and begin adding some "other" corals but I really don't know what the difference is between SPS and LPS, what qualifies as a SPS LPS or Softie, and what their general needs are. I hope someone could shed a little light, so to speak, on the subject.  Thanks

14g Micro-reef & 29g Cichlid Tank
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gahlenfr Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 20 2006 at 8:17pm

Checkout this website for some great info with pictures and explanations.

http://www.melevsreef.com/29g.html

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ryanj Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2006 at 12:06am

SPS stand for small polyp stony, LPS is large polyp stony, and Softy is obvious.  Some LPS are decieveing because you would think they are soft because their polyps are big and fluffy.  The only way to know if something is lps is to see its skeletion, which is hard therefore classifying it as a hard coral, or to just know which is which.  SPS are really easy to tell apart too because they are branch like and don't sway in the water.  They have really tiny polyps all over them and the coral itself is stiff and ridged. 

Soft corals usually consist of names like mushrooms, ricordias, zoos, star polyps, yellow polyps, zoanthids, leathers, and xenia.  Softies can be kept under minimal light.  Power Compact lights are good for these guys.  I've heard people just use normal output but I bet everyone on here would not recommend it. 

LPS are frogspawn, fungia, hammer, blastos, brains, moons, to name a few.  LPS require more powerful lighting, but they don't need to be under super intense lighting.

SPS have two really common types montipora (monti) and acropora (acros).  There are tons more but usually when people refer to sps they are talking about these two types.  These guys need tons of lighting and tons of flow.

Go to a fish store and just ask to point out the different types of corals.  I was really confused when I started too, but I really learned what is what when I would just go and check them out at the LFS.

To give us a better idea of what you could keep and what would be some good corals to move on to let us know what kind of lights you have.  Tell us what size of tank you have too and what you have in your tank to produce water movement or flow.  I would say that you could keep most LPS corals if you have power compact lighting.  I wouldn't do SPS because they just require a bunch of care, but some people have a green thumb for them and they grow really well, but they do need more time and attention.

Ryan

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dkle Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2006 at 12:20am
Good overview Ryan.  You hit all of the high points. 

Jbera, may I also suggest that you check out club members' tank to see their setups and the different corals that they keep.  Most people will be more than happy to invite you over to show off their tank.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Suzy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2006 at 8:44am
Excellant descriptions!

But, remember there are zillions of exceptions. In Palettas book
Ultimate Aquariums (I think), the first tank is Sally Jo Headlees tank.
Her tank is lit with VHOs and it has a bit of everything!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ryanj Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2006 at 2:03pm

Agree with both Suzy and Dinhkim.  Exceptions exist everywhere.  Also, I always learn a ton when going to visit others tanks.  This is the best way to see how and set your tank up.  Each person does their tank different, so visiting others is by far the most helpful way to understand how things work.

 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jbera Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2006 at 5:37pm

ryanj,

Thanks for taking the time to explain that.  So here goes, I will try to describe my tank so you can recommend some nice additions.  I'll include a picture too.

It is a 65 gallon tank with no overflows. 
Lighting
4 65w Current USA Sunpaq Retrofit PC, actinic 460nm, actinic 420nm, 10,000k, 8500k, and white moonlights for the night. 

Water Movement
2 ZooMed Oscillating powerheads for movement (one 160gph, and one 270gph)
1 Rio 200 (200gph) for the HOB skimmer
1 ViaAqua 306 w/prefilter (526gph) for the Fluidized Bed Filter and Phosban Reactor.
1 ViaAqua canister filter (210 gph) which passes through a 5w UV Sterilizer before returning to the tank.  
1 HOB Danner Skilter 250 (250 gph) for floss filter and carbon (skilter skimmer is disabled, didn't work for jack).

One Note, I do have a hammer coral but the base has begun to turn white and looks to be eroding away.

Non-Coral Residents
5 Damsels (2 different kind)
1 Roxface Rabit Fish
2 Clown Fish
1 Diamond Goby
1 Yellow Goby (very small)
1 Coral Banded Shrimp
1 Cleaner Shrimp
1 Peppermint Shrimp
6-8 Turbo Snails
30ish Really Small Snails (peanut sized)

 

14g Micro-reef & 29g Cichlid Tank
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jbera Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2006 at 5:41pm
Oh yeah, I just today bought a the stuff for a 250w 12,500k Helios MH.  Probably will put it in some time over the next couple days.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tileman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2006 at 5:43pm
If you ever want to come over and look at my 65g setup, you are more than welcome to. I have a few different types of corals that I could show you.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Suzy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2006 at 6:24pm
Wow! Sounds like you will be able to grow anything you want!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike Savage Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2006 at 6:40pm

Originally posted by tileman tileman wrote:

If you ever want to come over and look at my 65g setup, you are more than welcome to. I have a few different types of corals that I could show you.

Take him up on this! Brad has one of the most GORGEOUS tanks I have ever seen. This is a MUST SEE.



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ryanj Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2006 at 10:23pm

Jbera,

If you get that 250W MH, I would say you are good to go as far as lighting goes.  You should be able to keep any coral under that.  As for your hammer and it "eroding" that may not be due to your lack of light, because it should be okay under those power compacts.  How long have you had that hammer.  On both of my hammer and frogspawn when I bought them, they both kind of died off a bit but then once they acclimated to the tank, they took off.  Be careful when you put that new light on to acclimate you corals to it.  It will be much brighter than what you have now.  Just slowly up the hours you run your lights over the next week or two.

Ryan

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jbera Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2006 at 12:35am

ryanj,
Thanks for the heads up on the lights, I put the 250 on tonight and WOW!!, it's like the tank wasn't even lit before.  I turned it off and it was like the tank was in a dimly lit room.  I set my timer to run it for the full 11 hours my PC were running, bu I'll start at say 4 hours and work it up. 

On the hammer coral, my suspicion is that my alk is WAY too low and that my calcium is also at the bottom the barrel.  My alk is at like 4.7dkh, I have not tested the calcium but since I have never added a suppliment and I RO all my top off water I suspect it is really low too.  Also my salt is really low, I have been adding top off water with an extra high concentration of salt to bring it back up.  Tonight I just started adding B-Ionic 2 part system for alk and calcium as well as Inland Seas Trace minerals suppliment. 

Aside from Ammonia, Nitrate, and Nitrite I haven't really tested anything on this tank, so once I realized my alk and gravity were so low I ordered a bunch of Salifert test kits and an electronic gravity tester.  Hopefully they arrive in the next couple days so I can make sure everything else is in line. 

14g Micro-reef & 29g Cichlid Tank
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ryanj Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2006 at 3:21pm
It sounds like you are on the right track with the way you are going to acclimate the lght and with the test kits.  Bionic is a good product too. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jbera Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2006 at 4:53pm
Lost my foxfaced rabbit fish today, I wonder if it had anything to do with the alk.  Anyone know if that will kill a fish?
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Rocky View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rocky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2006 at 5:06pm

How long did you have the fish in the tank? There could be many different reasons for the loss of your fish, with stress and disease being the most plausible. Do you have that test kit yet? If any of your water parameters are off that could also have led to the death of your fish. Also with adding B-Ionic you have to remember that this can affect the pH in your tank so its a good idea to monitor your pH while adding alk/calk. Looking at the picture of your tank I am wondering if you have enough filtration to handle the bio load you have in your tank...I believe you need to get some more live rock in there.



Edited by Rocky709
Rocky Phillips
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Currently Tankless :(

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jbera Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 23 2006 at 11:51pm

I had the fish for something like 6 months.  Three days ago he stopped eating, two days ago he stopped swimming and just sat on the bottom next to a rock and yesterday the snails and shrimp made a "standing room only" buffet out of him.  I have not received my test kits yet, I hope they come soon. 

Rocky709, I am taking your advice on the live rock.  I had 40 pounds in my 29 gallon tank but didn't get any more when I moved to the 65 gallon tank.  I got another 40 pounds of Carib-Sea reef bones today (some really nice looking peices) and put it in my 20 gallon tank with about 5 pounds of live rock and 20 pounds of live sand.  I am going to treat it daily with Marc Weiss Bacter Vital and hope that it is ready for the main tank in two or three weeks.  I guess we will see.  Anyone know how I should handle the lighting while I am curing/seeding it?  There is nothing currently in the tank but about 40 small snails so I a keeping the light on 24/7.

14g Micro-reef & 29g Cichlid Tank
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