Which SPS For The Bottom Of The Tank? – 09/06/07
Merry September WWM crew!
<<Greeting! And I do hope it starts to cool down soon...temps still running in the mid-90s here in South Carolina!>>
I hope you all are doing well and had a lovely holiday weekend.
<<Ah yes...thank you>>
I hate to bother you with yet again another question, however, it has been bothering me lately and I've learned that if I want a good answer this is the place to go.
<<Well let’s hope I can live up to the legacy! [grin]>>
This concerns my 90 gallon reef that I am sure Eric is familiar with (hopefully).
<<Oh...Hey Sebastian...is Eric here again!>>
I have an SPS dominated tank, 24" deep. My lighting consists of an Aqualight pro 2x150w MH and 2x96w PC actinic. The MH lights are 10,000K Coralife bulbs that came with the unit. They sit on top of the tank about 4 inches above the water on the Aqualegs that came with the unit. Originally I had thought about placing a few SPS on the top half of the aquarium and figured that would be enough light, however, I find myself wanting to purchase more SPS corals and I am wondering what species you think I could keep on the lower part of the tank that would fare well with this lighting?
<<I think you will find that most all the “SPS” species commonly available to the hobby will “fare” well at most any depth in this display. The primary difference you will see is in the color and/or color intensity of some SPS corals based on the intensity of the light they receive, but most all will live/survive just fine at the lower depths of your system. Purposely feeding the corals will also have an impact on their appearance and overall health and is my recommendation regardless of how much light they receive/where they are placed in the system. As for specific species some folks feel Montipora do better at lower light levels than many Acropora, but I still find that they show better coloration at the same intense light levels as commonly provided for Acros>>
I thought about maybe replacing the actinic bulbs with daylight bulbs or 50/50 bulbs, you think this would help any?
<<Some...maybe...(Daylight <6500K> bulbs will help the most)>>
I do not want to purchase a 250 watt unit and spend more money on this thing.
<<And I don’t think you need to>>
Do you have any advice?
<<Indeed I do... Experimentation. Every system is different (water clarity/chemistry, bulb intensity/efficiency, etc.), try placing a few SPS corals at the lower depths and observe how they fare/what changes (if any) occur...you may discover your current lighting scheme is more adequate than you realize>>
Thanks again for all the help and assistance you provide
Sebastian
<<A pleasure to share... Eric Russell>>

Water Movement/First SPS - 10/13/06
Hello,
<<Howdy>>
I would like to try some SPS corals.  I have kept leathers, torch and hammer corals for a few years now along with some Xenia so I think I would like to graduate to some SPS now.
<<Please do try to research the individual species you are interested in for their care requirements>>
I just added 2 Tunze Turbelle 6060 to my 125 gallon reef.
<<Great pumps>>
They are set about half way up the side set diagonally to intersect the return from my sump with is from a 1500gph pump.
<<Sounds good>>
Is this too much flow?
<<You tell me...how are your corals reacting?  But generally speaking no, I don't think it is too much flow if applied correctly>>
The Turbelle pumps are rated at 1600gph each.  My leather corals, Torch etc. are all opened and seem fine.
<<Ah...well there's your answer then...>>
The fish seem to enjoy it.
<<Indeed they do>>
Additionally what SPS can you recommend for my first endeavor... Thank You,
John
<<Hmm...the fact you have noxious soft corals and aggressive LPS already in the tank puts you at a disadvantage already in my opinion.  Not that mixing families/species of coral can't be/isn't done...but it does make keeping all happy more challenging...and difficult in the long term.  But that aside, give your hand a try with some Montipora digitata.  This SPS coral can be found in varying colors and is a bit more "forgiving" in terms of environment/care than many of the Acropora species, in my opinion.  Regards, EricR>>

SPS Frags
Hello folk on plugs, a quick question if I may. My LFS has some nice SPS frags, but always attached to "plugs".
<yes...very handy>
I would rather have the frags unattached, as they are easier to place with glue onto some of the live rock in my tank.
<fine if you prefer... but it really is a dreadful idea unless you have an enormous tank and/or space you corals glued with consideration for very long term growth. Most aquarists make the mistake of placing corals (glued or nor) within 10"of each other which causes problems with aggression in just a year or two. A very short plan/vision. And so... to prevent having sparse looking tank for that year or two... plugs placed in drilled holes in the rock or between the rocks allows for easy extraction later if fast growth demands it between competitive species>
What is the best way to remove them - break/cut them, or attempt to file down the plug?
<you can simply take a rotary blade tool (Dremel) or hack saw and separate the two if you like>
I can't figure out how one could mount frags onto live rock if they are attached to a plug, unless one attempts to put them between rocks, or drills a hole in the rock. Thanks, Steve
<best regards, Anthony>

SPS frags  3/8/03
Would it be possible if someone on your end could post for me? I am in desperate NEED of any Acropora/Montipora - SPS frags and no one around here seems to carry them (just entire colonies for $80 or so) and all i really need are a few tiny frags. I'd love to be above to trade but don't have anything to trade yet. I'm looking for anything in the pink, purple, blue family of colors...   1-3" frags would be awesome.
I live in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and would be willing to travel 40 min.s or so if anyone is local to me. thanks,
Steve
<do contact Rocky Herman at Coralfragz.com  He is a coral farmer in the Tampa area and he is connected with three aquarium societies in Florida where there are many members you could network with. Also, there are forums for this sort of trade/post on most of the big message boards for you to get interactive replies to a post you might make. Try reefcentral.com, Reefland.com, reefs.org, thesea.org... and our wetwebfotos.com
Any of the previous outlets will likely put you in touch with someone nearby. Best regards, Anthony

The Quest For Frags...
Who would you recommend as a source for SPS corals and other inverts to a person in Central California? I'd be willing to travel a couple hundred miles if necessary or mail order of course. Your sponsors that seem the best are wholesale only, or am I mistaken? All LFS are weak around here and clubs or other swapping opportunities are very limited or non-existent. Thanks,
George.
<Well, George, you have several possibilities to obtain quality specimens. First, you could try two of our sponsors, Live Aquaria (Drs. Fosters & Smith), or Marine Center. Both are dependable, well-regarded sources of quality livestock. You can also check out our Wetwebmedia Forum, where you could post to see if anyone has some captive-propagated frags available for sale or trade, or you could check out FRAGexchange.com, a website devoted to coral trading/selling by reef hobbyists. If you REALLY are willing to do some driving, there are excellent aquarium clubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Orange County. Probably more convenient to try the internet-available resources first. Good luck- enjoy the search! Regards, Scott F>

SPS Corals
I have a one hundred gallon (60"x18"x22") aquarium that turns over 24 times per hour w/out powerheads) and has about 720 watts of light (two 250w 10k metal halide w/ two 110 watt actinic VHO). I believe this to be sufficient for most SPS coral and am looking into purchasing some Acropora and Montipora. I am able to buy entire colonies (mostly from Bali) for wholesale which is about $15-45 for 6"+ colonies. <Truly great prices.> This seems very reasonable to me especially when 1-3" frags go for about the same. <There is perhaps a difference in the health and strength of the corals. Most frags are stronger than wild caught because they have adapted to tank conditions.>  My only concern is the quality of these "wild caught" colonies. I have no way of seeing before buying. The wholesaler that I will be dealing with receives an overnight delivery from Bali ever Wednesday and I would pick up the same day. What is you opinion on the matter? Should I order a couple and see the quality and perhaps go from their?...<I'm pretty cautious about things like this and I usually order one or two and then see what happens. I also recommend quarantine for any new additions before they go into your tank.> or should I speed more $$$ (because of shipping) and go with aquacultured frogs. <Most people have success doing a bit of both, but still quarantine.> Also how do aquacultured coral compare to "wild caught" when it comes to care, growth and overall color? <I think aquacultured do a bit better generally.> My last question concerns the corals that I currently have in my display. I have a some Ricordea, zoanthids, branching frogspawn, star polyp, and two Trachyphyllia. All are on the small size but I am wondering if I should remove the more aggressive corals (mainly the frogspawn) before adding any SPS corals. <I keep both LPS and SPS together without problems. Are you using a protein skimmer?> I should probably add that I will try to keep and Imperator and a Flame with any corals I have or may get. <That could be a problem, Imperator angels and flame too for that matter might pick at your corals>  I just remembered another question (sorry) I have read a lot of your FAQ pages and have seen replays saying that sand shifter stars and hermit crabs are not always recommended. <Sand sifters can eat the majority of pods in the sand which most people find beneficial to their tank. Hermits are known to pick at corals and sometimes other invertebrates.>  What is wrong with these critter and what could go in there place besides more fish? <shrimps, narcissus snails and conchs usually.> I have 3 sand shifting stars and about 125 sm. hermits. Thank you very much for all you time and info, Andy <Good luck Andy, sounds like you are on the right track, MacL>