soo my LFS has sps coming from bali...

[KabayanReef]

How ready am I for sps?

Just wanted to hear opinions and i've done tons of reading on caring for sps , dosing , basics etc.
Rc members suggested the following sps' are more forgiving --not 100% sure if my IDs are correct (please correct me):

1stpic - monti cap.
2nd - tri color valida?
3rd- green slimer ?
4th - birdsnest?
5th - pocillopora?

Edited pics to improve mediocre image quality.

Sal - 1.026 , temp - 78, ammo - 0 , nitrite 0 , nitrate 5 , calc 380-400 , kh - 8.5-9 , mag - 1,250(ehh) , ph - 7.8-8.5

Had it like these for a month and a half testing done weekly just to get a feel for maintaining params.

Turnover rate of 20x (just waitng for another jebao rw-8 too add more)

Lighting **(waiting for a t5 54x4 fixture ordered online)
220w Power Compacts 50/50
Dual lamp t5 both actinic
** i know its soooo weak at


Once again thank you for reading. I'm not rushing anything, altho sps and unusual corals are very hard to come by here and i've been preparing myself eversince I saw the first display that inspired me to start my reef -- Mr. SunnyX's 100g shallow rimless reef

[mpderksen]

Bump your Ca to the 420-450 range. Everything else looks fine. Put them in high flow areas. I'm no expert on lighting, so I'll let others comment there.
Monitor the big 3 (Ca, Mg and ALK) more than normal once they go in, since the demands will go up. Before I got my first SPS, I purchased 2 BRS dosing pumps, and some 2-part. At this point, I only need the Alk, since the AWC takes care of the Ca so far. Much cheaper would be to start with Kalk in the ATO. I just dig automation and control....
You may know this all already, so sorry if I'm repeating information.

[TangingOut]

3 is not a green slimer. Maybe a digitata? But agree a green slimer is easy for sps.

[pyithar]

as long as you can keep the proper parameters in check, enough lighting, enough flow, and stable water conditions, most corals will grow imo.

[KabayanReef]

@mpderksen - Always nice to read feedback and thanks for sharing your thoughts and about dosing as I'm still grasping the logic behind dosing 2 part (I will use this) and still need to incorporate kalkwasser? What's the point other than Ph issues?

I haven't bought any of the sps shown and the photos are taken at my LFS. Just wanted to hear what rc has to say 'bout them being beginner friendly.

So whats the deal with kalk and 2 part dosing? I always thought 2-part was enough (with a lesser sps anyways).
And does anyone recommend the digitata to a novice?

[mpderksen]

I'm in my first year with SPS and both my Digi are growing great. Also the Monti cap is a no-brainer.
For the volumes on 2-part I use it's cheap enough, since I had the pumps, that I have never used Kalk. I certainly don't need both.

[KabayanReef]

Then I shall gladly live on a ramen diet for two weeks and get me a digi , monticap and maybe a birdnest, I mean who needs food when you got $$ evaporating corals

I thought the 2-part dosing pumps was the simplest concept. Haven't decided which brand to go with. Leaning buying another jebao product (dp-4 pump) since their flow pheads are awesome imo. Which one do you use? Excited to start losing all my other hobbies' financing just to start sps. maybe someday I succeed and i'm gonna make the lfs pay for sps frags they dont usually have.

[ssick92]

Originally Posted by KabayanReef

Then I shall gladly live on a ramen diet for two weeks and get me a digi , monticap and maybe a birdnest, I mean who needs food when you got $$ evaporating corals

I thought the 2-part dosing pumps was the simplest concept. Haven't decided which brand to go with. Leaning buying another jebao product (dp-4 pump) since their flow pheads are awesome imo. Which one do you use? Excited to start losing all my other hobbies' budget financially speaking ofcourse. maybe someday I succeed and i'm gonna the lfs pay for sps they dont usually have.

I've heard quite a few stories of that Jebao dosing pump failing miserably and killing tanks. I use 2 of the BRS dosing pumps and have them hooked up to my controller to control the time which has never let me down. I used to just have them hooked up to normal timers which also worked fine.

When it comes to dosing (which can make or break a tank) I wouldn't skimp out and get a cheap brand just to save a few bucks. Either invest in an all-in-one dosing controller/pump such as the Bubble Magus BM-T01 or just get 2 of the BRS dosing pumps which is a cheaper option. Obviously it is your $$ and you can make whatever decision you want, I just wanted to share some experiences that some fellow reefers have had with the Jebao.

Good luck!!! You should share some pics of your tank once you put the new SPS in!

[TangingOut]

Just monitor your parameters to see what your tank's demands are. If you don't have too many hard corals, simple water changes with a good reef salt may be good enough.

[Big_Boss_77]

Be prepared for pretty big draw on your calcium. I put in two frags and a decent size colony of frogspawn and my calcium went from ~400 to 360 in just a few days. Now I'm struggling to get it back up to where it needs to be. I guess I'm just saying be more diligent with your dosing than I was lol

[addictedreefer]

What do you have for flow?

[KabayanReef]

Originally Posted by ssick92

When it comes to dosing (which can make or break a tank) I wouldn't skimp out and get a cheap brand just to save a few bucks.

Good luck!!! You should share some pics of your tank once you put the new SPS in!

Very well then , just read about the jebao's and needless to say the words " you get what you pay for" holds true.
The reason for considering the jebaos is because it's the only pump available here.

Might look into ordering a decent pump but shipping the right pump namely BRS pumps in this country i'm based in is soo frustrating (countrys law and such)

[KabayanReef]

Originally Posted by Big_Boss_77

Be prepared for pretty big draw on your calcium. I put in two frags and a decent size colony of frogspawn

Familarized(ing) my self as well. 3 months with nicely sized of both branching/wall hammers and a torch. A bit consuming/inaccurate dosing without the pumps sooo guess an upgrade has to be made. *contemplates on hobby decisions* lol.

Originally Posted by addictedreefer

What do you have for flow?

Just waiting for a rw-4 jebao(1000 gph) to arrive. My return clocks in at about 700 gph and a sicce voyager 3 at about 1200 gph.

Will also grab another sicce voyager 2(800 gph) just to keep poop out of the sand.

Guestimating my turnover should be about 30-35x (?)

[Big_Boss_77]

Ha ha ha I'm trying to find some dosing pumps too... ones that I won't have to sell a kidney for. But you get what you pay for in this hobby... so looks like I'm gonna need to find a rusty key hole saw and a mob boss who drinks to much.

[KabayanReef]

Better yet, we should form a mob and organize a heist. That ATI fixture has been making me think about living on a strict diet of cup noodles for about 6 months , as long as the tank runs the best equipment right?

[Big_Boss_77]

Ha ha ha.... I'm down for a heist. We can do a one stop shop heist at marine depot or somewhere lol