Am I doing this all wrong haha!?!?!?

[HHIreefer843]

ok well let me give yall my little story....i came into the reef game about 2 yrs ago when i bought a 55 gallon with like 20 lbs of live rock 2 frogspawn and an angler fish....then i found this web site....so the story goes like this after finding this site...
1st 6 months, 55 gallon w/angler and basically 0 corals.
2nd 6 months, same tank, sold the angler got a ton of LR and a ton of LPS and like 4 tangs (wow)
3rd months, after i got blasted on here for being an idiot and have 4 tangs in a 55 gallon tank. i tore down the 55 gallon and started over and did it the "right" way and actually swallowed my pride and listened to all of yall....

so this is where i am at now....i have upgraded to a 90 gallon SPS tank, (oh with 0 tangs )....equipment is as follows
-combo of 3 VHO, and 3 T5s (ice cap ballasts), led stunner strips
-asm g3 skimmer
-20l sump
-(2) K4, (1) K3, and (1) K2 power heads..

Livestock includes:
lepard wrasse
solorensis wrasse
niger trigger
mandarin
1 cromis hahah
mated pair of clowns
dwarf lion fish......
normal CUC
tons of little SPS frags that need to start growing so it looks like i have coral hahaha.....

so basically what i want to know, my set up is SSOOOO simple because im a poor college kid, but is this all too simple for SPS growth...
My corals are actually growing quite well but it seems as if most people on here get a lot faster growth....
i do not have any dosers, just little old me that hand mixes calc, alk, mag and kalk, and drip them in my tank with a tied airline tube a few times a week.
my calc stays around 440, alk is always around 8, and mag around 1325....i know ive only been keeps SPS for about a year, but just want to make sure this set up isnt too simple.

do yall have any other comments or concerns about my simple little reef? thanks alot yall, Merry XMAS....Oh im trying to find my camera, if i cant ill upload some iphone or ipad pics this evening!!

[tony11387]

Are water changes your only method of nutrient exportation besides the skimmer? I ask because sps corals grow nicely under low nutrient conditions.

[HHIreefer843]

yup just water changes usually do 20% 3-4 times a month

[Palting]

As far as set-up, excellent!! Simple is good. Does take more work, but you should be congrtulated for being able to keep a tank with minimal equipment

A comment on your livestock, and your reef plans. You have a few fish that are not reef friendly. The niger trigger and dwarf lionfish come to mind. They are not only not reef friendly but are predators.

I hate to do this to you, but take this as just one more advise. The Niger Trigger grows to 12" and is a very aggressive swimmer, usually requiring a 180 gal tank or larger.

[HHIreefer843]

Thanks Palting!! the trigger is an A** and he is only about 2" long...he was already about to go so you just sealed the deal! Thanks for your advice i need all the knowledge i can get! the lion was actually a gift from my mom and i can pretty easily say i wont miss him...yall have any new fish in mind if i get rid of these 2?!?!

[SC Reefaholic]

Smart move losing the trigger and lion. You wont be able to keep any inverts too long with those two in the tank nce they get bigger. And the Lion will try to eat any fish that is its size or smaller.

The mandy may slowly starve unless its eating prepared foods. They need litterally thousands of pods from a mature tank to survive. They pretty much eat all day long.

As for simplicity, that's the best way to start. Learn to measure and add by hand and then when you can afford to automate you will have a better understanding of whats going on. Keep up with water changes and dont add anything you dont test for first. I have dosers but I have them set slightly below the tank's needs and then I adjust after testing as needed.

Ask lots of questions but be prepared for conflicting answers. There are many ways to skin a cat and people are pretty passionate about their way of doing things so have thick skin when you get flamed by someone. Just chose a path and stick to it. Dont bounce around or you will end up lost.

[HHIreefer843]

Yeah I've actually had that Mandy since the day I got rid of my first angler (like 2 yrs ago) I have plenty LR and he actually picks at mysis and flakes...
Yeah every morning I measure out the calc and alk supplements and tie the airline tube hahaha...my sps look great and colors are very bright! So I guess I'm doing ok... Side note, where in Chapin is your LFS...I went to school at USC!

[Plumbcrazy]

It sounds like your doing everything right to me. Fish selection is always hard, some say it will work some say it won't. The only thing I would do is make sure any new fish won't eat the old fish. Or your corals. I would also look at upgrading the vho to a t5 or better when you can t12 won't be around forever.

[HHIreefer843]

well i had (still do) ballasts for 4 more t5s....i went with the VHO bc i like the hybrid and honestly i got better growth...mind you i was only observing for 3 months...ill probably add 2 more t5s and keep the vhos for funnzies.....also my add some more stunner strips or something like tht?!?!