How to know when you're SPS ready?

[Diesel]

Lighting is the less part I'm worried about to keep them alive.
30 years ago we had lighting that you not even put under your kitchen cabinets and we were able to keep stuff alive.
Even now I can throw a bunch of T8 from HD over a SPS tank and keep them alive but we all know they look like crap.

 

[120reefkeeper]

IMHO SPS are a funny bunch and they require stability within a set of parameters. Those parameters vary from tank to tank so there are not hard and fast rules. I totally agree with what @hybridazn and @Diesel have said.

Patience and control [emoji4]

 

[120reefkeeper]

There is just a to fine line in the art of growing SPS.

Love this!! #Truth

 

[Brew12]

I put an SPS frag in my tank within a week of it getting wet. I started with dry rock and live sand. That frag did just fine, and even grew a little, for the first 2 months.
And then my ugly stage kicked in. I couldn't keep the frag from being covered in different algae and bacteria. The growth of these typical ugly stage issues also cause parameter swings in my NO3 and PO4. I lost the stability I had in the first 2 months and it finally RTN'd.

The main reason I bring this up is that I believe being ready for SPS involves both knowing your system and yourself. If you start with high quality live rock you and have very good husbandry practices you will be ready for SPS much faster than if you start with dry rock and/or have to develop your husbandry practices.

 

[BlueCursor]

The thing with SPS isn't if you can get your lighting, Ca, Alk, Mg, and FLOW all correct . . . it is if you can maintain them all correct without fluctuations. This is why most people recommend starting with fish, add LPS which are more tolerant of change, and then move to SPS.

Over the past three years I have made many mistakes. Some have impacted my tank and some have not. It doesn't matter if you kill a fish, LPS, or SPS. You have a setback. An LPS that has grown for a year then dies is just as annoying as an SPS that has grown for a year and dies. The difference is minor mistakes tend to not kill LPS. Minor mistakes, even a swing in Alk, are much more likely to kill an SPS.

A new tank under a year old is much more likely to have swings. And it isn't just Ca,Alk,Mg swings. You are more likely to have nitrate and phosphate swings. You are more likely to have algae outbreaks. Algae on an SPS kills the SPS!

On the other hand, you don't need a mature tank with naturally growing phyto to feed your SPS, you can feed them prepared foods. You don't need a mature tank full of pods to keep SPS. You don't need a tank full of coralline to prove it is ready for SPS. But they all help indicate your tank is stable! They all prove what Brew stated, that you know your tank and YOU now have the necessary husbandry skills to keep SPS.

 

[reefwiser]

I started keeping SPS in 1990. An I have been learning about keeping them every since then. Learning to keep your alk stable is perhaps the most important thing. You have to get in the habit of testing your alk level on your tank regularly. I think this is the hardest thing for many hobbyist to get in the habit of doing. Your life can get busy with family and work and you may not want to test for a few days or a whole week. Well this can cause problems as SPS are always growing and consuming cal and need a stable amount to do this. As they grow they require more. Having good lighting becomes important as the corals grow and shading becomes an issue. Learning about each SPS type and what they require will help with placement. Each new reef tank that I have had over the years as provided a new learning experience and new challenges.

 

[SeanD]

I was told to avoid SPS for a while but the corals I have had die have been the "easy" ones, my acropora looks great

 

[Coronus]

Keep it simple is my philosophy. When coralline is growing in your tank, you have enough fish to support some nutrient import with fish feeding, and you know and understand your calcium, alk, mag, and potassium demand and how to keep it stable. Meaning no fluctuations , especially in alk.
IMO, you need to be dedicated enough in the hobby to test all the time. I test Alk every other day.