honkit

It's been two years since I set up my small tank. Watermelon favites http://s1205.photobucket.com/user/bellion1973/media/watermelon-favites_zps0d580eab.jpg.html'>

A tank of your size would definitely need some good-sized wild and mari-cultured colonies in addition to frags. Just go for the colours you like as a start. Your tastes will be further refined to set preferences once you have had some success in keeping SPS corals.

With a tank of this width, there are endless possibilities for Sps placement. Do you intend to only cultivate frags or wil there be addition of wild and maricultured colonies?

Some of the bald patches re-grew new flesh and some have not. I reduced all dosing to 1/3rd of my previous regime.

Great range of mixed reef beauties. The a.echinata is a standout with its white body and blue tips. High time for a raid with cutters.....haha.

I believe what mengyang means is witnessing an LED-only lit tank housing growing and colourful challenging SPS corals e.g. Fiji sps, tonga and aussie montiporas, acropora abratonoides (kitkat), a.humilis, etc. Personally I have never used LEDs but T5s and MHs certainly provide sufficient lighting to keep difficult SPS species and types.

I love this mature in-grown look of an SPS dominant reef tank which I am trying to emulate. Well done for a fantastic display!

Wow, the sifu is back!!!! Thanks very much! Are you coming back to reefing?

Thanks chief!

Depending on the bird's nest species and origin but do heed Belle's advice as it is acclimated to that particular condition. Keep all your parameters steady by maintaining your current dkh value of 8 and slowly increasing calcium levels till 380.

SPS corals in a small tank is challenging, even for experienced reefkeepers. What sort of SPS frags did you get from Belle? Some species are far more forgiving than others. 25% water changes per week would go a long way in maintaining low nutrient levels and replenishing alkalinity and trace elements.

Hello, As you are new to SPS keeping, I would suggest not feeding anything for the time being as this will be one less task you would need to bother about. SPS corals can survive and thrive without external feeding. They do even better if fed the right sort of foods but I think that is something you can postpone for now. Focus on maintaining stable water parameters especially alkalinity and salinity and ensure very low nutrient levels for tank water particularly for phosphates. (NO3 less than 5 ppm ; PO4 less than 0.05 ppm). Ensure strong random water flow and sufficient lighting (as a guide, replicate what Belle has on her tank). When you have some assurance in keeping them growing and coloured up, then it's time to look into stuff like feeding sps corals and supplements.

A second SSC colony with lighter colours http://s1205.photobucket.com/user/bellion1973/media/SSC-2_zps2f4ae8ae.jpg.html]

One of my Strawberry shortcake acropora microclados colonies: http://s1205.photobucket.com/user/bellion1973/media/SSC-1_zps83028a7f.jpg.html'>

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http://s1205.photobucket.com/user/bellion1973/media/fiji-pink-birds-nest_zps1a053ef5.jpg.html'>

http://s1205.photobucket.com/user/bellion1973/media/Yellow-prostrata-sunset-sty_zps03ff6992.jpg.html'>

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http://s1205.photobucket.com/user/bellion1973/media/tonga-pink-stylo_zps321151a1.jpg.html'>

http://s1205.photobucket.com/user/bellion1973/media/superman-monti-danae_zpsf6f51479.jpg.html'>

http://s1205.photobucket.com/user/bellion1973/media/fiji-acro-valida_zps5b340ae6.jpg.html'>

Updates on some of my tank inhabitants. Photos taken today. http://s1205.photobucket.com/user/bellion1973/media/aussie-purple-acro_zps1a58a2d1.jpg.html'>

That's an interesting postulation. Currently, I am observing my two strawberry shortcake acropora colonies - the colony with less polyp extension (due to its proximity to an MP40 wavemaker) has more intense colouration and clearer seperation of colours compared to my other colony with more polyp extension and has lighter colours.

Such an old thread! Not as daunting as you think.

See my tank thread.