Notes from John Coppolino's SPS Success

Discussion in 'SPS Corals' started by Matt Rogers, Sep 29, 2013.

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  1. Matt Rogers

    Matt Rogers Kingfish

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    John Coppolino's SPS Success talk was a must-do at MACNA this year. John is a bit of an SPS legend with two RC Tank of the Months, two profiles in Tony Vargas' book and over 1000 gallons of reef tanks at home. A serious hobbyist that certainly had a few tips to share. John gave a great talk to a standing room only crowd. I thought I would share some of my notes from SPS Success below.

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    Copps' Beautiful 180 Gallon Reef Aquarium


    John Coppolino began with a very interesting history of reef keeping at the Waikiki Aquarium in Hawaii. We were shown some fascinating photos of the Aquarium's earliest reef tanks from the late 1970's - arguably some of the earliest reef tanks in existence. John pointed out that these tanks were lit with natural sunlight and ran with natural saltwater that was piped in. An obvious advantage of being in Hawaii. These tanks were heavy with soft corals but they later experimented with SPS. Dr. Bruce Carlson made the Aquarium's first surge devices for better flow that aided in keeping SPS in captivity. Their first success with SPS was when they brought in a local variety found in low-flow areas - Acropora brueggemanni. This coral was added in 1980 and can still be found at the Aquarium today - some 33 years later - the oldest successful SPS in captivity!

    John's Reefing Philosophy
    • go with whatever method works for you
    • acquire corals that excite you and respect other's passions
    • keep the 1st frag for yourself and the next for your buddy

    John's Keys to Success

    • Attention to Detail - instilled in him from his military father
    • Understand your water - note visual changes
    • Husbandry - John's reef keeping core is a calcium reactor, 2-part additives and water changes
    • The only thing John tests for is alkalinity
    • Remove waste before it has a chance to breakdown - filter socks, skimmer, chaeto
    • Huge fan of refugiums - keeps it pruned - does not let it sit there
    • Feeding - feeds heavy enough to keep corals happy but he feeds the fish, not the aquarium (not extreme)
    • Say 'NO' to detritus - John does not let it accumulate in the sump - often sees issues with SPS that will go away when the detritus is cleaned out
    • Reduce stress to SPS
    • Quarantine and treat everything - much easier than having to breakdown a whole tank when pests take over
    • Preference - Keep your display tanks as clean displays
    • Lighting - still likes halides - personal opinion "LEDs are not there yet."
    • Tip - light frag tanks at night to reduce electrical cost
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    John Coppolino at MACNA 2013


    See some of John's reef aquariums with pics and details here:
    Reefkeeping Magazine - Tank of the Month
    Tank of the Month - September 2004 - Reefkeeping Online Magazine

    A video of John's Acropora and Angelfish dominated reef tank:
    [VMEO]13564370[/VMEO]
     
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  3. ingtar_shinowa

    ingtar_shinowa Giant Squid

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  4. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    Thank you for putting that together Matt, going to clean detritus right after "post reply".

    Tip - light frag tanks at night to reduce electrical cost:?????
     
  5. 2in10

    2in10 Super Moderator

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    Using energy when it is at its cheapest Cheryl.
     
  6. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    Thanks John. :) I obviously do not pay that bill.
     
  7. ingtar_shinowa

    ingtar_shinowa Giant Squid

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    Only parts of the country regulate energy cost time periods.
     
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  9. Todd_Sails

    Todd_Sails Giant Squid

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    Awesome tank- lots of fish!

    I wasn't aware that my area had a difference in elec. costs vs. time of day.

    I'll have to look into that.
     
  10. 2in10

    2in10 Super Moderator

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    It also is rated by usage as a whole. Usually less usage at night.
     
  11. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    I am curious about this as well The only thing John tests for is alkalinity. Obviously his methods speak for themselves. Seems like you would have to test for Ca and Mag much less but still routinely like once a month or even every couple months. Maybe if your Alk is off it's a clue that something is a miss with the other values that needs investigating. Using a Ca reactor and two parts would make me uneasy.
     
  12. Kevin_E

    Kevin_E Giant Squid

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    I must see a picture of this 30 year old Acropora brueggemanni colony.