What are the elements of a simple, successful SPS reef anyway?

With consistency, stability, and patience... just about any setup you run will be successful.

After that it is all debatable... Water changes.... some people actually do WCs as 100% of their export... some don't even do WCs.

 

+1 These are really great points Steve.

Mixed reefs are pretty difficult to maintain.. My main problem with my old tank was my lighting was not high enough. SPS had amazing coloration and growth, but many species only thrived when placed at the top of the rocks or on a frag rack. LPS and softies did fine. The LPS (acans, chalices, welso, and a torch coral) were placed in the bottom half. The only softies I had were zoas, which did fine anywhere in the tank. I upgraded to LEDs in my new tank very recently. The lighting will be much much higher, so we will see..

The second point Steve brought up has also shown to be true IME. I started my first reef tank when I was an undergrad. The best my tank ever did was when I was home for summer break. I stopped by my apartment weekly to do WCs and check on things. Surprisingly, when I returned for the fall semester, the corals were thriving. I mean it got so bad that I allowed coraline to cover the front glass (lol it was a nightmare getting that off). I guess the corals just don't like us

 

What I consider simple at this point was not so simple when I started. The reason i find the way I run my SPS dominant tank simple is because this is my first reef tank, and I was on a budget. I did a ton of research and read up on the many different ways that it can work. Then I narrowed down my options, and I currently have a pretty successful SPS/mix reef tank.

I ran a HOB coralife skimmer with 4 koralias and a 4 bulb T5 and a canister filter with EcoBak bio pellets and had no sump when I first started. I had decent growth and color with birdsnests and monti caps and pocilliporas. But could not hold any color or have growth on any acros. My skimmer wasnt efficient enough, my canister filter didnt tumble correctly etc.

So over time, I added a sump with just a 3 baffle bubble trap(simple). Then I got a decent skimmer, a good reactor for my EcoBak, and upgraded my lighting to a 6 bulb fixture, and then added 2 MP40's.

The growth and color began to happen, but it wasnt until i added 2 dosing pumps for alk and cal, that I really saw a change. I mean it was an SPS growth explosion!!

The equipment was in place, but the stability in my parameters is where it truly began. I do believe you dont have to have the most expensive equipment to have a successful SPS tank. Everything I added to mine was bought used at a fraction of retail cost. And that you dont want to complicate things once you've decided what route you want to go.

So to break it down. I have a SWC 160 cone skimmer, with EcoBak pellets tumbling in a reactor, I also run GAC in a reactor, and I do 5 gallon WC's every weekend. I run 2 BRS dosing pumps for alk and cal, and I test my parameters every week, if not more. That's about it. pretty simple IMO....at least now.

 

Lol I wish I could say I was that good about testing my params. I normally only test if I notice a problem (i.e. algae growth, RTN, STN, bleaching, browning out etc.). I did test weekly when I started dosing and for a few months after I cycled my first tank. I am pretty consistant about what I do to my tank and do weekly 25% wc's. After testing about 1000 times and seeing things staying the same, it feels unnecessary to waste time, money, and energy on testing. But everyone else should follow dowtish's good example! Aka do what I say, not what I do!!! ;D

 

What can I say? I think I have trust issues with anything automated. LOL