FAQs from Scientific Coral

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The Relative Dominance Model was originally proposed in 1984 by Littler and Littler and seems to work for us. That sounds complicated, but stay with me on this. It predicts the dominance of coral, coralline algae, turf algae, or fleshy algae on reef based upon the balance of nutrients and grazing. At one extreme, the presence of low nutrients and high grazing would result in coral dominance. At the other extreme, high nutrients and reduced grazing that would result in an overgrowth of fleshy algae. Possibilities between these two extremes would include elevated nutrients with high grazing, resulting in coralline algae dominance, and low nutrients with reduced grazing, resulting in turf algae dominance. We try to maintain high grazing levels with lower nutrient levels in most of our systems. SPS systems tend to have lower nutrient levels than our soft corals systems. The use of mud filters under 24 hour lighting and/or protein skimming (foam fractioning) can also supplement grazing by exporting nutrients.

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Q: What is the simplest, cheapest, most effective thing I can do to change my tank to benefit my corals in a positive way. Change additives, change lighting, what?

A: Thats an easy one. Increase the volume and velocity of water circulation in your tank. I have found that nearly everyone who thinks they have a lot of current does not. At the very least,they have dead spots that get very little current. If you want to get better polyp extension on all your corals, especially gorgonians, increase the current. Add more powerheads, especially a pair pointing at each other on opposite ends of the tank. This will create strong random turbulence, especially if they are each on a different timer so that they cut off and on at different times. Or add a powerhead down low in the tank, instead of up high. Try it. Anyone who goes diving knows how much greater the velocity and the flowrate of natural reefs are than our tanks will ever be!

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Q: What type of lighting do you use to grow these corals. Duplicating your lighting conditions may reduce the stress and increase the odds of success for your corals in my tank.

A: Our standard is the 400 watt metal halide bulb with VHO (110-watt) Blue Actinics, for both soft and SPS tanks Generally we use 2 VHO actinics per each 400 Watt Metal Halide. This is mainly because this is the most economical combination due to cost of electricity, fixtures, and bulbs. We do use the Iwasaki 6500K, but only because it is the most economical. It is a very yellow bulb, so probably not the best for viewing corals. Thats why pictures of our grow out systems are so yellowish. The softs do well under most conditions, including power compacts, all metal halides, VHOs, of even sufficient 40 watt fluorescents with a mixture of blue and white bulbs. Stony (SPS) corals can be grown under a variety of metal halide bulbs, in 175, 250, or 400 watts, using various bulbs including 5500K Coralife and Hamiltons, 6500K Iwasaki, 10K German Radiums. Higher intensity lighting keeps some coloration on the SPS, although that is still a complex issue and may be tied to a higher alkalinity level (>4.0 meq) and lower phosphate levels. We use a lot of light to grow the corals quicker and so that the corals dont undergrow light stress when they are moved to your system.

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Q: How about your basic water parameters. Can you give me an idea of your tank conditions?

A: Our salinity (specific gravity) we try to maintain at 1.025 but may vary slowly from 1.023 to 1.027. We try to maintain an optimum temperature of 77 degrees F but it seasonally varies from a high of 82 F in the summer to as low as 70 F in the winter during short periods. Higher summer temperatures definitely require more current in the systems. Ammonia and nitrites are 0 of course, and there are no measurable nitrates in the SPS systems. Some of the heavily fedsoft coral systems have nitrates up to 25 ppm without adverse effects.pH on the stony tanks ranges from 8.20 to 8.60. Soft coral systems average a little lower, usually 8.10 to 8.35.

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Q: What about your stony SPS systems?

A: In our stony coral systems, we try to maintain a little higher balance of alkalinity and calcium in the range of 4.0 meq of alkalinity, and 350-400 ppm Calcium. You should always measure both at the same time. Either measure by itself is of little use. Having a higher number of one can impede the ability of the system to maintain an adequate level of the other one. So shoot for an average of 3.5 meq and 400.

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Q: What additives do you use in your systems

A: For the soft coral systems, daily we add Iodine in the form of aqueous potassium iodide solution. We have calcium reactors on all SPS systems using koralith media which of course adds elements back to the water that are depleted by stony coral growth (calcium, magnesium, strontium, carbonates, etc). We never add "liquid invertebrate foods" as they pollute the water and grow nuisance algaes. We do feed the soft corals livefood in some cases. We use rotifers or baby brine shrimp.

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Q: How much of these should I add to my system?

A: Since each system is so different, it is better to focus on testing to achieve certain levels, rather than the amounts we add to our commercial systems. Get good test kits or equipment to measure temperature, salinity, alkalinity, calcium, iodine, and test regularly.

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Q: What type of salt mix do you use.

A: In the past we primarily used Seachems salt, which seemed to work well. Currently we use all of the major brands to see which we like the best.

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Q: Should I dip your captive-bred corals when I receive them before I put them in my system?

A: No. I dont recommend an iodine dip, and or course, never do a freshwater dip on our corals. One of the great advantages to buying captive-bred organisms is that they are nearly always disease and parasite free since either would show up in our closed systems long before we sell them. We quarantine incoming corals from any source, and remove MANY parasites such as a variety of carnivorous nudibranchs, worms, crabs, and other nasty critters, before we put them in our quarantine systems..

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Q: If I want to reattach a piece of SPS corals, what is the best way?

A: The rock you are attaching to can be damp but not real wet. You can tamp the area of attachment dry with a paper towel. Put a drop of the crazy glue GEL on the rock and them immediately place the SPS fragment on the spot. Adjust the frag to its final orientation and then immerse it into the tank saltwater. The frag will instantly freeze to the rock. Dont bump it as it can still come off until it encrusts the rock. For more details, visit our page on How To Propagate

[Leslie EDIT THIS- add also: Under construction, see below. use superglue if broken SPS, some softs.DI dump problemshow to maintain calc and alk. first balance with cacl2 or buffer, then.what test kits we useparamters to aim for: alk, ca, SG, T, pH,, NSW on major ions.Additives we use: KW, sera, Get rid of algae by exporting nutrients, limit importsIimprove FF by raising pH with KW]