Recommendations NEEDED for SPS Dominant tank

czar1215

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#1
***Please feed me with all and any experiences and recommendations***

I am building a Dominant SPS tank. 50g cube/3 Chamb Sump/Nyos 120 Skim/Aquamaxx Biopellet Reactor/single Radion xr30w 3rd gen/2 mp10's/3-inch SB Tropic Eden Aragasnow/approx 25lbs bonsai inspired minimal aquascape... Approx 875gph from dual return lines from overflow

Question is:

Should I run my filtration with:

a). Algae scrubber Only
b). Both algae scrubber AND Biopellet Reactor
c). Biopellet reactor Only

...conflicting due to all the reads about lack of nutrients to provide growth to SPS from either running BOTH reactor and scrubber, to running both systems and stripping nutrients for algae to grow properly... smh... Your comments/suggestions/experience will do wonders. Thx
 
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#2
The best advise I can give you about sps is, don't even bother! Haha just kidding.. I'm sure the pros in here will help you out.

SPS

Stability Promotes Success.

Keep that in mind.
 

Six2seven

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#4
Hello Chris, the algae scrubbers purpose is to accumulate the phosphates to keep them out of the display tank. The purpose of the biopellets is to maximize the bacteria in your tank so that the nitrogen cycle can work more effectively. The biopellets work on bringing the nitrates down. They also help for phosphates but should not be the primary use as the nitrates would fall to a dangerous level before solving your phosphate problem.

I would carefully review the nitrogen cycle and read more on biopellets and how they work. SPS tanks require low nutrients and should shoot for lowest possible but still need those nutrients for growth. most people run pellet too strong and it ends up depleting and killing the sps.
 

Six2seven

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#5
either the scrubber or the pellets but not both.
I've seen many use both. I think you mean. GFO and Pellets. A lot of people have crash their tanks using both GFO and pellets. Again, I have seen many successful tanks as well who use gfo and pellets. Every tank is different. there are many ways to reef
 

czar1215

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#6
Thank you all for your comments. I'm think I'm understanding that I can safely run both a scrubber AND bio pellets provided I carefully monitor the amount of pellets I administer in the reactor
 

Six2seven

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Thank you all for your comments. I'm think I'm understanding that I can safely run both a scrubber AND bio pellets provided I carefully monitor the amount of pellets I administer in the reactor
np, always test and add pellets slowly.
 
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#8
i run pellets and GFO and i add Nopox, LOL but im not full on SPS, i have mostly some on the top of the tank. Now after the move they all seem to be coloring up and growing. I do all 3 do because im a bit over stoked on fish. Having 18 in a 125gl i keep my nitrates at about 2 - 3 ppm and phos at .04. according to red sea test kits.
 

h0ndap0w3r

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#10
dont do such a small sps tank... haha, you will deplete the elements very quickly once it gets going.... and a small miscalculation or equipment snafu and it'll all go bye bye...

look at my breakdown forsale thing... haha i lost a 5g bucket of skeletons. but, i had it going for over 2 years so i guess it was a good run. look into a recirculating pellet reactor it'll help you control how much the pellets are eating up.
 

nasotang

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I've done sps in a 50. I had a bad experience with pellets though. I would say 2 mp10s might be a bit weak in a 50 though for sps flow. I think i had a wp25 and an mp10 in a zoa tank...probably never had either on full blast though.
 
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#12
i have a 50 gallon cube that dominantly sps i run mps10's qd and thats more tan enough i run them on reef crest mode i get massive polyp extension i run my with a refugium and an eshopps s120 cone skimmer . my issue is that my nutrients are too low nitrate and phosphates always at 0 lol. im using radion gen2 xr30 and even though its enough light i dont like the shadowing effects of LED some of acros on side look beautiful and on the side the look brown. just my opinion. i was going to buy the ati but once i should my wife the price she gave me the green light to just upgrade my whole system. so ill be getting a 120 in a couple of months :)
 

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