A Guide to Easy Mode SPS Aquarium
- Feb 26, 2022
- Anshika Mishra
- 275 0 0
A lot of reefers are into small polyp stony aquariums. You see them all over the online forums. It is no surprise because an SPS reef can be a striking display of shapes and colors.
The problem is, as much as we like them, they don't always like us. An SPS tank can be very difficult, and not every hobbyist is looking for a challenge.
Why Are SPS Tanks Difficult?
In short, an SPS-dominated aquarium can be a major hassle to maintain. If the aquarium neglects the reef tank for even a short period of time, the health of the corals can often take a swift downturn. Sometimes the colony will crash despite what appears to be pristine water quality.
There are plenty of experienced hobbyists that have struggled with keeping an SPS-dominated tank long-term.
This article is all about replicating the appearance of a traditional SPS reef with selections of much hardier SPS corals.
When most people describe the requirements of an SPS system, things like high light, flow, pristine water, rock-solid chemistry are commonly listed. The problem is here that they are casting a blanket statement over a wide range of corals when in reality, only a small subset requires these.
People are taking the requirements for the most susceptible varieties of coral, such as Acropora and Montipora, and projecting that onto all SPS corals. In a way, it makes sense because if the conditions are right for Acropora, chances are they will suffice for some of the care for more hardy SPS corals.
The mistake is that many hobbyists assume that all SPS require these conditions. As a result, it is possible to have an SPS-dominated aquarium with vastly different needs.
Alternatives
Let's quickly go over some alternatives to fill out an SPS aquarium that is easier to maintain than the delicate Acapora and Montipora corals.
To do this, we will first look at the shapes of these colonies. There are three main growth forms of SPS, branching colonies, encrusting colonies, and plating colonies.
Branching SPS Colonies
There are a few types of SPS to choose from that fill inadequately for their more delicate counterparts. For example, Pocilopora, Seritopora, Stylopors, and Porites have branching variants and are significantly easier to care for.
Pocillopora can be kept under a wide range of water conditions than more sensitive SPS. They can even tolerate some degree of neglect. They have some variations in their growth patterns. Poccilopora Damicronis, for example, is a branching colony that grows in a bush-like fashion.
They also have variations in their growth pattern. Most varieties of Poccllopora are either pink or green in color, but occasionally a yellow variant.
An interesting tidbit about Poccilopora is that they are among the few corals that can detach from their skeleton when stressed and can recolonize in new locations.
This process is called Polyp bailout. For example, aquarists sometimes see their colony of Poccilopora struggle and assume that it perished only to discover dozens of new colonies growing all over the aquarium a month later.
Seriatopora
Seriatopora or bird's nest coral grow densely packed branches that terminate at a sharp point. Seriatopora is one of the fastest-growing SPS, and it's possible to row a good size Bird's nest from one frag within six months.
The color of Seriatopora varies from species to species and the condition they are grown under. One variety in particular, when grown under low light, develops purple and green polyps with yellow skin. When provided white light, the entire colony transitions to bright pink with no trace of purple, green, or yellow.
Oen care requirement that is pretty much unavoidable is the need for flow. Seriatopora requires strong flow because of the growth pattern and the density of its branches.
As the colony increases in size, less and less water circulation reaches the middle of the colony. Therefore, it is common in lower flow systems for the middle of the colony to start dying after the coral comes a critical mass.
Stylophora
Stylophora appears similar to Pocillopora. However, stylos tend to have more rounded tips, and the spacing of the polyp is more uniform. It is easy to get the two confused, but the care requirement is pretty much the flow.
Medium to high flow, medium to high light.
Another difference is that Stylophora tends to grow more slowly than either Pocillopora or Seriatopora.
Porites
Porites or Jewel coral comes in both a branching and an encrusting growth form. The branching colony grows thick fingers that terminate in round smooth tips and often have a canary yellow color.
Porites are on the borderline of what one would consider challenging in terms of care. However, their care requirements are similar to what one would expect from some more delicate SPS, such as high flow and high light.
There is also an encrusting form of Porites that leaders into our discussion of encrusting corals in general.
Encrusting SPS Coral
The main encrusting coral is Montipora, and it isn't easy to replicate the incredible array of colors. But Porites have some unique features that make them stand out.
It often hosts colonies of brightly colored Bisma worms. A symbiotic relationship between the worms and corals makes the tank that much more visually appealing and interesting.
Leptoseris
It was somewhat unknown in the industry until a few years ago and has since exploded in popularity, mainly due to its intense coloration.
Most varieties are a combination of orange and yellow. They are so vibrant that it almost looks metallic. It is one of the corals that do pretty well in low lights. However, it does not do well under really strong light, so it is better suited for SPS tanks.
Plating SPS Corals
The third and final growth form that is typical in an SPS reef aquarium is the plating form. Both Acropora and Montipora have species capable of plating, and however, between the two, it is much more common in Montipora.
It is possible to replicate the plating appearance with the genus Turbinaria, and Chalice corals scroll corals.
However, neither scroll coral nor chalice corals is SPS corals, but they have plating growth closely resembling Montipora.
As far as Chalice corals go, over ten genera of corals are commonly described as Chalices. However, due to the number of coral varieties described as chalices, it isn't easy to pin down a set of care requirements that suits all the members.
Some do well in highlight, while others thrive only in the dimmest conditions.
Chalice corals tend to shift colors drastically depending upon their environment, so some experimentations on the part of the hobbyist will be required to find the best conditions for overall health and aesthetics.
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