Can I do it?

Try a birdsnest or digitata frag. They are vey hardy and inexpensive ;) Decide how that frag does in a month from now. Also... Stability stability stability.

What is your flow like? Good flow is more important that good light IMO. I have had 2 JBJ Nano Cubes over the past 4 years and kept SPS in both. They both had stock lighting as well.

xessive force wrote: Is there anyway to gain higher levels of stability then what I am doing ?

I've got some birdsnest and digitata that your welcome to come and get.

That would be really cool of you.  Do you still live up in Perry?  I live in Farmington so its a big of a jog but not too far and beggars cant be choosers :)  When would be a good time to pick them up?  And out of excitement what colors are they?

xessive force wrote: Is there anyway to gain higher levels of stability then what I am doing ?

Yes.
If you stop and think about it, changing 5 gallons of water weekly in a 24 gallon tank is a huge instability of more than 20% every time you do that water change.
I don't mean to criticize and I don't know what your previous experience with aquariums has been but the way you have this tank set up with LS, LR, LW and algae is way different than a goldfish bowl.
Does that make sense?

The stability that SPS Coral need is in the water that flows past them. Since they can't move much it's the water that flows past them that must bring nutrients and good air and take away waste and bad air. The biological filtration processes occurring via the Algae, and via bacteria and bugs in the LS, in the LR and in the Live Water itself (Yes, there are bio-stabilizing bacteria and bugs in the LW) provide an enormous amount of stability. In fact those four live components handle 90% of the continuous water filtration. The tank is set up to take care of itself, to filter itself and provide water stability, for the most part.

The things that are lacking are the things a hobbyist needs to watch; the depletion of coral and invertabrate foods. Feeding the fish also feeds the coral, even without adding Marine Snow, etc., which is good, don't get me wrong. But there are other foods/nutrients. It's pretty well known that these special coral and invertebrate nutrients are called minerals and elements. Typically, 10% monthly water changes replenish these special nutrients, but when a tank has a lot of stony coral and/or Coralline Algae, some of these nutrients are depleted much faster. More frequent or larger water changes are an expensive and troublesome way to replenish those nutrients. And as I pointed out earlier, these large and frequent water changes play havoc with stability.

As has been mentioned by other good hobbyists here, the most important of these special nutrients are Alkalinity(Alk) and Calcium(CA). I would add, Magnesium(Mg) and Iodine(I) are the next two most important elements.

I personally recommend that Alk and Ca levels be checked every 2-4 weeks. The recommended levels are discussed here by one of the best Chemists in our hobby Randy Holmes Farley.
The most economical method to determine Alk and Ca is to buy and use test kits. The testing of Mg and I is only needed once or twice/year, because those elements are more adequately replenished with 10% monthly water changes and thus only need to be topped off once or twice a year. The LFS is a good place to have Mg and I tests done. Of course the more stony coral a tank has, the more frequent must be the checking and supplementing.

Every hobbyist has heard of and/or knows something about pH. The pH in a reef aquarium is typically best between 8.0-8.4, though there are exceptions. What many hobbyists may not know is that pH follows Alk. If Alk is good and there is adequate water circulation, pH never needs to be checked, because it is guaranteed to be within range. To learn more about Alk and Ca, click on the Reefkeeping Tips link below and read that thread, especially a few posts down where Alk and Ca supplementation are discussed in more detail.

Hope this helps.



Edited by Mark Peterson - January 27 2012 at 10:42am

I've got Idaho Grape plating monti, I'm always breaking off accidentally, and you're more that welcome to a piece.

Im in bountiful, I can frag my birdsnest if you want to try a piece.

I know this has been great everyone has been so nice.  I went to the frag meeting at the start of the month as well and have had a great time.  I am excited to keep learning

One last item, remember to use AC(activated carbon) at least 2 weeks per month.It removes chemicals, especially allelopathic chemicals that cannot be removed by algae growth or a skimmer.