How to keep SPS Corals ?

[azocean]

I have been in the hobby for about 9 months and have 5 tanks addiction. I can not for the life of me keep any SPS coral I have been wanting to have a manti piece but all that I have bought die first it was me fish blenny and gobies that were eating them then I took them out then my phos: were to high brought down and now I just dont know what it is. I need help the tank I want to put sps in is a 55 gallon bow front the very first tank I started it has a halide bulb is 250 watt Ushio HQI and 2 65 watt actinic water quality is all 0 but my nitrites are not 0 but I am useing a Laborett test kit LFS told me that the NO-2 card being at 0.3mg/land lower is normal so I am not sure but I have other tanks that are all at 0 I just cant get the 55 at 0. So that is the first thing I dose with 2 part I dont have the money right know to get a calcium reactor and mostly lps and softys in tank. HELP PLEASE!!!!!

[phenom5]

SPS FAQ Thread (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=421812)

plenty of good info in that link.

need a lot more info to try and figure this out.

full water parameters?

more info on the setup, and what you do to maintain this tank would also help.

[kau_cinta_ku]

is your MH right above the center brace of the tank? what are your alk, mag, and cal. levels? if your nitrites arn't 0 then you have some other issues what type of filtration? flow? basically explain your tank more please

[azocean]

Tank: 55 Gallon Bow front overflow box
refugium 30 gallons 70 pds lr in tank and 30 in fuge.

250 MH Ushio bulb

Corallife skimmer

cal: 520

Ph:8

No: 0.3

Nh: 0

all the rest I ran out of test kits and have not got antmore yet.

Flow one hydor #2 and maxijet 900, 1500 GPH pump from fuge

light is about 10 in off water there is a middle bar on my tank s o takes a little light from the middle of the tank .

I can not bring my cal levels down I have not even added cal in the tank in the last month I think it is the purple up and the salt mix Oceanic. ask if more info is needed.

[kau_cinta_ku]

1500 gph through the fuge is way to much. you only want 3-5x turnover through the fuge.

that center brace is taking away alot of light from the tank. most of the light is right below the MH so you need to either get 2 MH or have 1 dark sided tank if you only want 1 bulb or switch to a good T5HO setup.

you may want to also bump up your flow if your gonna slow down the fuge flow. stop adding the purple up all it will do is keep raiseing your cal.

[phenom5]

1500 gph through the fuge is way to much. you only want 3-5x turnover through the fuge.

agreed

that center brace is taking away alot of light from the tank. most of the light is right below the MH so you need to either get 2 MH or have 1 dark sided tank if you only want 1 bulb or switch to a good T5HO setup.

agreed

stop adding the purple up all it will do is keep raiseing your cal.

agreed. and i would add that if you don't have an alk test kit, i wouldn't be dosing the alk component of a 2-part additive. and i would dose both purple up & a 2-part additive. actually...i wouldn't dose with purple up.