55 gallon SPS reef- new additions (12/18/14)

Quite a bit of SPS. I have a pink and red birsdest apporaching fist size as well as a montipora that is larger than a saucer. I have an A. valida that has upteen branches ranging from 1"-2" with a diamter of the same. I have a brain coral the size of a baseball and a frogspawn the size of a softball. Lots of acropora frags and actively growing pocillipora too. I have three encrusting montipora that are spreading like wildfire too. I have a tabling acropora that has been growing well. It's about 2.5" tall with a table-shelf about the size of a milk jug cap.

All of these were grown from nearly single branching frags.

 

wow amazing

 

For comparison, and since I'm board at work, your 125 gallon tank, at 400 ppm of calcium, has arproximated 0.412 pounds of calcium in dry weight (you could do some math to figure out the calcium chloride equivilant). My tank has approximated 0.089 pounds of calicum in dry weight. Having a heavily stocked SPS tank in my 20 leaves me much little room for a drop in calcium before I need to dose.

Now, theroritically, a larger tank would have more coral, but in this case, if you put my coral in your tank, you will go much longer without having to dose than I would. You can see why having a heavily stocked SPS reef in a smaller tank makes it even more necessary to dose in a smaller tank.

 

I wish it were lol. I am never satisfied. Some of my acropora need a little love, coloration is off again.

 

What do you do for work?

 

I'm in the same boat, kalk alone is not enough to keep up with the consumption in my 29. I have to dose 2 part daily and drip fully saturated kalk.

 

I get a lot of detritus build up in my return section. I wonder if stirring that up once a week will help?

yup

 

I work for an environmental consultation firm.

 

Kevin,
I totally understand then and certainly agree.
However- my 125 is now my sump- with at least 100g of water in it, sumping for my 180. So that basically even makes further justifiies your comparison - small to big vs. available calcium

 

You sounded like a mad scientist there for a second! I was secretly hoping you'd say mad scientist...