Am I ready for LPS?

Is there a rule of thumb on tank age/stability before adding LPS?

My tank is a 150 gal that's about 4 months old. I have a 40 gal breeder for a sump that's divided into a refugium and sump/return. I currently have chaeto and gracillaria growing in the refugium. I've gone through the diatom phase, had a green algae outbreak on my rock (CUC is getting it under control), and I currently have what I think is cyano on some of my sand. Last night, I noticed gas bubbles forming against the glass in my sand bed (1.5").

My params are:

Amm = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 10 ish (tested with API kit. down from 20 ish)
Phos = 0 ish (API kit)
dKH = 9
Ca = 490
Mg = 1410
S. G. = 1.023 (has been up closer to 1.025)
Temp = 77-78 deg.

I have 4 zoa frags (3 of them have added polyps), a glove polyps frag, and a nepthea frag that all seem to be doing well. I'd like to add a few LPS next, and I'm looking at candy canes, torch coral, frogspawn, or favias.

Does it sound like this tank is ready for any of those LPS, or should I continue working on getting the nitrate down?

Thanks.

 

The LPS corals mentioned and a few more will be fine in a set up with those parameters IME

you could also consider
Hammer
Acans
Wellso - brain corals

 

Perfect! Thanks.

 

Your parameters are all fine. For LPS, softies and even a few SPS your nitrates are fine. I would really watch that cyano and really try to get rid of it. I have seen too many LPS bite the dust from being smothered by cyano. SPS too. Softies I have found to do ok with cyano in the tank and for the most part nothing bad can happen to softies with only a mild case of cyano. Just really watch with LPS.

 

I would go ahead and raise the salinity back to 1.025 or 1.026.... Corals seem more sensitive to proper salinity levels than fish.

Also what kind of lighting are you using?

 

+ 1 on what they said, go for it!

 

tank looks good, what is your lighting set up?

 

Thanks everyone for the feed back and the help..

So far I'm only seeing it on the sand bed and I've been reluctant to vaccuum or stir it up. Go with lights out for a day or two?

I was running at 1.025 and hadn't watched it for a week or so. Not sure why it wandered down yet, but I'll boost it back up over the next few days.

I have T5's with all Geiseman bulbs. The tank is a corner hex, so I have to step down the bulb length as I go back towards the corner. I have 2 x 48" (Actinic+, Aquablue+), 2 x 36" (Actinic+, Aquablue+), 2 x 24" (Actinic+, Aquablue+), and a 36" LED strip (TrueLumen Pro Actinic) that I use for 1 hour before and 1 hour after the T5's.

 

Hmm... that is very strange for your salt to be creeping down that much. Your lights are definitely good enough. And as long as the rest of those parameters stay stable you are most definitely ready for any LPS you want.

 

Just thought about it, and I didn't check the refractometer for calibration before this last use, so I should probably check that before making too many changes.