Caring for SPS Corals in your Reef Tank.
SPS corals, or Small Polyp Stony corals, are a popular and challenging group of corals for reef aquarium hobbyists. These corals are known for their bright colors and intricate structures, but they are also highly sensitive to changes in water quality and environmental conditions. Proper care and attention are essential for maintaining the health and beauty of SPS corals in your reef tank.
Lighting
SPS corals require intense lighting to survive and thrive in your reef tank. They need strong light in order to produce the energy they need to survive, and they are particularly sensitive to changes in light levels. High-quality LED lights or metal halide lights are good options for providing the necessary light spectrum and intensity for SPS corals. It's also important to maintain consistent light levels and to avoid sudden changes in lighting.
Water Quality
Water quality is critical for the health of SPS corals in your reef tank. These corals are highly sensitive to changes in water quality, so it's important to maintain consistent water parameters. This includes temperature, pH, salinity, nitrates, and phosphates. Regular water testing and water changes can help to maintain a stable and healthy environment for your SPS corals.
Nutrition
SPS corals also require a balanced diet in order to thrive in your reef tank. These corals feed primarily on microscopic organisms, but they can also benefit from being fed small amounts of food, such as brine shrimp or phytoplankton. It's important to not overfeed your SPS corals, as excess food can lead to an increase in nitrogenous waste, which can be harmful to your corals and other inhabitants in your tank.
Placement
SPS corals require proper placement in your reef tank to ensure that they receive adequate light and water flow. These corals need to be placed near the top of the tank where they receive strong light and strong water flow. This will help to provide them with the nutrients and energy they need to grow and thrive. Additionally, it's important to not place SPS corals too close to other corals or rocks, as they may damage each other during growth.
Final Thoughts
Caring for SPS corals in your reef tank requires careful attention and effort, but the reward of having a thriving and beautiful coral in your aquarium is well worth it. By providing adequate lighting, water quality, nutrition, and placement, you can ensure that your SPS corals will thrive and provide a stunning addition to your reef tank. With proper care and attention, SPS corals can be a long-lasting and fascinating part of your aquarium for years to come.
SPS Coral
Acropora can be one of the more difficult corals to keep, but can also be the most rewarding. Acropora grows extremely fast under the right conditions and can provide beautiful tree-like shapes in your aquarium. Acropora normally requires a high amount of light with a high volume of alternating flow to keep them happy and colourful. Acropora is the apex of our hobby as once they establish themselves, look out! You'll be hooked forever when you see your first frag encrust!
SPS corals are hard corals (Scleractinia) that build an internal skeleton made of calcium carbonate.
As they require calcium carbonate to build a skeleton, SPS corals need a consistent calcium and alkalinity level. If these levels drop too low or fluctuate it will stress the coral. Use of a doser or calcium reactor is a must for aquariums larger than 60L.
SPS corals also need high energy water movement. All areas of the tissue and polyps need to receive water flow in order to stay healthy. SPS corals need high levels of evenly spread defused light. Depending on coral genus, it will need somewhere between 150 and 600 umols of P.A.R. (photosynthetic active radiation).
Stability is key with all coral but this is more important with SPS corals. Keeping water parameters stable and consistent is paramount to maintain the health of SPS corals.
Montipora Coral
Montiporas are one of the best types of coral for beginner hobbyists because of their ease of care and growth rate. They display many different types of growth patterns and colour morphs. We provide all sorts of colorful, rainbow Montipora for sale, including favorites such as neon green and red Montipora. From; plating structures, to branching, to encrusting, to a mixture of all three, the shapes they take on can be diverse even among the same species in two different aquariums. They should usually be placed midway in your reef as they like a medium amount of light. The only exception to this light preference is for plated or encrusting Montipora, which should be positioned near the bottom of your reef as they can easily be burned. All species of Montipora coral frag love higher flow levels, so be sure to provide them with plenty of water circulation. Montiporas are not aggressive at all and should not be kept near aggressive corals. Be sure to give them plenty of room so they do not grow into a more aggressive species or shade a nearby coral. View our inventory of Montipora corals for sale.
FAQ
When will my order ship?
We ship orders out each Monday and Tuesday. Cut off time are Midnight Sunday or Monday. We may postpone shipments to the following week if we are advised by our shipping partner of delays or on public holidays. Information regarding tracking will be emailed once your order has shipped.
Is it possible to collect my order in person?
Customers have the option of picking up their orders locally by selecting the local pickup option during checkout. Upon placing an order, we will reach out to you within 24 hours to schedule a collection time. The pickup location is situated in Kingsgrove NSW.
Collections Times:
Weekdays - 9am - 2pm
Weekends - 9am -12pm
If required, we can arrange for collections outside of the above times as well.
In the event that my corals arrive deceased, what is the course of action?
To be eligible for our Arrive Alive Guarantee, it is necessary to send us well-defined pictures of the coral in its shipping container, within 2 hours of Star Track delivery time, via email at info@zeoboxreef.com.au.
For further information regarding the Arrive Alive Guarantee policy and claims process, kindly refer to our Arrive Alive Guarantee page.
With which courier company will my order be shipped?
We use Star Track Premium Express Freight to ship all of our orders as we have found them to be the most dependable door-to-door courier service accessible. We assess their performance every month to ensure the swiftest delivery service at a sensible cost. Additionally, we provide same-day airport-to-airport shipping, more details can be found on our Airport to Airport shipping page.
I am worried about introducing parasites into my aquarium, what do you do to minimise risk?
We totally understand your concern! Pests and parasites are a common worry in reef keeping, but it's also part of the hobby—managing them is something every reef keeper faces at some point. At Zeo Box Reef, we take extra care to minimise any risks.Every coral we get in is carefully inspected and dipped before it even enters our systems. After that, we monitor them for about 2-4 weeks, checking their health, vitality, and colour to ensure they’re thriving. Only after we're confident in their condition do we offer them for sale.
We also don’t sell marine fish, which helps prevent any fish-related parasites from entering our systems. The few fish we do have have been with us for years, and they’re completely pest-free.
That said, while we inspect each coral before shipping, we can’t fully guarantee that every single pest is eliminated—especially since we do work with wild-collected corals. That’s why we always recommend dipping any new corals before adding them to your tank, just as an extra precaution. It's part of the reef-keeping experience, and being proactive helps keep your tank healthy in the long run!
Do I have to be present at home to receive my order?
No, it is not necessary to be present as all orders are marked with an "Authority to leave" notice. If a secure and safe location is not available on your property and the order cannot be left at your doorstep, such as in the case of apartment buildings, we suggest having your order delivered to your workplace.
Can I expect the coral I see online to match what I receive in my order?
Shopping for live coral for sale online can be a source of worry for reef hobbyists, who can never be entirely sure what will arrive in the mail. Will it resemble the coral they saw online? While there is no substitute for an in-person viewing of the coral, we offer What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) corals to alleviate concerns. Our WYSIWYG corals allow you to preview the actual coral fragment or colony before making a purchase. We take pride in photographing all our corals under Ecotech Radion G5 LED Light fixtures. We use professional-grade Full Frame DSLR cameras and lenses to capture the highest quality representation of the coral. We also provide multiple photos of the coral under different light spectrums, including full spectrum (white light) and heavy blue spectrum. We also offer size approximations for every coral in centimeters. This measurement is taken when the coral is fully expanded, providing you with a better understanding of the amount of space the coral will occupy in your aquarium.
What are the shipping costs?
- Star Track Premium shipping service offers different rates based on the order amount.
- Orders under $249 have a shipping cost of $45.
- Orders $249 - $499 have a shipping cost of $29.
- Orders $500 and over are shipped for free.
- Same-day airport to airport shipping starts from $65. Lean more
How will my order be packaged?
Zeo Box Reef Aquaculture prides itself on being a leader in the industry for packaging and shipping corals. We have a meticulous approach to packaging methods to ensure that your order arrives in optimal condition. Our team carefully hand-picks and packs each order with great care. Coral fragments are placed in specially designed containers and secured using chemically inert foam floats. For larger corals, we use a double-bagging method and add activated carbon to achieve optimal water quality during shipping. To maintain the ideal temperature conditions during transit, we use thick-walled styrofoam boxes with heat/cold packs as needed. Our shipping options include door to door Star Track Premium freight or same day Airport-to-Airport delivery. Both options are fast and secure.