🪸 Getting Started with SPS Corals
If you’ve been keeping a saltwater aquarium for a while and have some experience, you might be ready to try SPS corals. Follow these tips to set yourself up for success:
1. Keep KH Stable
Use a dosing pump or calcium reactor to adjust your KH.
Manual management usually doesn’t work well with SPS corals.
2. Start with Multiple Corals
Buy 4–5 or more SPS in your first purchase.
This helps you see whether an issue is with a single coral or SPS in general.
3. Choose Beginner-Friendly Species
Start with Montipora or Stylophora.
Seriatopora, Pocillopora, and Psammacora are slightly more challenging.
Acropora vary widely in difficulty — research individual species before buying.
4. Buy Established Corals
Select corals that have been kept in aquariums for a long time.
Newly imported corals may have experienced transport stress, water changes, or light shifts.
Established corals have already adapted and are more likely to thrive in your tank.
5. Skip the First Dip
Instead of dipping, gradually acclimate the coral to your tank’s temperature and place it in your planned aquascape.
This allows the coral to use energy to adapt to your tank rather than coping with a dip process.
Once the corals are thriving and growing, you can dip them if needed.
Tip: If using CoraroC, it’s easy to manage future corals. For example, after starting with Montipora, new Acropora don’t usually require dipping because parasites rarely affect both species. After that, we recommend dipping new corals as a precaution.
✅ Summary
Focus on stability and adaptation.
Start with multiple, beginner-friendly corals.
Avoid stressing corals with unnecessary dips.
Research species individually for the best success.
