When you decide to build a Reef Tank it is important to identify what it is that you want to achieve, and what resources, available space, money etc you have to throw at it. Many of these goals will be the same for any tank e.g stable water chemistry, but many other goals will come from your set of circumstances and experience in the hobby.
Once you have identified your goals you obviously need to come up with some solutions. To give you an example I have made a table of some of our goals, and the solutions we came up with when building our tank. Follow the links for more in-depth info.
To see our build in progress click here.
Goals |
Chosen Solutions |
|---|---|
Low nitrate & phosphate levels, with no Skimmer, no phosphate removers and no water changes (low maintenance). |
A balanced semi natural system based on mud refugium (with macro Algae) deep sand bed and Calcium reactor. Spare nitrate removal capacity supplied by a non-sulphur based nitrate reductor. Phytoplankton fed by a stomach pump |
High Calcium and trace element availability for stony corals |
|
Plenty of natural food for the residents |
|
Stable water chemistry |
Build largest system possible in available space |
Good random water movement with minimal maintenance in tank |
Multiple outlets powered by large external pumps |
Good Temperature control for the tank at minimal costs |
|
Cooler and quieter living space for us humans |
|
Bright lighting for S.P.Stony Corals |
Mixture of metal halide and T5 lighting |
Minimal Heat leaching from pumps to tank water |
Use external water pumps |