- What do you really need
to be successful at keeping a reef tank?
Do you need all sorts of test gear, pumps, filters,
a whole computer just automating everything in your tank?
No, you don't need any of that stuff, well some of it maybe.
But all that stuff is really
just helping you make it easier.
So, if a lot of that is optional,
what do you actually have to have
to be successful with a reef tank?
Hi, guys and girls, I'm ReefMan,
and this week I'm gonna be answering that age-old question
that I get all the time,
"Is keeping a reef tank as hard as I think?"
Well, first off, it starts with a tank.
Of course, something to hold water.
You can build a reef tank
in a large canning jar if you wanted,
or maybe in something like a swimming pool.
Both of those extremes though,
are gonna increase the level of difficulty
that you're gonna run into.
Really small tanks don't have a lot of water,
which means that the water parameters change quickly.
If a fish or coral or something dies,
it's gonna pollute the water within just a few hours
and that's gonna harm the rest of the tank
and it's gonna snowball.
At the other end, large tanks just need more,
more salt, more light, more everything,
they cost a lot more.
So what's the best size that I recommend you start with?
Well, I would usually recommend something
in the 10, 20, to maybe 150 gallon range,
but really you should picture what you want in your mind.
Go ahead, do it right now.
Is the tank that you pictured on your countertop?
Maybe in your office?
Something free-standing in your living room?
Well, if it was on your countertop or something like that,
check out a website called Nano-Reef,
there's a link down below.
It's an amazing community
all dedicated to those small reef tanks.
You'll probably be looking at tanks
in the 10, 20, maybe up to about 40-gallon size range.
In fact, my first tank was just a seven gallon reef tank
and it was on my kitchen counter,
so it's very possible to start
and be successful with a small tank.
Next up, you're gonna need water to fill the tank with.
Of course, being a reef tank, it'll need to be saltwater.
Don't worry though about exactly what salt you're gonna use,
just get some basic reef crystals
and you'll be fine to start with.
And actually, buying salt is really not required,
you can buy premixed saltwater at your local fish store.
And if all you're building is a 20 gallon reef tank,
then that's a great option you can get away with.
In fact, your fish store, or even your grocery store,
could be a great source of clean water
to use to mix up your saltwater
or to top off the water as it evaporates.
Look for RODI or steam distilled water
if you are at the grocery store,
both of those would work well,
and for a small tank,
that's gonna a whole lot easier and cheaper
than filtering the water yourself at home.
You'll also need something
to just get the water moving water in the tank.
If you're building a large tank,
then you're gonna need powerheads, a pump,
maybe even something like a VorTech or a Tunze NanoStream,
or another stream pump, something like that.
If you're working on a nano reef though,
a lot of people will get away with
just a large AquaClear hang on back filter,
they just use that,
and it will provide enough flow for your small reef tank
and you can supplement it
with a small powerhead or something like that, if not.
You can also buy all-in-one aquariums
that include pumps and lights and the whole nine yards,
all built into the tank itself.
Now most coral is photosynthetic,
and so like I just mentioned,
you're gonna need a light of some sort.
This is likely to be the most expensive single thing
you need to consider, even the smallest lights
are usually a couple of hundred dollars.
On the cheap end, you could get away
with power compact fluorescents though,
so that's an option for you,
or maybe you could, just as I mentioned,
buy an all-in-one package for your new tank.
Don't worry about it and get the light in the bundle.
WaterBox, for example, makes a whole bunch
of nice small aquariums from the 10, 15, 20 gallon range
that come with the light and the pump
and everything that you need for just about 4 or $500.
Be aware that most reef fish come from tropical waters.
They like their water temperature
to be in the upper 70s, around 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Conveniently, that's about room temperature,
or maybe just a little bit above.
Your tank might just work out
to where you don't need a heater at all,
but I would suggest having
a good quality aquarium heater in your tank
so that it can heat it overnight
when your house just naturally cools off
and when your tank's light,
which is gonna be the main heat source, is off.
And of course, if all you really want is a few fish,
like a clownfish or something like that,
room temperature is actually probably just fine.
It's actually coral that cares
about changes in temperature, more so than fish,
so if you don't have coral,
you don't need to worry about it as much.
Either way though,
I would recommend a thermometer of some sort,
just so you know where the water temperature actually is.
Now once you have your tank and all the equipment,
know that you'll also probably want some live rock.
It's gonna be the main filtration mechanism in our tank.
Your local fish store probably has a whole bin full of it
and you can just pick out some shapes and pieces
that look nice to you.
You can also buy rock online, and remember, it's just rock.
You can take a hammer to it, a chisel, whatever you want,
shape it into some amazing aquascape.
You can use epoxy to bind it together,
or reef cement to make smaller pieces into bigger things,
and really the only limit is your imagination
when it comes to rock.
Live rock is helpful,
but it's not really required in a modern reef tank,
so just create an aquascape that's pleasing to your eye
and that you like, and you'll be fine.
Remember that flat areas are great
to attach coral to when the time comes,
so think about that and where you're gonna put stuff
when you're designing your rock work.
Once you have your tank set up,
you're also wanna pick up a few test different kits,
things like ammonia and nitrate,
but your local fish store
will also most likely be will to test the water for you
if you wanted to go that route.
And by testing your water,
you're really just looking to find out
when it's safe to add the fish or the coral,
or whatever it is that you're actually
setting up your tank for.
So really, the answer's no,
it's not hard to set up a reef tank.
You can, for sure, save some money upfront,
start with a small reef tank
and do it for less than $500 or so.
You do need a tank, some saltwater to fill it with, a light,
something to move the water around
like a pump or hang on the back filter,
and, you know, probably a heater or a thermometer.
Your reef tank can be as complicated as you want it to be.
For sure, there are all sorts of gadgets and gizmos
that you can use, but that stuff's not required.
Check out sites like Nano-Reef
if you wanna build a small reef tank,
or Reef2Reef if you're looking
for something a little bit bigger.
Really, get the tank that excites you.
If you're excited by the possibilities,
then you're gonna be well on your path
towards an amazing reef tank.
So good luck!
If the equipment is overwhelming to you,
really just buy one of those all-in-one packages
and just use the stuff that comes with it.
Even the most basic lights and the cheapest pumps
are gonna get you off to a great start.
You can always build on it,
replace bits and pieces of it later on as you go.
So I hope you enjoyed the video.
If you're a longtime reefer,
then leave some comments down below
for the new folks that are just getting started out.
What would you suggest they spend their time and money on?
Any tips for someone just getting into the hobby?
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I post about once a week.
Have a fantastic day, stay safe, be kind to each other,
and I will see you next time, bye!