Does anyone have a crazy idea for a reef tank they want? TANKED is casting right now and I could put you through to Acrylic Tank Manufacturing to be on the show. It would be great to get people on the show who know their stuff and really care about what goes inside the tank.

I am just finishing up a 500 gal saltwater system (I can sen pic's if your serious)
I'm in LA and have a couple more big projects coming up.
PM me if you want more info
Doc

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"Buddha in your tank"

You generally want no less than 1/3 of the main display and you want to make it so that it can not overflow in case of a power outage.

You have to understand that reefs are the hardest tank and do not form over night so while you may need to cycle the aquarium for 2-4 weeks for fish, you should have the aquarium running for 4-5 months with proper water parameters before getting corals as corals are even more sensitive to water chemistry and parameters than fish.

With that said you want to learn about basic marine chemistry and how to make saltwater. Then you want to learn more about advanced marine chemistry such as calcium, magnesium, iodine, strontium, carbonate, and other trace elements which is a need and must for coral reef system.

You will need a hydrometer to measure the salinity of the water. You will also need a protein skimmer for this size of an aquarium. Your best with an insump version if you are making a custom sump. You will also want some powerheads like hydors for a reef setup.

The lighting system is important for coral reefs as it will determine what you can keep and can not keep. For soft corals you can go with a power compact lighting system but if you wanted hard corals and anemones you will need to look into T5 or metal halides.

Live sand and live rock are good things to have, around 1 pound per gallon of each.

Test kits, and standard aquarium equipment.