It’s no secret that reef aquariums are the pinnacle of the aquarium hobby. They require more maintenance and are more expensive to operate, but they also bring a level of realism that’s hard to replicate, and are truly awesome to look at.
A reef aquarium is a type of saltwater aquarium that features coral and other marine invertebrates in addition to fish, simulating a coral reef—one of nature’s most amazing and diverse types of ecosystem. Seeing tropical fish interacting with coral and other living organisms in their natural habitat is an amazing thing.
But having this elaborate ecosystem in your aquarium comes with extra requirements. Among the things you have to pay special attention to are:
Water chemistry and temperature—the tolerances for deviation are much smaller than with traditional aquariums.
Lighting—to perform photosynthesis, the algae present in coral needs significantly more light than standard aquariums.
Water flow—normal aquariums require all the water to be cycled through about four times an hour. Some reef aquariums increase this requirement up to ten times an hour.
Those of you who are interested in having the amazing looks and biodiversity of a reef aquarium but don’t feel ready to take on the challenge of a full-scape setup will be happy to find out about a new trend called Nano Reef aquariums. These smaller reef tanks still have a great number of organisms, but put them within a much more manageable size (some nano reef aquariums are as small as 3 gallons).
For more info on reef aquariums, or to plan your next aquarium project, reach out to Blue Planet Aquarium for a free consultation!
