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Andrew's 1,000-Gallon Mixed Reef

Andrew's 1,000-Gallon Mixed Reef

by Andrew
Volume
1,000 gal
Dimensions
96" x 48" x 30"
Tank type
Mixed Reef
This video tours Andrew's impressive 1000-gallon mixed reef aquarium in Las Vegas, which has achieved significant growth in just two years from frags. Andrew details his husbandry philosophy, emphasizing high light and flow, consistent large-volume water changes, and the benefits of a large refugium. He also discusses his approach to fish health and automation to simplify maintenance.

Andrew's roughly two-year-old 600-gallon display (about 1000 gallons total system) is a heavily-stocked mixed reef in Las Vegas, grown entirely from frags with impressive speed. He runs an ATI Straton/T5/Reef Brite hybrid, very high flow, a GEO's calcium reactor, and a 180-gallon refugium, deliberately over-provisioning light, flow, and food while relying on big water changes and the refugium to keep nutrients in check.

View original source
Source: YouTube · Tidal Gardens
What sets this tank apart
Attic-plumbed closed-loop water changes
A Vectra L2 closed loop with a tee and attic hoses lets him drain 100 gallons in minutes and refill hands-free — designed so water changes get done even from a wheelchair.
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Deliberate over-provisioning philosophy
Intentionally runs too much light, flow, food, fish and coral, then uses the refugium to buffer the resulting nutrients back to manageable levels.
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Refugium as nutrient safety net
Treats the 180g refugium as a buffer that absorbs ammonia/nitrate/phosphate spikes and shelters pods, keeping the heavily-stocked display stable.
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Simplify to a calcium reactor only
After two-part dosing repeatedly threw his parameters out of whack, he switched to a GEO's calcium reactor as a single 'set and forget' method.
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Equipment Breakdown

Shop this build · 1 of 8 items priced
Andrew's 1,000-Gallon Mixed Reef — Full Equipment List
$400
est. build cost
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Lighting
ATI Straton
ATI
Straton
Display lights
⭐ Premium pick
The hard-to-find German fixture Andrew calls the 'German Radion' — center of a hybrid canopy he deliberately overdrives so even sandbed corals get sun.
Reef Brite LED strips
Reef Brite
LED strips
Accent strips ×2
One on each end of the hybrid fixture, stretching blue coverage out to the edges of the 8-foot display.
ATI T5 Bulbs
ATI
T5 Bulbs
Supplemental T5s ×4
Two bulbs flank the Stratons on each side — fluorescent fill that evens out LED shadows across the hybrid.
In our catalog →
Flow & Circulation
Maxspect Gyre XF350
Maxspect
Gyre XF350
Wavemakers ×7
Seven gyres drive the wall-to-wall movement Andrew intentionally overdoes — flow even in corners and along the bottom, never aimed straight at a coral.
IceCap
3K/4K Gyre
Wavemakers ×3
Three more crossflow pumps stack onto the seven Maxspects — ten gyres on one display in service of the 'too much flow' philosophy.
EcoTech Vectra L2
EcoTech
Vectra L2
Closed-loop pump
🔧 DIY mod
Drives a closed loop tee'd to attic hoses — drains 100 gallons in minutes for hands-free water changes, designed to work even from a wheelchair.
Monitoring & Control
Neptune Apex
Neptune
Apex
Controller
$399.95 Buy → ⚠ Out at Bulk Reef Supply Details →
Dosing
GEO's Reef Calcium Reactor
GEO's Reef
Calcium Reactor
Ca/Alk supplementation
The only supplementation on the system — no two-part, no kalk, no additives; reactor effluent plus big water changes keep chemistry simple.
Modern equivalent: GEO's Reef CR618 Calcium Reactor
In our catalog →

Husbandry & Notes

  • Runs a calcium reactor only — no two-part, kalkwasser, or extra additives, to keep dosing simple
  • Blankets tank with excess light so corals grow even on the sandbed; SPS placed high
  • Runs very heavy flow, including at the bottom and in corners, but avoids direct flow on corals
  • Closed-loop plumbing with attic hoses enables large, effortless water changes
  • Maintains a 180-gallon refugium since day zero as a nutrient and pod safety net
  • Plop-and-drop stocking with heavy feeding; relies on UV for ick control instead of quarantine
  • Obsessive about RODI source water — removes silicates and chlorines (Vegas TDS ~500)
  • Copper band butterfly keeps aiptasia permanently out of the display
Reported parameters
Temp (°F)
81
I like to put the sun over my aquariums. I like to put too much, and then if it's too much I can always move corals down.
Water changes are the answer to everything. It's the great equalizer.
The way that I reef is I put too much — too much light, too much food, too much fish, too much coral.
If I make it as easy as possible, I might actually do it. If it's a pain in the butt, I'm not gonna do it.
One copper band and you'll never see aptasia in your display again.