THE GEAR REAL REEF TANKS RUN | TOURS · EQUIPMENT · GUIDES

ALLCORALS REEF TANKS & GEAR
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BRS 160 — The "Real Reef" Mixed Build

BRS 160 — The "Real Reef" Mixed Build

by Ryan Batcheller (BRS)
Volume
160 gal
Dimensions
72" × 24" × 22"
Location
🇺🇸 Minneapolis, MN, USA
Established
2019
Tank type
Mixed reef
Every product on this tank was A/B tested on camera before being added. The closest thing the hobby has to a peer-reviewed reef build.

The most-documented reef build of the modern era. Ryan from BRS built this 160-gallon over 100+ episodes of 5-Min Saturday, testing every dosing protocol, every coral feeding regime, every flow pattern — with control measurements. The reef hobby's most public R&D project.

View original source
Source: BRStv 5-Min Saturday

Equipment Breakdown

Shop this build · 5 of 9 items priced
BRS 160 — The "Real Reef" Mixed Build — Full Equipment List
$3,557
est. build cost
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Filtration
Royal Exclusiv Bubble King Mini 200
Royal Exclusiv
Bubble King Mini 200
Protein skimmer
⭐ Premium pick
Royal Exclusiv's compact German flagship — the premium end of skimming, on a build that existed to test what's actually worth the money.
$1,385.49 Buy → ⚠ Out at Bulk Reef Supply Details →
Bulk Reef Supply BRS GFO Reactor
Bulk Reef Supply
BRS GFO Reactor
Phosphate control
The house brand on the house tank — GFO in BRS's own reactor keeping phosphate in line.
$71.99 Buy → at Bulk Reef Supply Details →
Lighting
EcoTech Marine Radion XR30 G5 Pro
EcoTech Marine
Radion XR30 G5 Pro
Display lights ×2
The fixture BRS's own PAR testing kept ranking at the top of its LED comparisons — here doing the real work over the test tank itself.
Modern equivalent: EcoTech Radion XR30 G6
$999.99 Buy → at Bulk Reef Supply Details →
Flow & Circulation
EcoTech Marine VorTech MP40 QD
EcoTech Marine
VorTech MP40 QD
Wavemakers ×2
Programmable enough to A/B one flow pattern against another on camera — the platform for the channel's flow experiments.
In our catalog →
EcoTech Marine L1 Return Pump
EcoTech Marine
L1 Return Pump
Return pump
Monitoring & Control
Neptune Systems Apex A3 Pro Controller
Neptune Systems
Apex A3 Pro Controller
Controller
Runs the automation and logs the control measurements — every dosing and feeding experiment on this tank shipped with data behind it.
$399.95 Buy → ⚠ Out at Bulk Reef Supply Details →
Neptune Systems Trident
Neptune Systems
Trident
Automated water testing
Alkalinity tested four times a day without touching a syringe — the data stream behind the channel's dosing experiments.
$699.99 Buy → at Bulk Reef Supply Details →
Dosing
Neptune Systems DOS
Neptune Systems
DOS
Dosing pumps ×2
Four peristaltic heads across two units — the flexibility that let the channel trial dosing protocol after dosing protocol.
Tropic Marin Bio-Calcium Original Balling
Tropic Marin
Bio-Calcium Original Balling
Ca/Alk supplementation
💡 Budget hack
Balling-method dry salts mixed down for the dosers — cheaper per gallon than premixed two-part.