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Matt Schmidt's 80-Gallon Reef

Matt Schmidt's 80-Gallon Reef

by Matt Schmidt
Volume
80 gal
Tank type
Mixed Reef
A removable pump runs ~1 hr/day to re-suspend detritus that collects in the center of the dual-island peninsula aquascape so it reaches the overflow and sump.

Matt Schmidt's 80-gallon shallow rimless peninsula is a heavily mixed reef housing LPS, SPS, polyps, corallimorphs, anemones, and mushrooms, run as an 'untouchable' colony tank. It's plumbed into a modified 40-breeder sump and a 30-gallon fry tank for ~150 gallons total volume, filtered by a Nature Reef denitrifier that keeps nutrients near zero. Equipment is consolidated through a single manifold off a Jebao DC 12000 and automated by an Apex controller.

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Source: YouTube · REEF2REEF
What sets this tank apart
The 'detritus buster' pump
A removable pump runs ~1 hr/day to re-suspend detritus that collects in the center of the dual-island peninsula aquascape so it reaches the overflow and sump.
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Manifold instead of pump spaghetti
A single 2-inch manifold off the return pump feeds skimmer, reactors, and chambers — replacing 10-15 maxi-jets, cutting heat, pumps, and electricity while keeping the sump clean.
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Retrofit T5 fixture with LEDs inside
Pulled the four center T5 bulbs and reflectors and mounted two Radion G3 units inside the fixture — combining T5 spectrum by day with LED blue pop at night.
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'Untouchable' colony-only tank
Refuses frag-culture flipping — once a frag goes in it isn't cut until it's a full fist-sized colony, prioritizing display over profit.
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Equipment Breakdown

Shop this build · 1 of 8 items priced
Matt Schmidt's 80-Gallon Reef — Full Equipment List
$400
est. build cost
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Filtration
Vertex Protein skimmer
Vertex
Protein skimmer
Protein skimmer
Fed off the return-pump manifold instead of its own feed pump.
Lighting
ATI 8-bulb T5 fixture
ATI
8-bulb T5 fixture
Display light
🔧 DIY mod
Four center bulbs and reflectors pulled to make room for the Radions — the remaining four T5s run just ~4.5 hrs a day.
EcoTech Marine Radion G3
EcoTech Marine
Radion G3
Display lights ×2
Mounted inside the T5 fixture where the center bulbs used to be — LEDs supply the blue evening pop, T5s the daytime spread.
Modern equivalent: EcoTech Radion XR30 G6 →
Flow & Circulation
Jebao DC 12000
Jebao
DC 12000
Return pump
💡 Budget hack
One pump runs everything — a 2" manifold off it feeds skimmer, reactors and chambers, replacing 10-15 Maxi-Jets and their heat.
Maxspect Gyre 350
Maxspect
Gyre 350
Cross-flow
The larger of Maxspect's two sizes, sheeting flow down the length of the dual-island peninsula.
Jebao WP25
Jebao
WP25
Detritus buster
Removable pump run ~1 hr a day to re-suspend detritus that settles mid-scape so the overflow and sump can export it.
Monitoring & Control
Neptune Systems Apex
Neptune Systems
Apex
Controller
Automates the consolidated ~150-gallon multi-tank system.
$399.95 Buy → ⚠ Out at Bulk Reef Supply Details →
Dosing
Mark's Coral
4-channel doser
Ca/Alk supplementation
Runs calcium, alk, magnesium and 5 ml of amino acids every other day — with nutrients held at zero, the corals get fed directly.

Husbandry & Notes

  • Runs Nature Reef denitrifier to hold nitrate at zero and phosphate near undetectable.
  • Avoids over-stripping nutrients — no biopellets, so LPS and polyps don't suffer.
  • Runs T5 + LED combo: 4 T5 bulbs ~4.5 hrs/day plus Radion blue LEDs at night.
  • Doses calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, and 5ml amino acids every other day via 4-channel doser.
  • Consolidated four systems into one connected ~150-gallon system for greater stability.
  • Treats the 80 as an 'untouchable' tank — frags grow to fist-size colonies, never fragged for profit.
  • Sump lit on opposite (night) schedule with a little chaeto/caulerpa.
Reported parameters
Nitrate
zero
Phosphate
almost undetectable
This tank is basically the untouchable tank once I put a frag in here until it's a full colony.
I think it's probably the most essential piece of a reef tank is stability.
This is a much cleaner setup and solution. I highly recommend setting up a manifold for any future tank setup.
Basically all we're doing here is mimicking the ocean.
Nothing's more satisfying than growing something from a seed or a frag, beautiful planter colony.