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

ALLCORALS REEF TANKS & GEAR
Back to all tours
★ Featured tour
CoralVue HQ — 1,200-Gallon In-House Reef

CoralVue HQ — 1,200-Gallon In-House Reef

by CoralVue (Slidell, LA)
Volume
1,200 gal
Location
🇺🇸 Slidell, LA, USA
Established
2021
Tank type
Mixed reef (distributor showcase)
CoralVue's in-house showcase for the brands they distribute — HYDROS, Reef Octopus, IceCap, Maxspect all running side-by-side.

CoralVue is one of the largest reef equipment distributors in North America, representing Reef Octopus, Maxspect, IceCap, Aquaforest, and their own HYDROS controller line. Their in-house 1,200-gallon reef acts as a live proving ground for the brands they distribute — you'll spot HYDROS controllers, Reef Octopus skimmers, IceCap Gyres, and Maxspect Ethereal LEDs throughout the system.

View original source
Source: YouTube tour (World Wide Corals visit)
What sets this tank apart
Dual calcium reactors for redundancy
Two custom-built calcium reactors run in parallel so one can be serviced without taking dosing offline on a 1200-gallon system.
▶ Jump to this moment
Weekly alcohol-swab mangrove leaves
Staff wipe mangrove leaves with alcohol and fresh water weekly to remove a white residue; skipping it stalls mangrove growth overnight. Learned from 'the mangrove master' Julian.
▶ Jump to this moment
Building engineered around the tank
The room was purpose-built with underground plumbing, floor drains, and an outdoor chiller so full water changes take only minutes.
▶ Jump to this moment
Alkalinity monitored every 4 hours
A Hydros X10 auto-tester checks alkalinity every four hours, giving tight parameter control on a large volume.
▶ Jump to this moment

Equipment Breakdown

Shop this build · 3 of 10 items priced
CoralVue HQ — 1,200-Gallon In-House Reef — Full Equipment List
$1,233
est. build cost
Some links here are affiliate links — AllCorals may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Filtration
Reef Octopus SRO Bubble Blaster Protein Skimmer
Reef Octopus
SRO Bubble Blaster Protein Skimmer
Protein skimmer
⭐ Premium pick
Flagship SRO handling the waste load of 1,200 gallons — CoralVue is Reef Octopus's primary US distributor, so the biggest gun runs at home.
Lighting
Maxspect Ethereal Reef LED
Maxspect
Ethereal Reef LED
Display light
⭐ Premium pick
CoralVue's flagship distributed LED over its own 1,200-gallon proving ground — the house runs what it sells.
AI Hydra 64 HD
AI
Hydra 64 HD
Fill lighting
Hydra 64s layered between the Ethereals to close coverage gaps across a 1,200-gallon footprint.
$701.99 Buy → at Bulk Reef Supply Details →
Flow & Circulation
Reef Octopus Varios 8 DC Return Pump
Reef Octopus
Varios 8 DC Return Pump
Return pump
DC-controllable return dialed in for quiet, energy-efficient flow on a system this size.
IceCap
4K Gyre Powerhead
Wavemaker
IceCap gyres generate the wide laminar flow columns this display is known for.
In our catalog →
Maxspect Gyre XF280 Cross-Flow Generator
Maxspect
Gyre XF280 Cross-Flow Generator
Cross-flow pump
Maxspect's XF-series gyres run alongside the IceCap units — two distributed flow brands working the same water.
$519.74 Buy → ⚠ Out at Bulk Reef Supply Details →
HYDROS WaveEngine V2
HYDROS
WaveEngine V2
Pump hub
One hub driving four brands of pump — IceCap, Reef Octopus, EcoTech and Maxspect — without four separate controllers.
Monitoring & Control
HYDROS Control 4 Controller
HYDROS
Control 4 Controller
Controller
CoralVue's in-house HYDROS platform ties every pump and probe together — alkalinity is auto-tested every 4 hours on the same ecosystem.
Water & Salt
Aquaforest Reef Salt
Aquaforest
Reef Salt
Salt mix
CoralVue-distributed salt feeding the automated mixing station that handles ~100-gallon water changes every week or two.
$11.29 Buy → at Bulk Reef Supply Details →
Display & Aquascape
1,200-Gallon Display Tank
Display
Purpose-built around an engineered filtration room — underground plumbing and floor drains turn full water changes into a minutes-long job.

Husbandry & Notes

  • Runs a dedicated filtration room with underground PVC and floor drains for fast water changes
  • Dual custom calcium reactors run in parallel for redundancy on the large system
  • Tests alkalinity automatically every 4 hours with a Hydros X10
  • No two-part, no amino acids; calcium reactor only, occasional phyto, fresh water top-off
  • IceCap algae scrubbers plus a mangrove refugium for nutrient export
  • Wipes mangrove leaves weekly with alcohol/freshwater swabs to prevent decline
  • Water changes of ~100 gallons every 1-2 weeks via automated salt-mix station
  • Owner personally makes all husbandry calls and is in the tank daily
To me if a coral is pretty it's not going to stop being pretty.
We put two of them just for redundancy — if God forbid something happens with one we don't want to take it offline.
I test alkalinity every 4 hours.
Once a week just send somebody and wipe the leaves with a little alcohol, little fresh water.
Every single coral, they're my babies — I make the calls.