Tank 01
Just the Tip (45 gallon mixed reef)
45
Gallons
mixed reef
Style
3 ft x 12 in tall
Xavier Bruce's 45-gallon 'Just the Tip' is a quintessential mixed reef in Aventura, Florida, built around softies, LPS, SPS, and his favorite nonphotosynthetic corals. It features an emersed intertidal aquascape, locally-collected Florida gorgonians, and heavy feeding balanced by aggressive nutrient export via an oversized skimmer and algae turf scrubber.
Lighting
6-bulb T5 fixture ×1
Skimmer
Return Pump
Filtration
refugium / algae turf scrubber + media reactors
Feeding
Heavily overfeeds — about 5 cubes of frozen food (or equivalent) daily; feeds a variety rather than one staple
Husbandry & Practices
7
- Heavily overfeeds ~5 cubes frozen food daily to sustain LPS, softies, and nonphotosynthetic corals.
- Oversizes nutrient export: 150-gallon-rated skimmer plus algae turf scrubber on a 45g tank.
- Feeds a variety of foods rather than any single staple for better long-term coral health.
- Maintains slightly elevated phosphate and nitrate to feed softies and NPS corals.
- Compartmentalizes corals by aggression — sweeper LPS grouped apart from zoanthids/palys.
- Runs media reactors: one Purigen+carbon, one phosphate media+carbon, tuned via valves.
- Shares rare unidentified Blastomussa with several reefers as insurance against a tank meltdown.
Target Parameters
NO₃
intentionally kept slightly elevated
PO₄
intentionally kept slightly elevated
Corals
8
gorgoniansSea Fangolden rod gorgoniansun coralsdendrophylliazoanthidsProtopalythoaunidentified Blastomussa (grows like Blastomussa wellsi in polyps but branches like Blastomussa merletti)
Inverts
2
hermit crabssnails
