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Richard Miller's 220-Gallon Reef

Richard Miller's 220-Gallon Reef

by Richard Miller
Volume
220 gal
Tank type
Mixed Reef
Swapped in-sump refugium for an external Pax Bellum turf scrubber that grows roughly 10x more algae, driving nitrates to often undetectable levels.

Richard Miller's 220-gallon mixed reef in Port St. Lucie, Florida is deliberately packed with soft and hard corals plus a heavy fish load of many tangs and a school of 10 Bartlett's anthias. Success hinges on aggressive nutrient export—skimmer, biopellets, and an external Pax Bellum algae scrubber—keeping nitrates often undetectable despite the heavy bioload. He runs small frequent 20-gallon weekly water changes and sends water to Triton Labs every 90 days.

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Source: YouTube · REEF2REEF
What sets this tank apart
External Pax Bellum algae scrubber
Swapped in-sump refugium for an external Pax Bellum turf scrubber that grows roughly 10x more algae, driving nitrates to often undetectable levels.
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Deliberate tang aggression sequencing
Added the aggressive purple tang last on purpose so less-aggressive tangs would establish first and not get ganged up on.
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Heavily packed 'underwater garden'
Intentionally overstocks coral and fish so there's no open space, paired with strong nutrient export to keep the packed system stable.
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Equipment Breakdown

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Filtration
Reef Octopus Regal 250 Super Space Saver
Reef Octopus
Regal 250 Super Space Saver
Protein skimmer
⭐ Premium pick
Fills nearly the entire front of the sump — first line of the aggressive nutrient export that lets the heavy fish load work.
Lighting
Black box LEDs
Display lights
💡 Budget hack
Generic black-box LEDs carry the primary light over this densely packed 220-gallon mixed reef.
Kessil A350 (approx)
Kessil
A350 (approx)
Accent light
Front-mounted as a flood spot for extra illumination — a single point source that adds shimmer over the flat black-box panels.
Modern equivalent: Kessil A360X Tuna Blue →
Power compact
Supplemental light
A 72-inch bulb run across the back of the tank for a soft-hued wash behind the main LEDs.
Modern equivalent: Reef Brite XHO strip →
Flow & Circulation
Jebao Return pump
Jebao
Return pump
Return pump
A budget DC pump handles the return — the money on this system went to export gear like the Regal skimmer and Pax Bellum scrubber.
In our catalog →
Jebao GYRE
Jebao
GYRE
Wavemaker

Husbandry & Notes

  • Small frequent water changes: 20 gallons weekly to keep parameters stable and avoid shocking the system
  • Keeps tank nutrient-poor, exporting via skimmer, biopellets, and external algae scrubber
  • Runs Pax Bellum external algae turf scrubber, growing ~10x more algae than in-sump refugium did
  • Changes three filter socks once a week
  • Runs carbon in both BRS reactor chambers, no GFO/ferric oxide since no phosphate issue
  • Feeds fish once a day; minimal cleanup crew since hungry fish eat everything
  • Sends water to Triton Labs every 90 days for detailed ICP analysis
  • Adds only needed nutrients rather than letting nitrates climb; keeps stocking heavy but nutrient-poor
Reported parameters
Salinity
25 (host stated; likely refractometer/reading)
Alk (dKH)
8.1
Calcium
450
Magnesium
1250
Nitrate
undetectable to 0.5 ppm
Phosphate
below 0.5, sometimes undetectable
pH
drips to 7.8 at night
It's like having your cake and eating it too, making it all work together.
I try to look at it as a garden that I'm growing, the same you grow vegetables I'm growing a garden under the water.
This tank the nitrate levels are sometimes undetectable.
I'm exporting the nutrients as best I can and I think that's the key to the success of the tank.
The last tang I put in was my purple tang on purpose because I was afraid any tang that didn't have the aggression of a purple would just not survive.