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Ryan's 1,000-Gallon SPS Reef

Ryan's 1,000-Gallon SPS Reef

by Ryan
Volume
1,000 gal
Dimensions
10' long x 5' wide x 32" high
Tank type
SPS Dominant
Tunze wave boxes are installed in sectional overflow dividers with output plumbed through the tank side, completely hiding them while delivering surge flow. Presenter had never seen this done before.

Ryan Reeves' 1000-gallon Acropora-dominated SPS reef is a Planet Aquarium glass build (10'x5'x32") reinforced with steel, housed in-wall with two viewable sides and a dedicated mechanical room with geothermal HVAC. It runs massive flow from dual Abyzz return pumps, MP60s, Maxspect Gyres, hidden Tunze wave boxes, and a motorized ball-valve ceiling surge tank, lit by Gen 4 Radion Pros plus Solatubes. Chemistry is handled by a 12" GEO calcium reactor, GHL Profilux dosing, and quarterly ICP testing.

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Source: YouTube · Tidal Gardens
What sets this tank apart
Wave boxes hidden in overflow
Tunze wave boxes are installed in sectional overflow dividers with output plumbed through the tank side, completely hiding them while delivering surge flow. Presenter had never seen this done before.
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Motorized ball-valve surge tank
A 100-gallon ceiling surge tank uses a motorized ball valve that closes before air is sucked down, eliminating the bubbles and noise of toilet-flap or Carlson surge designs.
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Glass build reinforced with steel
A 1000-gallon tank built from 3/4" glass (not acrylic) reinforced with steel, chosen for scratch resistance despite the structural challenge at this scale.
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Redundant Abyzz return pumps + drip tray
Two Abyzz return pumps give flow plus failover redundancy, and a 2.5" perimeter drip tray plumbed to a floor drain has already caught two leaks before they hit the floor.
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Equipment Breakdown

Shop this build · 2 of 9 items priced
Ryan's 1,000-Gallon SPS Reef — Full Equipment List
$1,837
est. build cost
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Filtration
Trigger Systems Custom 18" skimmer
Trigger Systems
Custom 18" skimmer
Protein skimmer
Custom 18" cone handles the bulk of filtration, backed by ceramic biomedia plates and filter socks.
Lighting
EcoTech Marine Gen 4 Radion XR30 Pro
EcoTech Marine
Gen 4 Radion XR30 Pro
Display lights
Replaced eight 400W 20K Radium metal halides — corals never looked better and the power bill on 1,000 gallons dropped.
Modern equivalent: EcoTech Radion XR30 G6
$999.99 Buy → at Bulk Reef Supply Details →
Solatube
Tubular skylight
Natural daylight ×3
Pipes real sunlight onto the reef during waking hours — free full-spectrum supplement layered over the Radions.
Flow & Circulation
Abyzz
A200 + A400
Return pumps ×2
⭐ Premium pick
Two pumps mean failover redundancy — the A200 also feeds a manifold so new reactors can be trialed without replumbing.
EcoTech Marine MP60
EcoTech Marine
MP60
Wavemakers
EcoTech's biggest powerhead, layered with gyres and hidden wave boxes to move water across a 10-foot run.
$836.99 Buy → at Bulk Reef Supply Details →
Maxspect Gyre 280
Maxspect
Gyre 280
Cross-flow
Sheets flow along the 10-foot length where point-source powerheads fall short.
Tunze Wave boxes
Tunze
Wave boxes
Surge flow
🔧 DIY mod
Built into the overflow dividers with output plumbed through the tank side — invisible surge flow the presenter had never seen done before.
Monitoring & Control
GHL Profilux
GHL
Profilux
Controller
Runs the ESV magnesium and trace dosing; its probe readings get sanity-checked against quarterly ICP tests.
Dosing
GEO / ESV 12" Calcium reactor
GEO / ESV
12" Calcium reactor
Ca/Alk supplementation
A 12" reactor carries the calcium demand of 1,000 gallons of Acropora, with ESV magnesium and traces dosed via the Profilux.
In our catalog →

Husbandry & Notes

  • Conservative fish stocking for a huge tank to avoid overcrowding while still gaining maintenance benefits
  • Uses urchins instead of snails for superior algae control, even removing coralline for coral growth room
  • Runs a return manifold off the Abyzz 200 to easily experiment with new reactors and devices
  • Verifies GHL/pilot-monitor readings by sending ICP samples out for testing every quarter
  • Chemistry via calcium reactor plus dosing ESV magnesium and trace elements on GHL Profilux
  • Hides Tunze wave boxes inside the overflow, plumbing output through the aquarium side
  • Offset 325-gallon sump located out from under the display for easier maintenance access
This one features a show-stopping 1000-gallon SPS reef by Ryan Reeves that I saw while visiting Dallas Texas.
It is GLASS. If you see a gigantic viewing pane in a public aquarium for example, it is always acrylic.
That one colony that looks like it is going to blow right off the rocks is a giant Homewrecker Acropora colony.
The idea for the blue throat triggers was to have a mated pair, but they both turned out to be males.
According to Ryan, his corals have never looked better and in the process save a ton in electricity over the metal halides.