Tank 01
Sanjay's 500 Gallon Mega Reef
500
Gallons
Acropora dominant
Style
130
Months Old
7 feet long 4 feet front to back and 30 inches tall
Dr. Sanjay Joshi's 500-gallon reef tank, established in 2006, is a mature Acropora-dominant system known for its vibrant SPS corals. It features a high-flow environment with a mix of modern Ecotech Radion G4 Pro LEDs and older, custom-built equipment like a 20-year-old DIY protein skimmer. Sanjay emphasizes a hands-off approach to minor issues like cyanobacteria and allows 'marine snow' to circulate, believing it benefits the ecosystem.
Lighting
EcoTech Marine Radion G4 Pro ×8 $999.99in stockSkimmer
DIY (ETS knockoff)
Flow
EcoTech Marine MP60 ×3 $836.99in stock, 
EcoTech Marine MP40 ×1 $431.99in stock, 
EcoTech Marine Vectra L1 ×2 $52.99in stock, 
Sea Swirl ×3Dosing
calcium reactor
Filtration
skimmer, refugium (chaeto reactor)
Water Changes
25% monthly
Husbandry & Practices
12
- Maintains an Acropora-dominant reef, focusing on high flow and specific lighting for SPS.
- Uses a combination of internal powerheads, closed loops, and Sea Swirls for randomized flow.
- Switched from metal halides to 8 Ecotech Radion G4 Pros to reduce heat and eliminate the need for a chiller.
- Lights are on a daylight schedule, with blues dimming slightly when the host is home for viewing, followed by a blue twilight period.
- Utilizes a large external overflow box as a holding tank for clownfish, which have bred there.
- Employs a DIY protein skimmer (ETS knockoff) built 20 years ago, emphasizing regular cleaning of the skimmer cup.
- Uses a Geo's Reef calcium reactor for alkalinity and calcium maintenance.
- Manages nitrates with a Pax Bellum ARID Chaeto Reactor, sometimes directing calcium reactor effluent into it.
- Performs 25% water changes monthly.
- Does not use mechanical filtration like filter socks, relying on the skimmer to remove debris.
- Maintains a sand bed, acknowledging it gets blown around by high flow, and would consider coarser sand in the future.
- Does not worry excessively about minor cyanobacteria outbreaks, viewing them as temporary and self-correcting.
Target Parameters
NO₃
high
pH
8
Corals
20
AcroporaPearl Berry AcroporaJF Flame AcroporaLeprechaun Beard AcroporaAcropora robustaAcropora microphthalmaFlower Pot corals (Goniopora)GorgonianXeniaAcropora torakiBlue Spruce AcroporaAcropora floridaStatic Shock AcroporaAustralian Blue Stag AcroporaSandals Acropora (Jake Adams)Reef Gen Blueberry AcroporaMilka StyloRed Dragon AcroporaOregon Tort AcroporaPink Stylophora
Fish
12
Blue TangSnowflake Photon ClownfishRoland's DamselfishBaller Angels (male and female)JaculatorsGrenadiersPurple TangBandit AngelAssessorsGolden AngelPossum WrasseLunare Wrasse
