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Tidal Gardens

Rico's Reef Tank - 300-gallon SPS Dominated Reef

Tank 1 of 1 from Taking a look at Rico's Reef Tank - 300-gallon SPS Dominated Reef

300
Gallons
SPS dominant
Style
Marineland Deep Dimension
Brand
72" x 36" x 28"
Rico's 300-gallon Marineland Deep Dimension is an Acropora-dominated SPS reef grown entirely from small frags into tastefully pruned, bonsai-like colonies. It is run unconventionally with zero water changes, no carbon or GFO, relying on a reef octopus skimmer, a large calcium reactor, weekly kalkwasser, feeding, and a dedicated algae grow-out tank. Rockwork is carpeted in blue clove polyps rather than coralline, and a heavy fish load provides pest control.
Video by Tidal Gardens
Equipment

Gear in this tank

Lighting
ATI Coral Plus T5 bulbs $24.99in stock, Ocean Revive ×4
Skimmer
Reef Octopus Reef Octopus (via CoralVue)
Dosing
calcium reactor
Filtration
skimmer plus algae scrubbing
Water Changes
Zero water changes on the system
Feeding
Manages nutrients largely through feeding
Husbandry

Protocols & Practices

  • Runs zero water changes; nutrients managed by feeding, skimmer, and algae scrubbing
  • Large calcium reactor with electronic CO2 regulator for controlled, uniform dosing
  • Adds kalkwasser about once a week; no carbon dosing, no GFO
  • Dedicated red algae grow-out tank harvested periodically as a form of algae scrubbing
  • Grows all corals from small frags, tastefully pruning colonies like bonsai to reduce warfare
  • Shelters Euphyllia low and shaded under a stylophora to protect from intense SPS light
  • Heavy fish load of wrasses and damsels for biological pest control against flatworms
  • Uses blue clove polyp mat over rockwork instead of coralline for a moving, living substrate
Stocked

Livestock

Corals
5
AcroporaMontipora setosa (orange)StylophoraEuphyllia (hammers and frogspawn)blue clove polyps
Fish
6
Clownfishwrassesdamselstangsfoxfacescoral beauty (dwarf angel)