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ALLCORALS REEF TANKS & GEAR
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Reef Builders

The Kitchen Sink Reef Tank

Tank 1 of 1 from The 'Kitchen Sink' Reef Tank - 100 gallons of Diverse Corals

100
Gallons
mixed reef
Style
36
Months Old
Innovative Marine NUVO 100EXT
Brand
A 100-gallon (~75 actual) Innovative Marine NUVO 100EXT run by Jake Adams as the Reef Builders studio 'kitchen sink' tank — a catch-all for whatever diverse coral doesn't fit elsewhere. Originally a soft coral tank, it now holds an extremely varied mix heavy on Turbinaria, Astreopora, bird's nest, and leathers, lit by two AI Hydra 64s with two VorTech MP40s. Its standout traits are a huge tang-driven herbivore cleanup crew and bottom-mounted flow that keeps the aquascape remarkably clean and largely undisturbed for three years.
Video by Reef Builders
Equipment

Gear in this tank

Lighting
Aqua Illumination Hydra 64 ×2 $701.99in stock
Flow
EcoTech Marine VorTech MP40 ×2 $341.99in stock
Filtration
Part of a larger central system; mineral balance/filtration handled at the system level, not tank-specific
Husbandry

Protocols & Practices

  • Dose nitrate and phosphate to sustain soft corals and broaden success across a diverse mix.
  • Position both VorTech MP40s at back bottom corners, alternating ~75-80%, to keep rock detritus-free.
  • Rely on a heavy tang/surgeonfish herbivore crew instead of a deliberately-added cleanup crew.
  • Elevate the Millepora colony on 4-inch legs so flow blasts underneath and fills the gap.
  • Let a pest Xenia grow isolated up the back glass so it can't overgrow other corals.
  • Added eight Springer's damsels together at once to keep aggression balanced.
  • Added dual-rail hung lighting plus LED strips to combat coral self-shading.
Stocked

Livestock

Corals
36
Turbinaria peltata (powdery sky blue)Turbinaria (scroll-like, spun growth)Neon green scroll/turbinaria coral (from Atlanta)Turbinaria bifronsTurbinaria heronensis (light green colony)Turbinaria heronensis (bluish branching)Turbinaria heronensis (green grafted, from Jason Fox)Astreopora randalli (bright green polyps)Streaking grafted Astreopora (green/brown streaks)Large-polyp Astreopora (collected in Australia)Milka Stylo (Millepora/Stylophora placeholder)Acropora horrida (collected on Great Barrier Reef)Bird of paradise (Seriatopora)Seriatopora hystrix (pink bird's nest)Green tip bird's nestLazy's Blue Zinger (tank-made Seriatopora hybrid)Pacific Ocean tenuis (yellow-green, dark blue tips)Bonsai Acro Manila spy Montipora crystal experimentPocillopora verrucosaPocillopora damicornisPocillopora aduie (Cat's Paw, pink)Green Psammocora (pest, from poet bailout)Green Nephthea leatherSinularia (branching orange strains x2)Golden folded crown toadstool leatherFiji yellow leatherLong-pop leather coralLarge-pop leather coralCaulastrea (starry candy coral)Wine red BernardporaPavona decussata (green)Mint chip PavonaRed Lobophyllia (from Ocean Reef Marine Aquariums, West Australia)Green Poritas AstreoporaRed sea pulsing XeniaRandom ACI Aquaculture frag
Fish
10
Wild-caught gray Molly (from Florida)Yellow tangTomini tangConvict tangGem tangPowder Blue / Powder Brown hybrid tangBristletail filefishBanggai cardinalfishOnyx percula clownfish (tank bred)Springer's damselfish (x8, Chrysiptera)
Inverts
4
Peppermint shrimpAsterina starfishStomatella snailsEmerald crabs