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ALLCORALS REEF TANKS & GEAR
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The Reef That Thrives on the Basics

The Reef That Thrives on the Basics

Dimensions
5 foot (Red Sea Peninsula)
Tank type
SPS Dominant
A pair of large ReefWaves reverse direction every five minutes, spinning the whole water column each way for even, gentle flow across the peninsula.

A roughly 3.5-year-old five-foot Red Sea Peninsula reef at the Reef Builder Studio, aquascaped for viewing from both sides and started as a Montipora-dominant tank that shifted toward Acropora after a Montipora-eating nudibranch appeared. Run largely on Red Sea gear with alternating gyre flow, Acura Optics LEDs, and careful nitrate/phosphate management, it now shows dense, thriving SPS growth. Main challenges are the persistent monti-eating nudibranch, some zebrasoma fin recession, and one browning immortal tort.

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Source: YouTube · Reef Builders
What sets this tank apart
Alternating five-minute gyre flow
A pair of large ReefWaves reverse direction every five minutes, spinning the whole water column each way for even, gentle flow across the peninsula.
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Deliberate nitrate/phosphate management
Actively doses nitrate and phosphate and watches them so they never bottom out, which unlocked color and growth in deepwater Acropora.
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Elevated magnesium for montiporas
Keeps magnesium at 1300+ specifically because Montipora species are sensitive to lower magnesium, unlike typical mixed-reef targets.
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Grow-out then observe morphology
Lets colonies grow untouched to study encrusting, plating, and branching phases of a single coral before fragging back.
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Equipment Breakdown

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Filtration
Red Sea Reefer protein skimmer
Red Sea
Reefer protein skimmer
Protein skimmer
🔧 DIY mod
Stock Reefer skimmer upgraded with the controllable CJ PSK-1200 SDC — same pump family as stock, now with speed control.
Lighting
Acura Optics LED (touchscreen generation)
Acura Optics
LED (touchscreen generation)
Display lights ×2
Boulder, Colorado-built fixtures at ~300 watts each — 600W total over the five-footer, adjusted from a full-color touchscreen on the unit.
Flow & Circulation
Maxspect Gyre return pump
Maxspect
Gyre return pump
Return pump
Red Sea ReefWave (larger)
Red Sea
ReefWave (larger)
Wavemakers ×2
The pair reverses gyre direction every five minutes, spinning the whole water column each way for even, gentle flow across the peninsula.
Monitoring & Control
Red Sea ReefWave controllers
Red Sea
ReefWave controllers
Flow control
Dosing
Red Sea Reef Dose 4 (+ calcium reactor)
Red Sea
Reef Dose 4 (+ calcium reactor)
Ca/Alk supplementation
Four channels run Reef Energy AB+, AcroPower and nitrate/phosphate while the calcium reactor carries Ca/alk — levels watched so they never bottom out.

Husbandry & Notes

  • Run two Red Sea ReefWaves on alternating gyre, reversing flow direction every five minutes
  • Dose nitrate and phosphate, watching levels so they never bottom out
  • Keep calcium ~400-420, alkalinity ~7-9 dkH, magnesium 1300+ for sensitive montiporas
  • Dose Reef Energy AB+ and AcroPower via Red Sea Reef Dose four-channel doser
  • Roller mat roll lasts about three months; wipe sump down periodically
  • Let corals grow out fully then frag before fast growers take over
  • Manually target aptasia; fewer than five removed in four years
  • Improved deepwater Acropora color by keeping close eye on nitrate and phosphate
Reported parameters
Alk (dKH)
8
Calcium
410
Magnesium
1300
We started out this tank trying to do a really monopora dominated aquarium and we did succeed, but some montipora eating nudibranch kind of gave us a curveball.
There is nothing faster for accessing the controls of setting the lighting to what we want.
Once we started really keeping an eye on nitrates and phosphates that made a huge difference in their growth.
I can't tell you how pivotal it is to have a reef tank that has just a minimum of coral pests.
We have manually targeted not more than like five aptasia over four years.