Ocean
in Four Walls
A reef tank is a living ecosystem, water chemistry, light cycles, species compatibility. Biology, chemistry and patience in miniature format.
The Reef Tank
Keeping a successful reef tank is genuinely one of the most technically demanding hobbies there is. You are maintaining a living marine ecosystem in a glass box, balancing water chemistry, lighting spectrum and intensity, flow patterns, species compatibility, and feeding schedules simultaneously. Every variable affects every other variable.
The parameters that matter: alkalinity (dKH), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), nitrate (NO3), phosphate (PO4), salinity (1.025-1.026 SG), and temperature. SPS corals, Acropora, Montipora, are particularly sensitive. A swing of 1 dKH in alkalinity over 24 hours can cause bleaching. The tank rewards consistency and punishes carelessness.
Livestock
Water Chemistry
Testing is not optional, it is the foundation of reef keeping. Manual testing with accurate test kits (Salifert, Hanna) for alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium at minimum, with more frequent checks during the establishment phase. Nitrate and phosphate dictate coral colouration and growth rate, too low and corals starve, too high and algae wins.
Dosing systems, two-part, kalkwasser, or calcium reactor, maintain stable parameters as corals consume alkalinity and calcium while growing. Getting the dosing right is an iterative process: measure, adjust, wait, measure again.