Last week we covered five of our favorite nano reefs, but since some worthy aquariums didn’t make it to the list here is a follow up post with an additional five nano aquariums. Equally amazing, these nano reefs are very exciting. Like the previous nano reefs we featured, these are all small reefs with a lot of punch and interesting concepts that could translate into larger aquariums.
Rod and Aidan’s soft coral reef
This father and son collaboration resulted in an absolutely stunning display. Who thought xenia, GSP, and a combination of other assorted corals could look so good? With a small amount of large corals this aquascape is very cool, and quite unlike most other nano reefs that are packed to the rim with dozens of different corals. It certainly reminds us just how awesome simplicity can be.
EcoReef One & EcoReef Zero
Since the EcoReef Zero is an evolution of the same concept as the EcoReef one, we decided to merge both together for this post.
The EcoReef One has to be one of the most significant nano reefs that circulates the internet. It was the EcoReef One that broke all the rules and showed us that we really didn’t need liverock, or livesand, or a large assortment of additives. It was the EcoReef One that showed us that there was a simpler way to keep nano reef aquariums. Setup by our own Jake Adams this nano reef was spectacular, and as biased as we may be, we still love it.
The EcoReef One was eventually broken down, and was replaced with the EcoReef Zero, which took everything a couple steps farther. If it is possible to run a low maintenance coral tank without filtration and liverock on the basis that corals produce very little bioload, why not take things to a another level and highlight just a single coral? The EcoReef Zero was just that, and the results were spectacular. It is impressive how big of an impact and how inspirational a single elegance coral can be.
Xbox 360 aquarium
This Xbox 360 aquarium is more gimicky than anything else, but the concept behind the tank is great. Contained inside a Xbox shell the builders of this reef even put in a little viewing window into the game console. The stocking of this xbox aquarium is quite nominal with just a few simple ricordea and zoanthids dominating the scape. The Xbox aquarium also contains some inverts, but has no fish. A really cool system that certainly stands out from the rest.
Half gallon pico reef
This tank is cool because, at half a gallon, its tiny. Completely build from scratch the exterior of the mini reef actually looks very impressive, and it even has its own tiny custom light! Just to illustrate as to how small this pico reef is, the amount of sand and liverock is measured in grams! A video of the this tiny reef can be found in the original post.
Mark van der Wal’s 34 gallon Solana
Simple, low tech, and low key this reef is awesome. Another system from one of our own, Mark van der Wal, this reef is spectacular. It is unkempt, overgrown, and hasn’t seen a water change in years, but that’s the beauty of it. It is virtually a maintenance free system, which means less time spend with your hand in the tank and more time to enjoy your corals. The full details on Mark’s reef can be found in the original post.
Our other five favorite nano reefs can be found here for those of you that missed it, and our five favorite concept reefs we covered two weeks ago can be found here. Stay tuned for five of our favorite large reef systems (some serious beauties with that one!) next week.
