We are really digging this reef tank by The Elite Reef not only for how it looks, but also how it is maintained. It’d be good enough to feature based on this reef’s appearance alone, it’s not an overcrowded frag salad stuck in every which place.
What we really love about this tank is that it hearkens back to a simpler time when corals were appreciated for their general appearance, and not its name or how it looks in a photoshopped macro photo. A basic sand bed and an appropriate amount of live rock serve as the foundation for a very colorful reefscape.
The aquascape is not particularly notable, but the diversity of colors, shapes and textures of this reef tank probably grabs your attention from across the room. A big Euphyllia coral here, a nice flashy red Monti cap there, and loads of neon green polyped gives this coral a ton of fluorescent pop. The movement of a nice classic rose bubble anemone, a field of Xenia and loads of other fleshy corals give this tank plenty of action.
The real cherry on top for this reef tank is not what it’s using, but what it’s not using. Rather than plunk down tons of cash for a large sump and skimmer, and everything that could go into it, conscientious choices were made about using great LED spotlighting with Kessil A160s, and great complete water movement with one Vortech MP40. There’s still chemical media filters and a protein skimmer in place, but these are normally off and just there in case of emergency.
More important to the success of this reef tank is the husbandry decision that have been made and the sound practices are employed. First and foremost, there’s only three fish in this 80 gallon aquarium, they are fed sparingly and they are even target fed to reduce any uneaten food.
There’s maybe a little too much emphasis on a cleanup crew in the form of snails and hermit crabs, but the approach can be successful if properly implemented. There’s a simple top-off system to make up for evaporated water, and even the chemistry management is taken care of by the original 2-Part solution from ESV B-Ionic.
What we absolutely love about this reef tank is how it reminds us that keeping a successful, thriving reef tank really isn’t all that hard. It’s just when you get into the weeds about which specific skimmer, or which pump, light or ‘method’ you should use, it’s easy to get lost and get information overload. No matter what kind of reef tank you keep, give this video a watch and remember that all the time saved not messing with the tank is spent just enjoying the results of a beautiful reef tank.
