In order to have a thriving reef tank, you will need to provide your inhabitants with the proper conditions. In this article I am going to describe the ideal conditions for a healthy, happy reef tank.
Here’s a list of some things I’ll be explaining:
Light
Flow
Live Rock
Substrate
Temperature
Nutrients
Trace Elements
Light
Depending on what you would like to keep in your reef tank, rather it be Anemones, Clams, SPS corals, LPS corals, soft corals, or a mixture, you will need the sufficient amount of light in order for them to survive and be happy.
If you plan on keeping any Anemones, Clams, SPS, or LPS you will need stronger lighting such as Metal Halides or LED’s. For soft corals you don’t need nearly as much light, but you will still need to ensure you have “enough”. Most softies will thrive under power compacts, T5 or T5 HO light fixtures, however there are exceptions when it comes to lighting and certain corals, but this is a general …….
Flow
Having the right amount of flow in a reef tank is very important in a reef tank. Flow keeps detritus (waste), and food from settling into the sand bed or rocks, allowing it to stay suspended in the water column so that it has time to reach your filtration system. Detrius and food buildup in the rocks and sandbed will cause high phosphates and nitrates resulting in poor water quality.
Most all corals require flow in order to survive. Some corals require more flow than others, that’s why it’s important to carefully place corals in the tank according to their flow requirements.
An ideal amount of flow for most mixed reef tanks is about 30x – 50x turnover. An SPS dominated reef tank requires more flow, and can thrive with flow as high as 100x turnover.
Live Rock
Live Rock in the marine aquarium serves a vital purpose and acts as a means of filtration and is home to many beneficial critters. An ideal amount of live rock for a reef tank is somewhere between 1-1.5 lbs. per gallon.
Live rock can be quite expensive, therefore I recommend buying “base rock” too. For instance, In my tank (110 gal.) I bought about 30 lbs. of established live rock, and made the rest (about 100 lbs.) on my own. If you are interested in this route, youtube “ diy live rock” and you should get plenty of results.
You may be wondering, how can I use base rock if it is not live? Well, the established live rock will seed the base rock and it also will become live. This same principle applies for sand/substrate.
Substrate
In a reef tank, substrate is nothing more than an option. I could go on and on about the pros and cons of having substrate or not, but instead I will just give you the basic rundown.
Most hobbyists prefer the look of sand in their marine tanks, so going bare bottom (no sand) is not an option. If this is you, then you are going to need to understand that having a sand bend will be more maintenance. Sand will collect detritus and can cause your nutrient levels to rise over time, so it is important to either regularly vacuum your sand bed to remove the detritus, or if you decide not to vacuum, you will need to replace your sand bed every 2-5 years. However, I highly recommend vacuuming your sand bed periodically to keep it clean.
The other option you have is to go bare bottom. Having no sand is much easier to deal with and allows you to have more flow in your tank without causing a sand storm. When having a bare bottom tank, some of the detritus will settle on the bottom making it easy to siphon out when doing water changes. Bare bottom will allow you to feed your reef more, and not have to worry about the nutrient problems that you would with a sand bed. I’m not saying that bare bottom is the solution to all problems, but it is the solution to a lot J.
Temperature
The temperature in a reef tank should be between 76-84 degrees Fahrenheit. I run my reef tank at around 80-82 degrees. I recommend running on the warmer side because it slows the metabolism of your corals allowing them to grow faster. Most coral reefs where our corals come from have a temperature between 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Some hobbyists insist on keeping the temperature of their tanks as stable as possible, but I don’t agree with this. My tank has fluctuated all the way from 82-76 degrees within a day, and none of my corals were effected in any way. If you keep your temperature TOO stable, and something happened to your heater, or the power went out, your corals would not be used to the change which could result in death. If your tank fluctuates frequently, your corals will be more resilient when it comes to fluctuations.
Nutrients
Nutrients in a reef tank are usually referred to as phosphates (PO4) and nitrates (NO4). Phosphates typically come from the food that you put into your tank whether it be for corals or fish. If your phosphates are too high, it can cause harm to sensitive corals such as SPS, and can slow coral growth. Phosphates are also a culprit for nuisance algae’s that can be difficult to get rid of. Ideally you want your PO4 levels to be 0, but unfortunately this is not always the case. In order keep your phosphates low or undetectable, you will need to be aware of how much you are feeding your fish and corals. Most fish and coral foods contain phosphates in them, so be aware of how much you are feeding, and try to only feed what your fish will eat. If you have a phosphate problem, having a good protein skimmer, adding a phosban reactor and or macro algae’s can help keep them under control. Also, routine cleaning, siphoning of the sand bed, and weekly water changes will help lower phosphates.
Nitrates are another common battle in the reef tank. Nitrates come from your inhabitants waste. It is always best to keep your nitrates as low as possible to provide your reef with good water quality. There are several ways to keep nitrates low: don’t over feed, turkey baste rocks, have a good protein skimmer, do weekly water changes, vacuum sand bed/siphon detritus, and clean filter pads etc.
Trace Elements
Trace elements such as calcium, magnesium, and Alkalinity can be found in your salt mix. Some people worry that they need to be dosing their reef tanks with supplements in order to provide ideal conditions for corals, but this is not entirely true. Most of the time trace elements can be maintained at ideal conditions by doing week water changes 15-20%. Trace elements become depleted over time if you are not replacing them with regular water changes.
It is always important to test for these 3 most crucial trace elements in your reef tank. As long as your levels are within these numbers, you should have nothing to worry about: Calcium should be between 380-460, Alkalinity between 7-12, and magnesium should range within 1200-1500. You should always try keeping these levels as consistent as possible to maintain stability in your reef tank. If you find any of these levels over or below the numbers I recommended, then you should find the cause, and adjust accordingly.
. A few quality, affordable protein skimmer brands are Octopus, Eshopps, and Coralife. Of course there are many different types of protein skimmers, but these are a few popular brands that have good reviews and aren’t too expensive. 
