Building a Slice of the Ocean, Nano Reef Tank Build

Reef keeping couldn't be easier with this nano reef tank build! Even though I love saltwater aquariums, I've never been a fan of the bulky equipment. In this video, I demonstrate how easy reef keeping can be!

Some may be skeptical about how this tank will perform in the long run. After two months of being set up, all the animals are thriving. I have yet to do a water change, and the only maintenance is topping off the water and feeding the corals.

For this tank, I mostly used soft corals and LPS in order to keep maintenance to a minimum. I have one or two SPS corals in the tank as well. Let me know what you think of the build! Is there anything you would’ve done differently?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUPPLIES:

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Basically, if you buy something through any of these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

[ConanCamelPuncher]

I meant to be watching a lecture, but Dr. Plants uploaded so I know what I’m watching.

[RogueJungle]

Would love to see more saltwater aquarium videos, love all your content

[tepidti]

literally my dream to have a tank like this one day 😭 gorgeous and i love seeing how you take care of the coral!

[justinxjhh]

I basically marathoned your channel today upon discovering it and god damn it I’ve watched every second of it 😭😭 it’s so interesting and I love that all the products are linked so people who are interested can get started easily, cost friendly too.

[GothicPoet]

My mom and dad had a 300 gallon tank. It was a coral reef with an octopus and jellyfish we also kept blue crabs and blue crawfish. They put blue lights behind the tank for a beautiful scenery. We had a bar and entertainment area in our basement. The tank sat behind the bar as a living wall. We cleaned it once a week as a family and fully drained it twice a year to make sure no moss or mold grew. I enjoyed cleaning the tank with my family. I got to play with the octopus. He was a smart dude, he was very curious about me. I got a small ball for him and we played with it while my mom and dad did the big job. He loved hording certain types rocks so he had a pile of them in his hideout. The corals were very beautiful too. They glowed under the blue light. They also helped filter the tank. The whole room was a controlled environment for the tank. I have great memories of those days. I remember watching the jellyfish booping around and the crabs chased the bubbles with the crawfish. The corals got use to use so we got to watch them move around and wave in the water catching stuff floating by. I wish we had the internet back then I would have had a YouTube channel for sharing the tank with everyone. ☺️

[thesuperzfamilyvlog]

Those Xenia are going to be a pain when they start to spread. To keep them from taking over the tank, we usually isolate them to their own space. Also, one of the reasons for water changes is to return minerals to the tank. You don’t have any hard coral, plating montipora, birds nest and the sort, in there so returning calcium to the system isn’t that important. If your viewers do decided to get hard corals, you’ll either have to supplement with additives or do water changes, or both. However, they still aren’t that difficult to do, and the tanks are still relatively easy to maintain. I Kept a saltwater tank with hard and soft corals, anemone fish, and I even had an aggressive tank for about 15 years. I got out of the hobby cause kids get expensive, and miss it so much. Thanks for sharing your tank, and hope all the best.

[casualsatanist]

Having just finished my 1st college semester of my biology bachelor, im loving these videos. Its awesome to see all these organisms and go "Oh, I know that one" etc.
Also nice to see em alive and not dead and dissected.

[TheKingofBunga]

I honestly can't wait for when Dr. Plants comes out with "100 days ago, I built an ocean ecosystem and this happened"

[jenny]

DEFINITELY MAKE AN UPDATE VIDEO, this was amazing to watch. Also a list with all the species you’ll be introducing will be great- from corals to algae to fish to crustaceans etc.

[graphite]

The fact is a lot of these little >5gal tanks are terrible for fresh water fish but perfect for nano/pico reefs. Far easier and more ethical than a poor betta or goldfish. And some LPS are virtually indestructible as well as being unusual and pretty. Your set up is beautiful and simple, perfect for what you have stocked. But even then some set ups can be even more minimal - airstone and lights will keep xenia, yellow polyps and a bunch of other softies thriving! (Great for kids, office desk tanks, classrooms and busy people)

[leafy.]

Why has it taken so long for youtube to recommend this channel to me. This is amazing

[LeeFav.]

The is is such a gem channel...

I'm gonna binge watch

[suericata]

Can't imagine how many chores you have to keep up with, spread between every living thing you take care of. Great work!

[polarberri]

Beautiful tank! Great build and explanation. Super inspirational that you made it so accessible and affordable. Thank you!

[moonpaints]

I've wanted a coral tank for so long and I always thought you needed more for it. This is so easy and simple. Thank you for sharing. I really want this for my living room.

[kazuhikoriku]

I’m so looking forward to a update! I’ve rewatched all your videos so many times now and you’ve created a whole new interest for me!

[noitibmar]

These videos always make me feel so impatient. I just want to see how it all develops over time!
I cannot wait for future updates, but the waiting will only make it sweeter to see how this tank progresses x

[JamesBricks]

I would love too see a longer video about all the creatures and coral. Keep up the great videos they are always fascinating!

[pshadyyx]

Wow! That's another level to our sweet water fish tank we have at home. I wanted to make one small just for shrimps, however, I maybe start with one with corals first! Thank you!

[Phillipbeans]

The editing is so amazing and you really make me think about nature‘s beauties thank you 🍷