Reef tank: step-by-step setup

10 steps from choosing the spot to adding the first fish.

1. Spot and tank

   Marine needs stability: 100 L or more is far easier than a nano. Best is a drilled (overflow) tank with a sump below. Check the floor: 300 L with sump and rock can reach 400 kg.

2. Water and salt

   RO/DI water only (TDS 0): tap water carries phosphate, nitrate and silica. Reef salt at about 36–38 g per litre to 1.025 SG (35 ppt), measured with a refractometer. Mix in a bucket with a pump and heater for 24 h before use.

3. Equipment

   A sump or strong filter, a protein skimmer rated 1.5× the tank, wave pumps for 20–40× turnover (more for reef), heater (and a chiller or fans for Egyptian summers), ATO with RO water, refractometer and test kits.

4. Reef lighting

   LED, T5 or hybrid. PAR: soft 50–150, LPS 100–200, SPS 250–400+. 8–10 h; ramp up slowly to avoid bleaching.

5. Rock and sand

   Live or dry rock about 0.5–1 kg per 4 L, stacked stable with epoxy and open for flow. Aragonite sand 2–5 cm or bare bottom. Never take rock or coral from the Red Sea: it is illegal in Egypt.

6. Cycle (4–8 weeks)

   Ammonia 2 ppm plus marine bacteria, lights off or low. Test every two days. A brown diatom then green algae phase is normal. Ready when ammonia and nitrite read zero; then add a clean-up crew (snails, hermit crabs).

7. Corals in order

   After 2–3 stable months: soft corals, zoas and mushrooms first, then LPS, SPS after 6–12 months. Dip every coral against pests.

8. Chemistry

   Alk 7–11 (no more than 1 dKH change a day), Ca 380–450, Mg 1250–1400, nitrate 2–10, phosphate 0.03–0.1. Two-part, kalk or a calcium reactor as demand grows; ICP every three months.

9. Fish: quarantine first

   Quarantine every new marine fish 4–6 weeks (copper or chloroquine plus praziquantel) before the display: marine ich and velvet wipe out tanks. One or two fish every two weeks, peaceful first, aggressive last. Never copper in a tank with corals or invertebrates.

10. Marine routine

    Top off daily with RO water (not salt water), change 10–15% weekly or fortnightly, empty the skimmer cup weekly, check salinity and temperature daily, nitrate and phosphate weekly. Stability beats numbers.